A couple of months ago, a local music teacher got in touch with me about repairing one of her school trumpets. A nice Bach student model in silver, the young player had tripped while walking with it, and the bell had received the brunt of the impact. When I met with the teacher, she opened the case, and both of us couldn't help but laugh at what we saw. As the trumpet is being held while playing, the 10 o'clock position had been pulled up and back, and from the other end the bell was shaped like a tear drop. Behind the "point" of the tear drop, the bell flare was crumpled like tin foil, almost folding back on itself several places. The padding of the case was having problems with the bell, as it wasn't built for this shape, and was having a hard time closing.
At that point, I took the trumpet, and went to work. When the metal has stretched to the point of a crease, it can easily crack and break when trying to pull it apart. I had to work carefully and slowly to "massage" the creases open.
The first thing needed to pull the creases open was to pull that new point of the tear drop down. Using a bell mandrel and a very worn in rawhide mallet, I started to push that back into the shape of a bell. Once that was more or less trumpet shape, I then had to spend the time to open and flatten out every crease, bend, dent and bump. That was the tedious part, taking 2 hours
Once the dents were about 90% of the way gone, I then started to smooth the metal. Using roling mandrels and burnishers, I basically ironed the metal back to the smooth surface it was supposed to be. When I was done, there were minimal scars on the bell. Once the metal stretches, scars are inevitable, as the stretched metal will always show it has moved.
The teacher got the trumpet back a few days later, and was amazed the bell could be salvaged. She had been accepting the idea that it could be easier and cheaper to simply buy a new bell and solder it on.
I love dent work, as it has an immediate feedback of what is happening and what needs to be adjusted for the right result
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
General Tip #4: Long term storage
There may come a time, in any musician's life, where they have to put their instrument down for an extended period. This could come from many different scenarios, even positive ones. A person could, say, have more than one instrument and only use one for a while. A second instrument as a backup is common enough.
Regardless, there are many things a player can do to help their instrument during long term down time. The biggest thing is, and I know I'm kinda beating a dead horse here, moisture. Moisture can affect any instrument when not played, and can even rot out a case around the instrument (see post about cases). By making sure the instrument is dry when put in the case, you increase the likelihood that the instrument will come out in a better condition. It won't be better than when you put it in, but at least it won't need to be overhauled.
Another thing to worry about is oils. Yes, oils are your friend, keeping parts wear and tear, but they don't do well when left alone for too long in the parts. Frequently, the oils will start to dry out and cause parts to stick. This happens to brass instruments frequently, due to the increased airflow to the oil coated pieces. The oil acts less like a lubricant and more like a very very light glue, causing things to stick. Before storage, wipe as much of the oil off as possible, but don't use soap and water. What is wanted is the micro-thin layer of oil left after wiping it down, to prevent tarnish, without the possibility for it to take up the space and cause sticking later.
Oils and such also affect woodwinds. The oils of playing and fingers can and will find their way to pad surfaces, causing them to not only become sticky, but to also degrade when the instrument sits. As the moisture leaves these oils and saliva, it becomes more concentrated, making any acidity affect pads quicker. This leads to pulling the instrument out of the case after a time away and noticing torn and cracked pads. Easiest way to fix this is to take a clean dollar bill and using the "dollar bill trick" to wipe the pad surfaces down. Wetting the dollar will help even more, as it can break up the compounds on the surface and pull them off. Just don't press too hard, or you risk tearing the surface of the pads through friction.
Where you store the instrument can also have a big effect. Regardless of how great your case is, a damp and dirty space will creep into the case and start to work on your instrument. Pick your place carefully to minimize any chance of things effecting the stashed horn, including the chance of not finding it for years. Many times I've been asked to work on an instrument that was left in a closet for many years because the person forgot they even had it, and time had not been kind.
These few things will help the condition ofyour instrument, be it brass or woodwind, from degrading faster than it has to. Nothing will stop it from degrading, as it will always be affected by time. With a few simple considerations, these effects can at least be minimized, and maybe even result in an instrument that comes out of mothballs after years, and still be playable.
Regardless, there are many things a player can do to help their instrument during long term down time. The biggest thing is, and I know I'm kinda beating a dead horse here, moisture. Moisture can affect any instrument when not played, and can even rot out a case around the instrument (see post about cases). By making sure the instrument is dry when put in the case, you increase the likelihood that the instrument will come out in a better condition. It won't be better than when you put it in, but at least it won't need to be overhauled.
Another thing to worry about is oils. Yes, oils are your friend, keeping parts wear and tear, but they don't do well when left alone for too long in the parts. Frequently, the oils will start to dry out and cause parts to stick. This happens to brass instruments frequently, due to the increased airflow to the oil coated pieces. The oil acts less like a lubricant and more like a very very light glue, causing things to stick. Before storage, wipe as much of the oil off as possible, but don't use soap and water. What is wanted is the micro-thin layer of oil left after wiping it down, to prevent tarnish, without the possibility for it to take up the space and cause sticking later.
Oils and such also affect woodwinds. The oils of playing and fingers can and will find their way to pad surfaces, causing them to not only become sticky, but to also degrade when the instrument sits. As the moisture leaves these oils and saliva, it becomes more concentrated, making any acidity affect pads quicker. This leads to pulling the instrument out of the case after a time away and noticing torn and cracked pads. Easiest way to fix this is to take a clean dollar bill and using the "dollar bill trick" to wipe the pad surfaces down. Wetting the dollar will help even more, as it can break up the compounds on the surface and pull them off. Just don't press too hard, or you risk tearing the surface of the pads through friction.
Where you store the instrument can also have a big effect. Regardless of how great your case is, a damp and dirty space will creep into the case and start to work on your instrument. Pick your place carefully to minimize any chance of things effecting the stashed horn, including the chance of not finding it for years. Many times I've been asked to work on an instrument that was left in a closet for many years because the person forgot they even had it, and time had not been kind.
These few things will help the condition ofyour instrument, be it brass or woodwind, from degrading faster than it has to. Nothing will stop it from degrading, as it will always be affected by time. With a few simple considerations, these effects can at least be minimized, and maybe even result in an instrument that comes out of mothballs after years, and still be playable.
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