Kudos on the link there, Micron! MUST these people use these darn rubberbands though?! Puh-lease! Luckily he mentioned the tarnish mark thing in relation to the rubberband usage as I cringe EVERY time someone mentions rubberbands and instruments! He needs to show that chick Sarah Noah (or whatever her name is/was!) some things I think! Anyone ever meet a flute player that kept toothpicks with them? Lol! Our band used to bring a small box of repair tools with us during our trips, etc. as the band director had a training in instrument repair during his college time while pursuing a music ed. career. With the headjoint cork topic, the local music store *cringe* told me a few years back that a temp method of expanding the cork is by using saline solution (contact lense cleanser liquid) and heat although it never seemed to work much for me. Also, I've never cared much for shellac-- I'm more of a hot glue stick kinda gal. Anyone else have issues with shellac? A few years back I purchased a piccolo that had almost ALL of the pads missing (they'd fallen out) and cracked shellac in the pad cups. Ever since then I've stayed far away from the shellac as I associate it with cracking. After all, it starts out as a hard stick whereas hot glue sticks/glue pellets (or discs!) would seem more resistant to that sort of thing. George's glue as well however for saxophones/metal clarinets due to thickness. I'm sensing that I'm veering off topic so I'm finished for now! Thanks for sharing the link! -Suzie (fw)
I would not have provided the link if he had not cautioned about removing the rubber band.
I hate Georges glue, because it give no visible indication when it is hot enough to stick. By the time it gives any indication, it is far too hot. I far prefer Smith's light amber translucent pellets. I think Musicmedic sells them too, although the photo in his website is misleading,last time I looked, because it looks like Georges pellets.
A matchstick, half burnt so it is tapered, doubles as a toothpick, butnot many people have matches around at gigs anymore either. I have seen a tightly rolled up piece of paper used though. The toothpick idea gives a start for alternative improvisation.
I would not want saline on a crown cork. It is fairly corrosive towards silver and especially silver plating.
Nothing too much wrong with shellac if it is used appropriately. The bulk of technicians probably still use and prefer it for saxes, for a variety of reasons. In extremely cold climates its brittleness may be an issue. It can fail if the metal surfaces are not heated when it is used.
Thanks once more for taking the time to shed light on such things for me! =)
George's glue has been around for a surprisingly long time-- my metal clarinet (in 2001) had weebled-to-hell-and-back pads from who-knows-when and the first time I melted some George's glue I knew instantly that this glue was not kidding around in the stability department lol. Problem (in my opinion) with it, however, (aside from the fact that it's WAY too thick for the things I'd be using it for) is thickness factor AND the fact that it's stringy once melted as well. Stringy glue can equal a not-so-nice mess (attention to carefulness is required, of course, too) and never mind the thickness issue again, etc.
Do you find the pellets to be easier to use vs a stick of glue? A few years ago I was testing bedding adhesive disks (from JL Smith I think!) with piccolo repads which seemed to be somewhat of a god-send with the tedious 6mm+ pads which could be a disaster. Maybe I'll try those again sometime soon and see how my opinion does or does not change through time on the matter.
Shellac + saxophone = fine by me, as long as I don't have to mess with it! Lol! When I was in high school I'd replaced a few pads on my metal clarinet with stick shellac and replaced some corks. It seemed good at the time however I'd not yet discovered hot glues, pellets, etc. at that time.
day before a performance which is early in the morning. its 9pm and how am i supposed to find a repairman at this hour? a friends flute has a problem with the foot and playing a c. its almosyt as if you need a clamp to hold down the keys to play a low c. it doesnt look like theres a leak at all, especially since i just had it adjusted last week. if there isnt a lot of pressure holding the keys down (namely the first one) the c barely comes out. how should it be fixed, just until the performance is over?
Pellets = no stringiness problem. Just place pellets in the key cup, and heat the cup from the back. But I still don't like Georges pellets, for the reason already given. Go for the Smith pellets.
Mbrowne, accurate diagnosis is necessary before you do anything, or you are likely to make it worse.
Use a 2mm wide strip of cigarette paper, or better, cassette tape, and drag this out from under many locations around both pads, while the roller is gently pressed. Also try C# alone.
The problem is either...
1. A pad in not closing evenly all around
or
2. One pad is closing before the other.
or both.
Even after diagnosis, this is a pretty tricky area to adjust, because the pads are large and the little finger is weak.
Correction:
For 1: Either shims or partial shims are installed behind the pad, or the key cup itself is tilted a minute amount.
For 2: The C# key can be bent slightly between the key cup arm and the 'touch piece', or the thickness of the linkage silencer can be minutely adjusted.
All these operations are tricky to do accurately without damage, so good luck if you tackle it yourself. Best left to a competent technician.
If you identify the exact problem, and want to do it yourself, I could give more details of procedure. but right now, 2:20 am and bed time. :-)
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