In this episode, we discuss piston/casing repair and how to size for a custom mandrel. Topics such as- When do you use a reamer on a piston casing? NEVER. And others discussed Thanks for watching.
"Mouthpiece dent in the casing" Yeah, I can relate. I brought my primary trombone (King 2B, for jazz lead, and classical tenor and alto parts) into my local shop a few years ago for slide work. The local shop is Osmun Brass, in Acton MA, about 2 miles from my house. Their work is superb. I opened up the case at home, and immediately dropped the mouthpiece on the bell. Crap. Well, the horn is due for slide work again, so I'll point out my mouthpiece dent when I bring it in.
Hi Wes. Trying to figure out what to do now with my nice reamer that I happily bought from Allied years ago. Maybe use it to crack walnuts? Also, regarding your Wes's Fancy Valve Oil ... you do provide a bottle to your customers with the horn? Otherwise they'll just go back to using the commercial stuff from the music store. Thanks again :)
If I recall correctly, Les did two videos that showed the chem clean procedure. They were back a couple of years I think. If I remember correctly, the first was a "soap solution", followed by a descaler for lime. Slides and valves go in the ultrasonic then the soap solution. Rinses are in between stages. Here is the title to search for : "Chemical Flush- Wes Lee Music Repair" and "Clean, Sanitize, Disinfect- Episode 22- Wes Lee Music Repair - cleaning in the face of corona" The first one is a couple of minutes, the second about an hour. Hope this helps you.
Very interesting. I hope you don’t mind a question and a comment. Maybe two questions. I started on a trumpet many years ago that had springs on the bottom that pushed the pistons back up. The Yamaha trumpet that I have now has springs on the top that lift the pistons back up. Is one system better than the other? I managed a QC department for some time. Our method of using the telescoping gauge was to tilt the shaft just a bit and then gently tighten the gauge. When the gauge stem was then aligned with the bore, the gauge was pushed slightly farther into itself. We thought this guaranteed best contact. You did not do this. Is this because the piston sleeve on the instrument is delicate? Just curious, not criticizing. I enjoy watching your videos!
Thanks for watching. As far as springing, there were several different styles throughout the years but they all seem to be top barrel sprung now. Do you notice a difference or have a preference? Interesting topic for sure. As far as using telescoping gauge, I only showed taking one measurement in the video, if I were trying to get an accurate size for making a custom mandrel, I would take multiple measurements up and down the casing. Much like what you’ve described.
Wes Lee Music Repair thanks for responding. I am not sure that I have a preference on the springing. Partly because I was much younger with the bottom spring. One thing I do remember is that if the valve got a little sticky, one could take the bottom cap off and elongate the spring. Likely not the best idea, but what do third graders know about such things.
It looks to me like all the newer instruments, like the Yamaha you mention, have it where the spring is on top and it pushes the piston back up from above. There must be some advantage to this, but I can't figure out what makes it better (can anybody comment?). And yes, you can still stretch the spring; it's just a little harder to get to it in these new pistons ... but I would think if the piston and casing are clean and there's no obstruction, you shouldn't have to.
@@wesleemusicrepair9820 Hey Wes, do you have any ideas about why the top-barrel spring approach is so widely used nowadays? What makes it better/more efficient?
Hi, great video. I’m wanting to attempt a similar repair in a junk trumpet and need to know which size mandrel/s I should buy.Could you clarify a few things for me? You measured the piston at 0.664 of an inch, however, it wasn’t clear what size the interior of the casing was. I assume it must have been slightly larger to allow clearance for the piston. You also didn’t say what size mandrel you used. Was it a 0.664 mandrel (same as piston) or was it larger to match the casing?
There's a chart in the Ferree's tool catalog listing the casing size per manufacturer (e.g. Reynolds/King/Holton= .660", Olds/Bundy=.665"). Search for "Ferrees Tools Catalog pdf".
Fun fact: (although nothing to do with instrument repair) Popeye’s Chicken was not named after the cartoon sailor but the lead character in the film The French Connection. Don’t believe me? Look it up. Nice video by the way.
@@wesleemusicrepair9820 Hey again! Somebody should inform Allied about how bad these things are ... the catalog says "The toughest valve repair job is made easy ... " and: "You will pay for this tool [I think they were trying to say "this tool will pay for itself"] each time it is used by saving time and by doing an extra fine quality job."
Honestly, some are harder than others. A lot has to do with the threads and how well they were made. It is not a super expensive repair though. What brand of tuba is it?
