Penn State Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 I'm still in college and off this semester. Since I am currently not working I bought an old Bach MERCEDES mellophone that needs work done on it. I got it basically so I have something else to do around the house when I'm not engaged in an other activity. Work that must be done by a tech: replace lead/mouth pipe bell needs some minor 'rolling out' new finish what I can and will do: pull stuck slides clean horn (acid bath) strip remaining lacquer Does anyone have suggestions for properly preparing the brass to be lacquered or plated? Also, would I be crazy to attempt to remove the original (broken) mouth pipe? Really appreciate any advice that may be given! Really looking forward to working on this horn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trumpet-Master Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 For a lacquer finish you are going to want to have that brass clean and buffed. If the mouthpiece is broken (red rot hole in it maybe?) you are surely going to want to replace it. If it is a crazy idea or not just depend on your skill level. Good Luck! Does anyone have suggestions for properly preparing the brass to be lacquered or plated? Also, would I be crazy to attempt to remove the original (broken) mouth pipe? Really appreciate any advice that may be given! Really looking forward to working on this horn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martybucs Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 For a lacquer finish you are going to want to have that brass clean and buffed. If the mouthpiece is broken (red rot hole in it maybe?) you are surely going to want to replace it. If it is a crazy idea or not just depend on your skill level. Good Luck! Not crazy and may even be necessary. I assume you are talking about what is commonly called the "leadpipe" and not the mouthpiece receiver, which is the reinforced end that the mouthpiece fits into. There are many options with a new leadpipe. Hope it works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kansan Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Contact the BAC Horn Doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanguard07 Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 I don't understand why you want to re-finish it. As long as the horn plays... IMO. I would say no, you shouldn't attempt to remove the lead pipe. You risk damaging parts that have nothing to do with the lead pipe and possibly costing you more in repairs. Unless, of course, you own a torch and have extensive knowledge on how to disassemble brass instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penn State Posted February 25, 2008 Author Share Posted February 25, 2008 I don't understand why you want to re-finish it. As long as the horn plays... IMO. It's currently clear lacquer, unfortunately it is pitting and a lot of the raw brass is exposed. I've been polishing the exposed brass to help prevent wear on the brass. I've heard from some trumpet players when the lacquer gets this bad its better to strip what is remaining as soon as possible to prevent more damage from occuring. It is the lead pipe that need replacing. I've been thinking of getting a new lead pipe made for the horn. I've contacted to shops in my area. I've heard back from Sides (www.rmsides.com)already and they won't build a new lead pipe. They did inform me Bach is still producing the lead pipes for this horn. I was happy with the last mello they repaired for me, which included a new lead pipe. The other store I contacted was Nazareth Music ( nazarethmusic.com). I'm waiting to hear back from them. Does anyone know any outstanding brass techs or horn builders in the area of the Pocono Moutains/ LeHigh Valley/ Delaware Water Gap area? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martybucs Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 This would be sacrilege for any horn techs out there, but in our junior corps we had one of the parents that happened to be a plumber replace a lead pipe on one our bugles with a length of copper pipe. It was the same length and diameter as the original leadpipe and the horn didn't sound any different than before. I have an old Roth baritone that I bought at an antique shop for $30.00. The bell was smashed, but was easy enough to bend, pound then roll out. The lead pipe was missing, so I used the same trick the plumber used and replaced the missing pipe with some copper tubing. Worked great. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornsUp Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 It was the same length and diameter as the original leadpipe and the horn didn't sound any different than before. Sorry, but it was NOT the same diameter. Every leadpipe is tapered, and the rate of taper is critical to the acoustics of the horn. The horn may have sounded the same. but it sure didn't play that way. Intonation and response DO make a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martybucs Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Sorry, but it was NOT the same diameter. Every leadpipe is tapered, and the rate of taper is critical to the acoustics of the horn. The horn may have sounded the same. but it sure didn't play that way. Intonation and response DO make a difference. Whoa. Guess this is a subject near and dear to your heart. The important thing is that it worked and it worked well. I played the horn and couldn't discern any difference in intonation or response, really, it played the same. So this particular repair worked. Guess we got lucky. On the earlier bugle in question, the section that was replaced was a fairly straight diameter from beginning to end. However, the receiver was saved and re-attached to the new section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HornsUp Posted February 26, 2008 Share Posted February 26, 2008 Does anyone know any outstanding brass techs or horn builders in the area of the Pocono Moutains/ LeHigh Valley/ Delaware Water Gap area? Spend 10 bucks and ship it to Johnny Grass in NJ mastercraftmusic.com The work will be done competently and the horn will be play-tested with some Skyliner double Cs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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