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C Melody Saxophone Forum / Repairs and Refurbishing / Question about Snaps

Next 20 Messages

WW2
User ID: 8973393 Oct 16th 5:55 PM
Well, I finally started taking apart my Buescher TT C-Mel for the first timer’s overhaul I have been planning. I discovered the snap nipples are still on the keys that were missing their pads. Also, the pads that are still on the saxophone seem to be glued in with copious amounts of shellac. So much shellac that on one pad that it ran across the surface of the pad, the reflector, out the side of the tone hole and pooled between two tonehole chimneys. It cleaned off nicely.

So, with Buescher Snap Pads, were they glued in or just snapped in? What is the usual practice of you repair technicians out there?

Just for fun a young friend of my decided to try to polish the nearly black silver plating. He got the old silver to shine quite nicely. It only cost him a little blood, three Band-Aids, and three alcohol wipes. This started a discussion on why needle springs are sharp, and could they have their tips blunted without affecting their performance. He also asked if he could remove the springs to make the polishing less painful. Alas, I have no spring pliers, so our mild attempts to remove a spring were futile.

This is going to be a long slow process…

alan (uk)
User ID: 0651814 Oct 16th 7:29 PM
Wade - you may have the snap-nipples in the empty cups, but have the actual snap-caps vanished with the missing pads ? All you get if you buy a snap-in pad, is a pad with a hole in it... Doc/Jeff may be able to sell you a few snap-caps.

Some people use a small amount of shellac in the cup to stop a snapped-in pad from rotating, which then can lead to problems if the cup is slightly offset from the hole . Also shellac can be used to float/level/tilt pads, but that's always seemed to be a bit self-defeating to me if using snaps.

Hmmmm - "spring pliers", that's what I'm missing in my life ! Try gripping the spring with needle-nosed pliers, or similar, just a tad away from the post - then either give the plier tips a gentle but sharp tap in the direction of the post (or, again gently) squeeze the pliers & post with another pair of pliers. No gorilla impressions, mind, or you could damage the post or even dent the body as you bend the post...

Me, I'd never take springs out unless I was going to replace them. Different sizes, bends, angles, tension - can of worms...

I've also got a flat metal strip with a few very small holes drilled in it, useful for sliding down springs until it jams (hopefully just before the post) to allow a little lateral persuasion.

Take some normal electrical flex, strip off the outer, and then remove one inch+ lengths of insulation from the inner cores. Thread it over the springs - Doh ! Cheaper than buying plastic or rubber tubing, better than impaling cork on the sharp end.

Slow is good ! Fast is bad unless you've done it so many times before... (and no two instruments are ever the same). Like the old adage "measure twice, cut once", but instead of that, "engage brain well before hands..." If in doubt, think about it.

jazzbug1
User ID: 8729803 Oct 16th 7:40 PM
Use a toothbrush to keep your fingers out of the range of those nasty springs. Not sure why they are pointed.

bruce bailey
User ID: 9690803 Oct 17th 12:20 AM
I make a spring hook froma a chopstick. Use a triangular fine and make an impression on the tip. Make a little hook on the side for the opposite direction.
I may have access to a set of Buescher C melody snaps.
Also, the backing on the snap pads is usually metal. If I cannot get the angle right, I just shim the pad like on a flute.

alan (uk)
User ID: 0651814 Oct 17th 12:07 PM
Wade - I've had several 'sets' of Buescher (snap) pads, bought as a bagged C-Mel set direct from Ferrees, supplied through a dealer in the UK. But I usually find that a few pads just don't fit. I guess the cup sizes varied through the manufacturing cycle (a decade ?).

Although the choice isn't large, as only some sizes are manufactured, you might be better off measuring and ordering individual pads. I think MusicMedic sells them that way.

As a workaround, I've often punched a hole in a suitably sized plain thin pad, and used the metal backing washer from the old pad. And for the palm keys, normal rivet pads can be used, as the hollow shaft of a pad rivet usually slips neatly over the small snap-stud in the cup. Of course you will have to get a couple of very small leather/cork pads for the octave mech - those aren't usually supplied in the Ferrees sets.

jazzbug1
User ID: 0735934 Oct 17th 12:27 PM
Bicycle spokes make great spring hooks. Make one end into a hook. Hammer the other end flat and file a small notch for a push or pull tool.

WW2
User ID: 8973393 Oct 17th 12:29 PM
Thanks for the help. I did try the needle noise pliers and a tack hammer to gently try to remove a spring. No such luck. So, not wanting to damage the posts or dent the body, I will give the electrical wire insulation a try. I have lots of wire lying about, and can always recycle the copper!

alan (uk)
User ID: 0651814 Oct 17th 2:19 PM
Spring Hooks - Chapter Four...

If anyone in the family knits, or does needlework, 'borrow' a slim crochet hook. If you really want to annoy the owner, file a flat on the end, then a 'v' in the flat, so you can push as well as pull.

Probably better NOT to give it back, just say it broke...

Alan (uk)
User ID: 0651814 Oct 22nd 5:34 AM
Wade - any progress to report, or was it arm-chair fixing...?

8-))

WW2
User ID: 8973393 Oct 23rd 11:25 AM
Well, no progress since the original question. A couple of major events have distracted me.

First, on Sunday morning I got a call that my brother had a heart attack, so it was off to the hospital at 6:45 AM rather than to the church to lead the Children's liturgy of the word and teach Sunday school. Thank God that the head liturgist and the director of religious education were there to take over with zero notice. It turns out that it is actually inflammation around his heart caused by a virus that attacks the heart. Fortunately he has been eating healthily and exercising during the last year. The Doctor said this is probably what has saved him. He is still in the hospital in serious pain (morphine only takes the edge off the pain but doesn’t remove it). He is expected to be home by the end of the week. Needless to say, this has been occupying my family’s and my attention since Sunday.

Second, while sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, we began to see news of the fires starting in Southern California. Go to the yahoo.com popular news page for photos. I am in the middle of the smoke plumes. There are three fires burning around my house, but they are 10 to 30 miles away, so are not immediate threats. Thank God again for the wind pushing the fires AWAY from my house! Also, one fire (the Santiago fire) is close enough to my brother’s house that I have stepped up to monitor the situation and am ready to possibly bug-out to evacuate his three children while he is in the hospital with his wife at his side. The hospital is 25 miles from his house near the fire burning in Fontana (he was in the hospital in Fontana but has been moved to Riverside a few miles away). I am 15 miles south of his house and am ready to go into emergency action in a heartbeat.
To see where I am in relation to the fires, go to http://mysite.verizon.net/res8o1o8/fire.JPG (note that this is case sensitive since this is on a UNIX server).

jazzbug1
User ID: 8771373 Oct 23rd 2:23 PM
WW2-- Hope all turns out OK for you. Situations like yours make one feel guilty about complaining about things that are minor compared to your trials.

Alan (uk)
User ID: 0651814 Oct 23rd 3:08 PM
Yes, best of luck Wade - been watching the fires on the news, and you've been saying how dry it is this year !

WW2
User ID: 8973393 Oct 23rd 4:26 PM
Thank you. I will be going to see my brother in about an hour. I have no news today, so I am treating that as good news.

On the fire front, the fire closest to my house is the Pechanga fire (5 miles south), followed by the Rosa fire a bit more south and east.

Fortunately the winds are down from 50 to 60 miles per hours (maximum gust clocked at 108 MPH!) to 21 miles per hour from the east (still pushing the fires away from me). In two days the winds are expected to reverse and blow the fires back on themselves.

However, the fires passed through the areas so quickly that there is still plenty of fuel to burn. In a few days we have a 10% chance of rain, so hopefully that will help. Even if it doesn't rain clouds, the higher humidity and lower temperatures will squelch the fires somewhat.

The temperature is 90F and the humidity is 9%. The heat and low humidity are now the big problems for the fire fighters. The temperature is expected to drop 10 to 15 degrees in the next couple of days, so that will help as well.

At the moment no immediate danger to my family or myself, our biggest worry is still my brother. I'll let you all know how it turns out.

Later!
Wade

WW2
User ID: 8973393 Oct 24th 10:30 AM
Well, I never made it to the hospital. On the way I called my brother and he was being discharged with doctor's permission to resume his normal activities! The virus was quickly knocked down and an angiogram showed no damage to his heart. Talk about prayers being answered! We should all be so lucky when we get seriously ill.

On the fire front, the fire nearest my house is 70 percent contained, has burned 411 acres and is threatening 175 homes. Mine is not threatened as the fire is about 5 miles from my house. This fire has been determined to be arson.

As of last night, the 20 fires burning in Southern California have consumed 300,000 acres or about 473 square miles (~1,200 square kilometers)! Over 950,000 people have been evacuated (more than with hurricane Katrina) and more than 1,000 homes destroyed. Two people have died, 8 firefighters have been injured and dozens of civilians have been injured. Most injuries are minor.

In celebration of my brother’s quick recovery, I took my family out to dinner. At the restaurant where we were eating 12 firefighters from the Lake Tahoe area (about 500 miles north of where we were) were enjoying a break from the fire fighting and eating a hearty meal. Many people were greeting and thanking them for their work saving lives and property. Water dropping helicopters from the small water-hawk, to the large sky-crane were very busy yesterday. Small forestry department bombers dropped their 1,200 gallon loads of fire retardant on the fires. These were joined by the very large Canadian Mars Water Bombers that drop 12,000 gallons at a time (quite impressive)! And finally a converted DC-10 Water Bomber that drops 15,000 gallons at a time. That is the amount of water in a medium swimming pool! We have another day of winds and then the cooler temperatures and higher humidity will arrive. Unfortunately, higher temperatures and single digit humidity will arrive on Friday for another batch of high fire danger.

Last night my daughter’s school district called to notify us that all schools in the district were open for classes today and that they would monitor the fire and smoke conditions to see if they need to cancel classes. Meanwhile, one of our three local high schools is being used as an evacuation center even while classes are being held. Makes for an interesting school day. My daughter was disappointed that school was not cancelled for the day.

All in all we are continuing a normal routine while keeping abreast of the news to see if we need to take action. So far so many people are not going to work that my commute time is cut by 45%. The lighter traffic has allowed my gas mileage to increase from 27 miles per gallon to 31 miles per gallon or about a 14.8% increase.

So, there are silver linings to all (smoke) clouds. Now, where was I on the C-Melody overhaul project…?

ukebert
User ID: 1300074 Oct 25th 4:57 PM
Good grief Wade, I forgot you were in California.

Our thoughts are with you and your family.

WW2
User ID: 8973393 Oct 26th 2:13 PM
Thank ukebert.

The smoke is much thinner today, and the humidity has climbed to 15% (65% along the coast. Combined with winds of only 3mph (5kpm) and overnight temperatures in the 50s, the firefighters have gotten the upper hand on the fires. The only two big fires are the ones in northern San Diego county (about 5 miles south of me!)

The air quality has been so bad that the local school district cancelled classes on Thursday and Friday. Of course their decision was helped by the fact that 200 school district staff we "displaced" (read that as evacuated) by the fires.

Evacuation centers are closing today with all but two cities allowing people back in to their homes or more likely ash covered foundations.

As for me and my family, we are wearing surgical masks when outside so we don't inhale the smoke and ash. Our house, cars, and entire property are covered with a thin layer of cold ash. We hope to be able to clean things up on Sunday.

On the upside, I've gotten a couple of good pictures of a deep red-orange full moon. Reminding me of the bible passage "and the moon shall turn to blood..." Appropriate for Halloween, don't you think?

Now the recovery begins!

As for me and my family, we have only been inconvienced by the fires. Others have lost everything, may your thoughts and prayers be with them.

Captain Beeflat
User ID: 1738604 Oct 26th 2:25 PM
Glad to hear that you are OK Wade.
What with the fires and the San Andreas Fault, have you ever considered living somewhere else?...On the bright side; the fire will have killed off many of the indigenous Rattle Snakes.

WW2
User ID: 8973393 Oct 26th 2:33 PM
The San Andreas hasn't popped in 153 years in So Cal. Most earthquakes feel like a large truck driving by, so really are not much of a problem. About every decade or two we feel a real shaker. Only twice since 1960 have we actually had our house damaged. Mostly cracks in the foundation and roof with an occasional water pipe broken.

As for fires, we get used to watching for them and preparing. As you can see by the updated banner, in 2003 we had a fire close enough to our house to actually have me stay home on "hose patrol". I was watching for hot embers and would quickly douse them when they landed. This time around the fires are a few miles farther away so no hose patrol was needed at the homestead.

The rattle snakes probably just went underground while the fire passed over. Or ran to un-burnt areas, like my yard! Thanks for the reminder to keep my eyes and ears open!

WW2
User ID: 8973393 Oct 31st 1:53 PM
Okay, I finally got around to taking the keys off the sax. All have what appear to be the original pads and snaps. The one that had shellac running down the pad and outer pad cup turned out to have shellac dripped from the outside of the cup across the face of the pad probably from someone doing a repair using this sax as a drop cloth. All pads that I tried to remove were held in only by the snaps! The leather of the pads is white and disintegrates upon being touched. The felt inside the pads and the metal disk are in very good condition, so this appears to have been stored for a very long time. All keys have their snap nipples intact and most have their original snap pads.

Unfortunately, seven keys are missing their snaps. The keys are the left hand palm keys, three keys on the upper stack and one right hand palm key. It seems that the smallest keys are all missing their snaps. A close inspection of one of the pads missing a snap shows that the snap was forcefully removed rather than falling off on its own accord (leather was damaged where a screwdriver was used to remove the snap), so this sax seems to have been used as a donor for snaps on another Buescher.

One rod tube is bent making removal difficult, but not impossible. All screws and rods were easily removed (I oiled the rods and screws a few months ago so this probably helped quite a bit). One key tube is bent, but should be easy to straighten since it is only a tube and no rod runs through the tube. The sax body has a couple of small dings but they are only cosmetic. The only place the silver is worn off of is the thumb hook. This looks like a diamond in the rough.

Polishing shows this to be a beautiful Silver sax that is worthy of restoration. I would like to restore it to original (snap pads and all) rather than updated modern condition. So I have two issues:

1. Where to get replacements for the missing snaps.
2. Where to get a neck as this is a neck-less sax.

I am debating a “museum” quality restoration on this sax since I already have another Buescher and a Conn C-Melody. I would like to get this restored back to factory original level to compare with updated C-Mels for sound comparisons.

By the way Alan (UK) thanks for the tip on using the insulation from electrical wire to cover the springs. It works great. However, I discovered that the insulation from 14 gauge wire is too large for most springs, so a variety of 14, 16 and 18 gauge insulation works best. It’s best if the insulation is snug so it doesn’t fall off of a pointed spring just as your thumb is getting dangerously close, OUCH! Please pass the alcohol and Band-Aids!

As for the case, it is falling apart and the smell is horrible; so it is trash. I will use it for a pattern for a new case. I plan to build a wooden case from Cherry wood that will have the interior patterned after the original, but built with modern features. The interior will be lined with silver cloth so that 3M strips will not be needed. The exterior will be exposed wood rather than the fabric covered original style. While this goes against a “museum” restoration, I feel it will be a preview of the work of art within.

This is an ambitious project, but one that should result in a work of art; or complete frustration leading to a mental breakdown.

bruce bailey
User ID: 9690803 Nov 1st 2:46 AM
I have a set of snaps in a horn with a good neck and case. It is a pretty original TT that I never got around to fixing. Post back if you are interested.

Next 20 Messages

WW2 User ID: 8973393	Oct 16th 5:55 PM Well, I finally started taking apart my Buescher TT C-Mel for the first timer’s overhaul I have been planning. I discovered the snap nipples are still on the keys that were missing their pads. Also, the pads that are still on the saxophone seem to be glued in with copious amounts of shellac. So much shellac that on one pad that it ran across the surface of the pad, the reflector, out the side of the tone hole and pooled between two tonehole chimneys. It cleaned off nicely. So, with Buescher Snap Pads, were they glued in or just snapped in? What is the usual practice of you repair technicians out there? Just for fun a young friend of my decided to try to polish the nearly black silver plating. He got the old silver to shine quite nicely. It only cost him a little blood, three Band-Aids, and three alcohol wipes. This started a discussion on why needle springs are sharp, and could they have their tips blunted without affecting their performance. He also asked if he could remove the springs to make the polishing less painful. Alas, I have no spring pliers, so our mild attempts to remove a spring were futile. This is going to be a long slow process…
alan (uk) User ID: 0651814	Oct 16th 7:29 PM Wade - you may have the snap-nipples in the empty cups, but have the actual snap-caps vanished with the missing pads ? All you get if you buy a snap-in pad, is a pad with a hole in it... Doc/Jeff may be able to sell you a few snap-caps. Some people use a small amount of shellac in the cup to stop a snapped-in pad from rotating, which then can lead to problems if the cup is slightly offset from the hole . Also shellac can be used to float/level/tilt pads, but that's always seemed to be a bit self-defeating to me if using snaps. Hmmmm - "spring pliers", that's what I'm missing in my life ! Try gripping the spring with needle-nosed pliers, or similar, just a tad away from the post - then either give the plier tips a gentle but sharp tap in the direction of the post (or, again gently) squeeze the pliers & post with another pair of pliers. No gorilla impressions, mind, or you could damage the post or even dent the body as you bend the post... Me, I'd never take springs out unless I was going to replace them. Different sizes, bends, angles, tension - can of worms... I've also got a flat metal strip with a few very small holes drilled in it, useful for sliding down springs until it jams (hopefully just before the post) to allow a little lateral persuasion. Take some normal electrical flex, strip off the outer, and then remove one inch+ lengths of insulation from the inner cores. Thread it over the springs - Doh ! Cheaper than buying plastic or rubber tubing, better than impaling cork on the sharp end. Slow is good ! Fast is bad unless you've done it so many times before... (and no two instruments are ever the same). Like the old adage "measure twice, cut once", but instead of that, "engage brain well before hands..." If in doubt, think about it.
jazzbug1 User ID: 8729803	Oct 16th 7:40 PM Use a toothbrush to keep your fingers out of the range of those nasty springs. Not sure why they are pointed.
bruce bailey User ID: 9690803	Oct 17th 12:20 AM I make a spring hook froma a chopstick. Use a triangular fine and make an impression on the tip. Make a little hook on the side for the opposite direction. I may have access to a set of Buescher C melody snaps. Also, the backing on the snap pads is usually metal. If I cannot get the angle right, I just shim the pad like on a flute.
alan (uk) User ID: 0651814	Oct 17th 12:07 PM Wade - I've had several 'sets' of Buescher (snap) pads, bought as a bagged C-Mel set direct from Ferrees, supplied through a dealer in the UK. But I usually find that a few pads just don't fit. I guess the cup sizes varied through the manufacturing cycle (a decade ?). Although the choice isn't large, as only some sizes are manufactured, you might be better off measuring and ordering individual pads. I think MusicMedic sells them that way. As a workaround, I've often punched a hole in a suitably sized plain thin pad, and used the metal backing washer from the old pad. And for the palm keys, normal rivet pads can be used, as the hollow shaft of a pad rivet usually slips neatly over the small snap-stud in the cup. Of course you will have to get a couple of very small leather/cork pads for the octave mech - those aren't usually supplied in the Ferrees sets.
jazzbug1 User ID: 0735934	Oct 17th 12:27 PM Bicycle spokes make great spring hooks. Make one end into a hook. Hammer the other end flat and file a small notch for a push or pull tool.
WW2 User ID: 8973393	Oct 17th 12:29 PM Thanks for the help. I did try the needle noise pliers and a tack hammer to gently try to remove a spring. No such luck. So, not wanting to damage the posts or dent the body, I will give the electrical wire insulation a try. I have lots of wire lying about, and can always recycle the copper!
alan (uk) User ID: 0651814	Oct 17th 2:19 PM Spring Hooks - Chapter Four... If anyone in the family knits, or does needlework, 'borrow' a slim crochet hook. If you really want to annoy the owner, file a flat on the end, then a 'v' in the flat, so you can push as well as pull. Probably better NOT to give it back, just say it broke...
Alan (uk) User ID: 0651814	Oct 22nd 5:34 AM Wade - any progress to report, or was it arm-chair fixing...? 8-))
WW2 User ID: 8973393	Oct 23rd 11:25 AM Well, no progress since the original question. A couple of major events have distracted me. First, on Sunday morning I got a call that my brother had a heart attack, so it was off to the hospital at 6:45 AM rather than to the church to lead the Children's liturgy of the word and teach Sunday school. Thank God that the head liturgist and the director of religious education were there to take over with zero notice. It turns out that it is actually inflammation around his heart caused by a virus that attacks the heart. Fortunately he has been eating healthily and exercising during the last year. The Doctor said this is probably what has saved him. He is still in the hospital in serious pain (morphine only takes the edge off the pain but doesn’t remove it). He is expected to be home by the end of the week. Needless to say, this has been occupying my family’s and my attention since Sunday. Second, while sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, we began to see news of the fires starting in Southern California. Go to the yahoo.com popular news page for photos. I am in the middle of the smoke plumes. There are three fires burning around my house, but they are 10 to 30 miles away, so are not immediate threats. Thank God again for the wind pushing the fires AWAY from my house! Also, one fire (the Santiago fire) is close enough to my brother’s house that I have stepped up to monitor the situation and am ready to possibly bug-out to evacuate his three children while he is in the hospital with his wife at his side. The hospital is 25 miles from his house near the fire burning in Fontana (he was in the hospital in Fontana but has been moved to Riverside a few miles away). I am 15 miles south of his house and am ready to go into emergency action in a heartbeat. To see where I am in relation to the fires, go to http://mysite.verizon.net/res8o1o8/fire.JPG (note that this is case sensitive since this is on a UNIX server).
jazzbug1 User ID: 8771373	Oct 23rd 2:23 PM WW2-- Hope all turns out OK for you. Situations like yours make one feel guilty about complaining about things that are minor compared to your trials.
Alan (uk) User ID: 0651814	Oct 23rd 3:08 PM Yes, best of luck Wade - been watching the fires on the news, and you've been saying how dry it is this year !
WW2 User ID: 8973393	Oct 23rd 4:26 PM Thank you. I will be going to see my brother in about an hour. I have no news today, so I am treating that as good news. On the fire front, the fire closest to my house is the Pechanga fire (5 miles south), followed by the Rosa fire a bit more south and east. Fortunately the winds are down from 50 to 60 miles per hours (maximum gust clocked at 108 MPH!) to 21 miles per hour from the east (still pushing the fires away from me). In two days the winds are expected to reverse and blow the fires back on themselves. However, the fires passed through the areas so quickly that there is still plenty of fuel to burn. In a few days we have a 10% chance of rain, so hopefully that will help. Even if it doesn't rain clouds, the higher humidity and lower temperatures will squelch the fires somewhat. The temperature is 90F and the humidity is 9%. The heat and low humidity are now the big problems for the fire fighters. The temperature is expected to drop 10 to 15 degrees in the next couple of days, so that will help as well. At the moment no immediate danger to my family or myself, our biggest worry is still my brother. I'll let you all know how it turns out. Later! Wade
WW2 User ID: 8973393	Oct 24th 10:30 AM Well, I never made it to the hospital. On the way I called my brother and he was being discharged with doctor's permission to resume his normal activities! The virus was quickly knocked down and an angiogram showed no damage to his heart. Talk about prayers being answered! We should all be so lucky when we get seriously ill. On the fire front, the fire nearest my house is 70 percent contained, has burned 411 acres and is threatening 175 homes. Mine is not threatened as the fire is about 5 miles from my house. This fire has been determined to be arson. As of last night, the 20 fires burning in Southern California have consumed 300,000 acres or about 473 square miles (~1,200 square kilometers)! Over 950,000 people have been evacuated (more than with hurricane Katrina) and more than 1,000 homes destroyed. Two people have died, 8 firefighters have been injured and dozens of civilians have been injured. Most injuries are minor. In celebration of my brother’s quick recovery, I took my family out to dinner. At the restaurant where we were eating 12 firefighters from the Lake Tahoe area (about 500 miles north of where we were) were enjoying a break from the fire fighting and eating a hearty meal. Many people were greeting and thanking them for their work saving lives and property. Water dropping helicopters from the small water-hawk, to the large sky-crane were very busy yesterday. Small forestry department bombers dropped their 1,200 gallon loads of fire retardant on the fires. These were joined by the very large Canadian Mars Water Bombers that drop 12,000 gallons at a time (quite impressive)! And finally a converted DC-10 Water Bomber that drops 15,000 gallons at a time. That is the amount of water in a medium swimming pool! We have another day of winds and then the cooler temperatures and higher humidity will arrive. Unfortunately, higher temperatures and single digit humidity will arrive on Friday for another batch of high fire danger. Last night my daughter’s school district called to notify us that all schools in the district were open for classes today and that they would monitor the fire and smoke conditions to see if they need to cancel classes. Meanwhile, one of our three local high schools is being used as an evacuation center even while classes are being held. Makes for an interesting school day. My daughter was disappointed that school was not cancelled for the day. All in all we are continuing a normal routine while keeping abreast of the news to see if we need to take action. So far so many people are not going to work that my commute time is cut by 45%. The lighter traffic has allowed my gas mileage to increase from 27 miles per gallon to 31 miles per gallon or about a 14.8% increase. So, there are silver linings to all (smoke) clouds. Now, where was I on the C-Melody overhaul project…?
ukebert User ID: 1300074	Oct 25th 4:57 PM Good grief Wade, I forgot you were in California. Our thoughts are with you and your family.
WW2 User ID: 8973393	Oct 26th 2:13 PM Thank ukebert. The smoke is much thinner today, and the humidity has climbed to 15% (65% along the coast. Combined with winds of only 3mph (5kpm) and overnight temperatures in the 50s, the firefighters have gotten the upper hand on the fires. The only two big fires are the ones in northern San Diego county (about 5 miles south of me!) The air quality has been so bad that the local school district cancelled classes on Thursday and Friday. Of course their decision was helped by the fact that 200 school district staff we "displaced" (read that as evacuated) by the fires. Evacuation centers are closing today with all but two cities allowing people back in to their homes or more likely ash covered foundations. As for me and my family, we are wearing surgical masks when outside so we don't inhale the smoke and ash. Our house, cars, and entire property are covered with a thin layer of cold ash. We hope to be able to clean things up on Sunday. On the upside, I've gotten a couple of good pictures of a deep red-orange full moon. Reminding me of the bible passage "and the moon shall turn to blood..." Appropriate for Halloween, don't you think? Now the recovery begins! As for me and my family, we have only been inconvienced by the fires. Others have lost everything, may your thoughts and prayers be with them.
Captain Beeflat User ID: 1738604	Oct 26th 2:25 PM Glad to hear that you are OK Wade. What with the fires and the San Andreas Fault, have you ever considered living somewhere else?...On the bright side; the fire will have killed off many of the indigenous Rattle Snakes.
WW2 User ID: 8973393	Oct 26th 2:33 PM The San Andreas hasn't popped in 153 years in So Cal. Most earthquakes feel like a large truck driving by, so really are not much of a problem. About every decade or two we feel a real shaker. Only twice since 1960 have we actually had our house damaged. Mostly cracks in the foundation and roof with an occasional water pipe broken. As for fires, we get used to watching for them and preparing. As you can see by the updated banner, in 2003 we had a fire close enough to our house to actually have me stay home on "hose patrol". I was watching for hot embers and would quickly douse them when they landed. This time around the fires are a few miles farther away so no hose patrol was needed at the homestead. The rattle snakes probably just went underground while the fire passed over. Or ran to un-burnt areas, like my yard! Thanks for the reminder to keep my eyes and ears open!
WW2 User ID: 8973393	Oct 31st 1:53 PM Okay, I finally got around to taking the keys off the sax. All have what appear to be the original pads and snaps. The one that had shellac running down the pad and outer pad cup turned out to have shellac dripped from the outside of the cup across the face of the pad probably from someone doing a repair using this sax as a drop cloth. All pads that I tried to remove were held in only by the snaps! The leather of the pads is white and disintegrates upon being touched. The felt inside the pads and the metal disk are in very good condition, so this appears to have been stored for a very long time. All keys have their snap nipples intact and most have their original snap pads. Unfortunately, seven keys are missing their snaps. The keys are the left hand palm keys, three keys on the upper stack and one right hand palm key. It seems that the smallest keys are all missing their snaps. A close inspection of one of the pads missing a snap shows that the snap was forcefully removed rather than falling off on its own accord (leather was damaged where a screwdriver was used to remove the snap), so this sax seems to have been used as a donor for snaps on another Buescher. One rod tube is bent making removal difficult, but not impossible. All screws and rods were easily removed (I oiled the rods and screws a few months ago so this probably helped quite a bit). One key tube is bent, but should be easy to straighten since it is only a tube and no rod runs through the tube. The sax body has a couple of small dings but they are only cosmetic. The only place the silver is worn off of is the thumb hook. This looks like a diamond in the rough. Polishing shows this to be a beautiful Silver sax that is worthy of restoration. I would like to restore it to original (snap pads and all) rather than updated modern condition. So I have two issues: 1. Where to get replacements for the missing snaps. 2. Where to get a neck as this is a neck-less sax. I am debating a “museum” quality restoration on this sax since I already have another Buescher and a Conn C-Melody. I would like to get this restored back to factory original level to compare with updated C-Mels for sound comparisons. By the way Alan (UK) thanks for the tip on using the insulation from electrical wire to cover the springs. It works great. However, I discovered that the insulation from 14 gauge wire is too large for most springs, so a variety of 14, 16 and 18 gauge insulation works best. It’s best if the insulation is snug so it doesn’t fall off of a pointed spring just as your thumb is getting dangerously close, OUCH! Please pass the alcohol and Band-Aids! As for the case, it is falling apart and the smell is horrible; so it is trash. I will use it for a pattern for a new case. I plan to build a wooden case from Cherry wood that will have the interior patterned after the original, but built with modern features. The interior will be lined with silver cloth so that 3M strips will not be needed. The exterior will be exposed wood rather than the fabric covered original style. While this goes against a “museum” restoration, I feel it will be a preview of the work of art within. This is an ambitious project, but one that should result in a work of art; or complete frustration leading to a mental breakdown.
bruce bailey User ID: 9690803	Nov 1st 2:46 AM I have a set of snaps in a horn with a good neck and case. It is a pretty original TT that I never got around to fixing. Post back if you are interested.