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White Pads on a Zephyr?

gladsaxisme

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I recently bought a King Zephyr and most of the pads seem to be white but there are a few brown pads does anyone know if they came standard with white pads, the funny thing is the brown pads look older than the white so I'm not sure what has happened in the past, seems strange to change to white but leave a few brown or even having taken the trouble to go white then let a few brown pads be put back in.

It plays very well from the top right down to low C but it's a struggle to get B and Bb playing cleanly,I have put a light in it and there was big leaks on both on the outside edge, I thought it might be a knock to the bell but then noticed the post for the keys had taken a knock so I gently tapped it back which got rid of most of the leak but not all, where to go from here,should it be possible to take the leak out by tweaking or is it best to go for new pads.

Although I said it plays well from the top down,on putting the light in it shows lots of leaks on the compound keys so the regulation needs attention would it be best to repaid rather than try to sort out the old pads
 
It sounds interesting.
Photo?
 
The horn. I don't mind how it sounds, I want to see it in all its beauty.
 
That will be fun I can take pics with the iPad but so far have been unable to attach same to the post, I thought this stuff was supposed to be easy.I wouldn't say it's the most beautiful sax in the world but has some very interesting features like rollers on the mechs to the B and Bb never seen that before
 
That will be fun I can take pics with the iPad but so far have been unable to attach same to the post, I thought this stuff was supposed to be easy

Not sure if ipad is same as tablet but if you use the upload button at the bottom of the post when you browse for a file a camera option can be chosen. Take pic and click on the tick and it should upload. :)

Jx
 
I recently bought a King Zephyr........It plays very well from the top right down to low C but it's a struggle to get B and Bb playing cleanly,I have put a light in it and there was big leaks on both on the outside edge, I thought it might be a knock to the bell but then noticed the post for the keys had taken a knock so I gently tapped it back which got rid of most of the leak but not all, where to go from here,should it be possible to take the leak out by tweaking or is it best to go for new pads.

Although I said it plays well from the top down,on putting the light in it shows lots of leaks on the compound keys so the regulation needs attention would it be best to repaid rather than try to sort out the old pads

I would replace the low B and Bb pads making sure first that those two keys have no play between their respective posts and the keys are centred over their tone-holes. There's no point swapping old pads for new ones if you are not going to address any other issues that affect the key and pads operation.

If the other pads on what you call the compound keys ( I'm assuming you mean the bottom and top stacks) are leak free when the key cups are closed individually - then it's possible it just needs regulating with new linkage materials felt/ synthetic cork/rubco/tech corks etc.
I tend not to replace a pad in a stack set unless I replace them all - e.g. if the low D pad is shot then I would generally replace F# bar, F,E and D pads once any remedial work on the keys and posts is done.

As far as a repad goes- that would depend on the state of the pads.
 
I think it is like the one I have from some aerospace factory.
I compresses less than natural cork. Great under palm keys.
 
Thanks, Griff.

I've bought Syco "synthetic cork", from Dawkes, but it's more of a dense foam:

Instrument & Accessory Search

It's useful stuff, but not for all the same uses as cork.

So tech cork is rubber cork?

What's the advantage?
I'm not sure of MusicMedic's Techcork is exactly the same thing as that rubber cork, but the general idea is to avoid using something that changes shape over time, with compression. Natural cork breaks up eventually too. Hopefully, synthetic substitutes can last longer.

Either way, I like having a few different materials to choose from. One of my favourites for small bodges is teflon self adhesive tape, from ebay. It makes a reasonable buffer material, and comes in different thickness, so you can build it up in layers to get it how you want it. The adhesive is quite weak, but it means you can reposition it or take it off again easily, and maybe glue it on once you're happy with it - I'm using "UHU por" for that. It's fairly easy to remove again, but it holds well.
 
I would replace the low B and Bb pads making sure first that those two keys have no play between their respective posts and the keys are centred over their tone-holes. There's no point swapping old pads for new ones if you are not going to address any other issues that affect the key and pads operation.

If the other pads on what you call the compound keys ( I'm assuming you mean the bottom and top stacks) are leak free when the key cups are closed individually - then it's possible it just needs regulating with new linkage materials felt/ synthetic cork/rubco/tech corks etc.
I tend not to replace a pad in a stack set unless I replace them all - e.g. if the low D pad is shot then I would generally replace F# bar, F,E and D pads once any remedial work on the keys and posts is done.

As far as a repad goes- that would depend on the state of the pads.

Thanks for the advise Griff,I couldn't agree more about sorting all the other problems before addressing the pads themselves.
As far as the rest of the pads go they're not in the best shape at all ..john
 
So tech cork is rubber cork?

What's the advantage?
As others have said, it is a useful substitute for cork where compression is an issue. I like to use it on the feet of palm keys, side keys, and fork F# as it gives a solid feel to the key. It is also useful as a buffer between the tops of the stack keys and the backbar of the C and F#. For this application I like the .4 mm thickness. If key noise is an issue I like to substitute JL Smith .5 mm Synthetic Felt for the techcork. First I pound the snot (technical term) out of it on a steel block to make it less compressible.

I also use tech cork for the material in the G#/Bis adjusting screws. I use the correct size punch to make a small cylinder, superglue it into the screw, and then spin the screw in a bench motor and "dome" the end using an emery board. I then coat it with paraffin to reduce friction and increase the wear. It looks something like the image below.

 
Thanks. I've got a compressibility issue in a few places on my tenor. Looks as if tech/rubber cork is going to help.
 

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