Conn Trombone Restoration Kit Project- band instrument repair

In this episode, restoring a Conn trombone. Topics include stuck slide to bell, socket/flange rebuild, silver solder, bell dents, using mini z for burnishing, tuning slide dent ball removal, among others.
Tools used:
www.Ferreestoolsinc.com
G32 Slide Removal Collar
N91B Threaded Mouthpipe Rod
Z60M Mini Z set w/ trombone attachment
Z60 Rod Holding Vise
N53-11 Trombone Slide Mandrel
P54 Dent Ball Driver
N57G Dent Ball Set
F10 dent hammers
Thanks for watching.
Need to get in touch?
www.WesLeeMusic.com

[@jacksonroth8347]

Thanks for fixing my trombone! It plays better than when I got it, and I'll definitely recommend you whenever a friend's instrument breaks.

[@chribm]

Don't take this the wrong way, but if this really was yours, it wasn't taken care of very well. You really need to do a better job. Musical instruments are delicate. If you take proper care, a good instrument can last a lifetime, otherwise it won't last at all. I've had the same conversation with my own kids who put some nasty dents in theirs as well because they were not handling them properly. Learn from the mistakes you've made and change your habits.

[@ZERO-ky8vm]

@@chribm What if somebody else had handled it poorly?

[@kevinclayton3798]

Then the advice applies to that person. It’s just good advice on general

[@badgeboy0731]

@@chribm prolly a school instrument or used. if it was a new trombone id understand but this looks like it seen some years

[@HIHELLO72915]

If this actually your trombone, how tf did your slide get like that? It made me so angry

[@josephquattrocchi5620]

Wes Lee is the definition of a craftsman. Wonderful to have the privilege to watch a master work.

[@tedmccullen7466]

Wes Lee you are the Pied Piper of today just toot your horn and I’ll follow you =I just Love-Love-Love your shows thank u your the best just awesome Big Guy!

[@paulalmquist5683]

Trombone was my first instrument starting when I was in 6th grade. I played that through junior high. In high school I played baritone and sousaphone. Many years later my church started an ensemble that played during worship time so back to the trombone. A couple of years into that I switched to euphonium. That instrument is now in the hands of a younger player who I hope gets as much joy from playing it as I did. I love the sound of low brass. I am amazed at how Wes can work the metal to realign parts and remove dents, etc. He is a real craftsman, a brass whisperer, and a joy to watch. The variety of specialty tools is interesting to see. Good job editing the videos too. That takes other skills.

[@richardmcduffie9922]

I owned a repair shop for years, and was right with you on each step. Interesting to see some new tools that make things a bit easier. It was always very rewarding to get a basket case like this one, and make an instrument out of it again. Good work!

[@hansjckerkhoff]

Mr. Lee, I watch your videos breathlessly. You're a wizard.

[@logotrikes]

What you do when smoothing out the dents is a bit of magic because a dent stretches the metal and you have the unenviable task of kinda compressing the metal back to its former state. That's well worth watching.....

[@Brazbit]

Today we are going to take this pile of crushed soda cans and apply a little love, skill and patience. When we are done you will see that it was actually a beautifully crafted trombone all along.

[@jorymil]

The threaded mouthpipe rods from Ferree's are really fantastic. They work on leadpipes, goosenecks, valve tubing, tuning slides, bell stems, etc. Obviously they're not the perfect tool for everything, but they're very versatile for DIY jobs.

[@BruceBoschek]

Truly fascinating work. Thank you for your continuing efforts to share your knowledge, expertise and experience with us. This video is 2 years old now, but the content is ageless.

[@dartthewarrior]

If this video proves anything, it’s that the SD1 generals from Vic Firth really are the best all around drum sticks! For real, this was a great video, Mr. Wes!

[@kenhughes3434]

Thanks for uploading your videos Wes. Enjoyable and informative to watch each time.

[@gregparra9711]

HI dear Maestro Lee, wow what a great channel... Thank you for all your great tips and teachings.... I am the Instrument Inventory Manager of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra in Canada... I start repairing WW instruments when Covid hit us to keep safe and encourage our students from the band ensemble of the Sistema Program ( an orchestral after school free program under the umbrella of NBYO who served up to know 1200 kids 5 days a week 3 hours per day) ... Your videos are so timely, right now the bass trombonist in our NBYO orchestra ( premium ensemble of the organization) just have the same problem... we send it to get fix but the problem is there again... now with this video I will be able to be more specific when talking with the technician about possible permanent fix and things to look for... Many thanks Maestro, well done and keep up the good generosity... Blessings Greg.

[@lotsabirds]

I am fascinated by watching you work! Absolutely AMAZING!

[@brianneve7906]

Enjoy your videos, especially trombones. Always amazed, the number of tools you have.

[@Narrowgaugefilms]

When I was in sixth grade band, I found a trombone stored dead in the instrument room. It was a Conn, brand new in the case. I asked about and was told somebody had "lubed" the slide with cold cream and it was unplayable, but I could give it a try. I found it was so thick that when I slid out with my right hand I had to pull back with my left! I spent a couple of days wiping down the slides until there was so little cream left that slide oil thinned it out and the slide worked normally. The instrument was beautiful: straight as an arrow and the surface was perfect: no wear spots, no tarnishing. I played it for a year and I was very proud of it. It's been almost 50 years. I wonder if it even exists and if it does, what kind of shape it's in. (Maybe it's best I don't ever find out...)

[@slipbone]

They may have used actual cold cream with lanolin in it. The lanolin makes it really thick. Not everyone passed on the message to use cold cream without lanolin. I heard the original Ponds was good.

[@matthewharlowehrscyclespor668]

Another great repair and structural modification. Beautiful work on the brace. A perfect example of "Making chicken soup out of chicken s#@t". Thanks Wes! Jackson is one very fortunate trombone player. Thanks goes out to Miss Kristi as well. You two are a great team.

[@jorymil]

Love the drumstick knuckle repair! Will have to try that out if I ever get my hands on a beater valve section!

[@edsherrod5216]

Great job! Wow! Great to watch a master craftsman at work!

[@Argyll9846]

I love watching your videos and the procedures you talk through.

[@Khris_P]

Thank you for these videos !

[@JonBlondell]

Talk about a mistreated instrument! You did an excellent job!

[@karvartan]

Brilliant work!!!!!

[@johnjenkinsmusic1]

You're an excellent tech!

[@stephenrobinson7945]

I enjoy watching your work. I like your Shopsmith machine. Quite a versatile machine.

[@shawnprime1143]

Great work wes. 👍

[@henryrequena5271]

Excellent job 🤩🤩🤩👌

[@Kind_welder]

Thank you very much for your work. You are the person who deserves respect. Good luck to you in your truly wonderful work.

[@keithwignall1428]

As a banjoist, I think that's great!

[@My-Nickel]

Thank you sir!

[@jnburcher]

Wow man. I learn something every time. Awesome as per usual.

[@MusicMediccom]

Great video! Thank you for sharing!

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

Thanks for following along!

[@MrTBoneMalone]

Never buy your trombone from IKEA unless you know this guy! LOL. Great content, Wes, I'm loving your videos. Thank you for putting this content out there!

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

Thanks for following along!

[@nicholashellawell5264]

Brilliant and fascinating to watch the repair work ...thanks !! NH ..(England)

[@paulocesarPCMusica]

Sou seu fã. Lindo trabalho e excelente técnica..

[@jbmusicschool]

Brother, great as always. Learning a lot!

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

Thanks JB, me too! I’ve only had one lesson and I’m still having it!

[@davidcarroll4411]

I just found your channel. You are amazing!

[@Blackandwhiteivorys]

Love it! I need to learn how to repair my Bach B88!

[@MazichMusic]

Great job! If that was my 88H, I'd be crying...

[@paulocesarPCMusica]

Show!

[@Wumpskut]

Just found your channel - and of course...you had to have a video of a Conn Trombone...beautiful! Here's a sad, cringe-worthy story of mine that is no more... Many, many years ago, when my younger sisters were of an age where, they really did not know better...a fight occurred over who got to hold my trombone (while I was away, and it was in the care of my father - I was older, moved out, and serving on the high seas)...the slide to the trombone had been removed from the tongs in the struggle, which then led to the tongs being pulled at like a wishbone at Thanksgiving. My father tried to find anyone that may have been able to fix it, but was turned away. So, that trombone is sadly no more in any of our possession. Seeing your channel, I would be curious to hear your take on whether or not the slide tongs of a trombone could have been restored to a functional state, after being flexed so far apart. Thank you for all these amazing videos, and I will continue to watch! (oh, and I do have a trombone again, but not a Conn brand, sadly, and not the same age, with the beautiful bell art)

[@that_thing_I_do]

Watching on the large screen TV is better because you can see the subtle changes.

[@gidaltichristinelli9852]

Parabéns meu amigo por ser um grande profissional você tem uma oficina muito organizada com todas ferramentas necessárias. Sou músico e vejo o carinho seu por instrumentos.

[@gourabshow3993]

🤘

[@JesusPena-lp8zi]

wao wao..congratulation, nice job hard but you god it....good...fast and good job

[@becassier410]

Tu est un maître 👍💪👋🇨🇵🇨🇵🇨🇵🇨🇵

[@Mikelp73]

I played one of these all through high school except it was silver. Someone actually uploaded one of my bands videos from 1990. Can’t watch it right now. I’d give anything to own another one.

[@gidaltichristinelli9852]

Sou de Dourado SP. Brasil.

[@coisasdoze2460]

Show

[@general5104]

Merry CHRISTmas Wess

[@JamesMiller-fm8qs]

I have zero experience fixing instruments, but your work is fascinating! All 3 of my children play instruments and I am always confronted with the banged up ones you see at the thrift stores - is this instrument finished? I would wonder. Now I know the answer.

[@kristimiller-lee2338]

Hey, my first on camera and almost all film for a video. 3 weeks in as apprentice.

[@Quadstriker]

When you had the whole thing disassembled I thought that it was straight from Ikea.

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

Kit form!

[@raulazevedo7928]

🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@paulnoerenberg3267]

Very interesting videos. I own a Conn 88H trombone from 1969. I wondered what model that was.

[@abel_trombone]

Love it, you are the best. Where is your repair workshop? Eres un maquina Wes Lee. El puto amo. Arreglam a mi la vara perfavor .

[@ericcommarato7727]

I have this same model in about as bad a shape. Trombones are notorious for breaking when bands do "HORNS UP". A $4-5,000 instrument just wasn't engineered to jerk it up and stress all of the joints.

[@mikerichards6311]

🙀🥳👍👏🏻

[@antoniosalvatore7986]

Precise work like this is soo cool its why I like building guns. If you need an apprentice let me know 😆

[@Markleford]

Never thought I'd ask someone in brass repair, "What's your favorite drum stick to use?" 😹

[@levibish2333]

Great content. Thanks for making these. Would it be possible to mount the camera on the instrument when you're fixing dents? Its one of my favorite parts of your vids but I have trouble focusing on the action when your sliding it around. "Dent cam"?

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

The dent cam!! Love it!

[@dougberrett8094]

Good show Wes. I enjoy your videos. Not a criticism, more an observation and question. The wedges you used to separate the parts early in the video are remarkably similar to one’s I have that I use on occasion to separate a drill chuck from an arbor. I always use two and put them in from opposite sides. This way they push straight, and not tilted. Am I just being over cautious? Perhaps so, because your method did do what you needed.

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

I’m going to try that. I do it the way I do because it is hard for me to hold and tap from both sides. I have always had success like this, but I am going to experiment with your suggestion. Thanks for following along.

[@dougberrett8094]

@@wesleemusicrepair9820 Wes, I normally do not have trouble holding the setup to squeeze from both sides. The chuck and arbor are quite robust compared to the delicate stuff you work with. I usually use a small arbor press. It is fairly easy to hold the wedges on the arbor/chuck assembly and push the wedges together by pulling on the lever that activates the press. It often takes a pretty good squeeze though. Especially if I had warmed the chuck and chilled the arbor before assembly.

[@anewmanvs]

Seek and restore

[@andyruffell5352]

I wish there were some before and after pics at the end …

[@jasonyoung7391]

I saw your granite plate sitting on the bench. Did you use that to line up the slide? I'd like to see that done sometime, down the road. The bone looks great!

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

Yes, we will do a full slide build coming soon

[@rogerlavigne889]

Can a Jupiter bell model 532 be coupled to a King 3b slide?

[@erniearruda8861]

Conn 88h or 100h? Tenor trombone. Well it’s hot and humid here also in southern Canada 🥵 thank goodness for air conditioning in the shop.👍🏻👍🏻

[@jacksonroth8347]

It's an 88h

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

88h. Glad you are staying cool while laying pipe! It was a balmy triple digit here today.

[@bgclarinet]

What kind of grease do you use?

[@gfghjfgfghfj]

That dent ball driver looks kinky AF, LOL!!

[@hskim099]

12:25 That's a Vic Firth drum stick 😅

[@msenecki]

Hi Wes. Why You soldered this slide in vertical position? Best regards. Michał

[@Finn-McCool]

7:02 Please show this initial process zoomed up close some time! And explain the premise of your technique as to roughing it in. Are you bending, flexing, rolling, locating, pre stressing or what. Or "yes". -✌🏼

[@theoh.8361]

The solder on the hand slide was not broken. It's like that so you can adjust it in case you need to repair something. DONT SOLDER IT

[@johnzablodil1338]

Was this a Conn88ho?

[@davidcasuccio6976]

I want you to do my 10 m tonor saxophone

[@wickedcabinboy]

Who knew you could use a drumstick to fix a trombone?

[@VideoNash]

.

[@user-or8ij9uy3k]

ここにくる修理の楽器はどうしてそんな所がへこんでいるのが　というのが多いね　何ヵ所も　放置されていたんだね　ひどい扱い方をされています　楽器に対しての　いじめですよ‼️

[@Finn-McCool]

Why not call yourself a band and orchestral wind instrument surgeon? 😆 And why do we not see a sousaphone in European orchestras? Or am I just missing them....