Let's Overhaul A Saxophone Together, Part 3: Removing Pads & Corks

Saxophone repairman Matt Stohrer of www.StohrerMus... promises to let the coffee kick in before recording next time, and also continues his quixotic quest of doing a saxophone overhaul in real time on youtube with part 3, wherein the pads and corks are removed from the keys.
Razor blade video referenced: • Saxophone Repair Topic...
If you haven't, you should watch the introduction/disclaimer for this series: www.youtube.co....
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[@hdibart]

Stuff you can't find anywhere else, thanks.

[@joshpayne6239]

Really enjoying watching this series and getting some tips to clean up an old Yamaha. Thanks!

[@maniestacio9245]

I love this series so much! Thank you for sharing your expertise with us! 🤗

[@kevin.m213]

Thanks Matt, loving this series. Also love that you share things like your opinion on the George's glue. Decided to try it myself and fought so hard with the balance of melting the glue without burning the pads. Glad you're not crazy about it either!

[@shelbrindahl6633]

Hi from ShelB in Wisconsin! I was lonely in the shop today and you’re my company. Thanks for sharing the shop noise, & have a great day!

[@livemusicaholics7337]

Thanks Matt Very interesting and helpful. Love the commentary too.

[@NickBarsley]

Thank you Matt!!!

[@sica9]

Thanks...i'm learning a lot!

[@TradIrishHarper]

Is that shellac a traditional shellac or more of a horse hide glue used in stringed instrument construction?

[@romuluscreative]

Just curious whats a ballpark price you charge on a sax?

[@DeadbugMustPlay]

How badly do those razors scratch? do they leave a fair amount of marks? I was thinking of using plastic razors instead.

[@BoualemMustapha-qp7yb]

Hello, I am from Algeria. I dismantled a machine, how do I reassemble it?

[@jerryfarmer5989]

Well I found out something maybe a true repair might be able to without of but I have an old Bundy American made Alto sax. The cheap chinese pad sets do not work. I found an American made set for Bundy and they work. Me wondering how to glue the cork pads back on.

[@swoodc]

do you use an inductio heater for dents?

[@angelitocabo5110]

I got a holton elkhorn saxophone from a junk shop with a no 566. 213352. Is this old? Just asking sir!

[@xavi3463]

Would love to see this process on a lacquer horn to see how you would change your heating.

[@StohrerMusic]

Not by very much. The amount of heat is determined by how shellac responds, not by the finish on the horn. Burning lacquer means you concentrated your heat for too long in one spot or getting too hot overall, neither of which are good for pad seating, so you wouldn't want to do it on a plated horn either- just your punishment will be difficult pad seating only, rather than burned lacquer.

[@skaholic_tv]

What is the name of the kind of lighter?

[@rusty728]

So where would be a good place to get parts like screws, rods, pads , and springs etc ?

[@apistosig4173]

+1 on a slight scouring for decent adhesion

[@dmeaneyable]

These videos are great, Matt, good as I'd hoped they'd be. Do you ever take pictures of details before you remove something (e.g. unusual cork shape)?

[@StohrerMusic]

Sure do! It can be very helpful. No matter how much I think I am going to remember, by the time I get to the back end of the job my memory isn't as good as a photo.

[@wcakgilleran]

Hi Matt! Another great video! Where can I find the neck cork removal tool? Thanks

[@StohrerMusic]

I believe that is Ferree's Tools.

[@andrearossato4087]

It is quite amazing how you can be mesmerized by a guy removing pads and corks from the keys of a saxophone...;-) the commentary is full of interesting information. thank you! just a question: leaving the corks would impact the cleaning process? as you mentioned cork can be compressed, but leaving it might speed up the final adjustment, as long as you aim at a philological restoration... (which is not your goal if I understand it correctly, right?)

[@StohrerMusic]

Glad you find it interesting! It was going to be a hot day here so I did this early in the morning and I was not super energetic. As far as the corks, you can wash them and if they don't fall off they are typically fine to reuse. However, even very small variations in how the new pads go in will render some of them them (example: the adjustment material between the upper and lower stack bar keys and the rest of their respective stack) useless. Some, like perhaps the one on the chromatic f-sharp or on the bottom of the octave key, could be left and slightly adjusted if necessary and probably do the job fine. Reusing corks is more of a play condition or clean-oil-adjust type of use case (because many of the original pads are staying in, and therefore the relationships between the keys stay the same) than for in overhaul. The more pads you replace, the more adjustment materials are likely to want replacing as well.

[@andrearossato4087]

@@StohrerMusic I agree, especially if you are going to replace such old pads which probably require totally new adjustments. About the "microtuner": I think yours is in pristine condition (mine is identical). As far as I was able to find out it was introduced in the Pierret Vibrator model (late 20s, probably 1928-29). It clearly seems a cheap attempt to mimic the Conn microtuner, probably for marketing reason (the Vibrator and the following Virtour models were not really successful though, probably less the one thousand were produced). I have the feeling that Pierret predated many other saxophone manufacturers with regards to segmenting the market with price discrimination (sell saxophones to different users with different prices) and marketing strategies.

[@jonaseneandlala]

Do you save the pads in that jar for reference or is it just trash? And thanks for making this, Matt!!

[@StohrerMusic]

Just trash. I do make it a habit to not empty my trash all the way out in the middle of an overhaul though, in case I need to refer to something or if I accidentally threw something away.