what tools do i need please

[tom9437]

Hi all could any of you repair guiys please tell me what are the minimum tools i need to strip down a flute /clarinet and sax its just something i am doing at home i have bough the woodwind work book i hope to do a course next year. But money is very tight as i am not working at the moment due to fibromyalgia. So my Q. is could you give me a list of what i would get away with just to start. I all i intend to do is learn how to remove all working parts and put back together again. Or if anyone has any spare woodwind tools they no longer use please let me know. many thanks Tom.

 

[jonf]

Hammer. Big one.🙂))

Seriously, I think the most useful thing is Stepehn Howard's book, which then goes on to tell you what tools you need for each task.

Jon

 

[griff136]

Hi Tom ,

IMHO the miminum tools ou will need to remove all the working partsn and strip dowm a flute/clarinet are as follows:

1. Decent screwdrivers - using the wrong sized screwdriver can cause damage to the screw head, or you , or the instrument or all three!

2. some pliers - to assist in removing rod screws. preferably smooth jawed, or small pliers with cork or rubber glued to the jaws so you dont marr or mark the rod screws you need to pull out.

3. a tool to remove cork from clarinet tenons.


4. a spring hook - easy enough to make cheap enough to buy better still get yourself a small and I do mean small crochet hook.

You should be able to strip and assemble both instruments with the above. my advice would be to screw the rods and screws back in to their respective posts once you have removed a key.


tip - as you remove the keys place them on a bench in the order you remove them and then reverse the process when you assemble. - theres nothing worse than fitting some keys then having to remove them cos youve forgotten a key that needs to be fitted underneath the ones youve fitted.

good luck

 

[tom9437]

Oh thank you very much thats a big help. is there anything i could make up to hold the instrument ?

 

[griff136]

I am a repairer by trade and do not use anything to hold instruments for general stripping of the keywork. I do have a device that holds brass instruments at certain angles for when am soldering but generally woodwind intsruments i place on a piece of carpet ( a 2 quid mat from IKEA) and hold them steady with one hand and use the other for tools. I also place my left thumb on or near the post when unscrewing rods and pivot screws so that if I slip (hardly ever as I use the right sized screwdrivers) I dont damage the instrument. quite often I have saxes on my lap when working on them.

The important thing when starting out is to be analytical and take your time.

 

[tom9437]

Griff thank you for your time Tom

 

[MartinL]

I shaped a piece of wood to fit inside the small end of the sax neck, This wood was then held in the vice while I used a craft knife to remove the old neck cork.