[jbtsax]

Not that I would ever do this, but does anyone have any experience with cleaning or touching up the white "roo" pads that happened to get dirty as they were being installed?

Remember this is a hypothetical question and in no way reflects upon my skill and fastidiousness as a repair tech.

 

[Carl H.]

What is on the pads?

 

[jbtsax]

For the sake of discussion, let's say a bit of dirty key oil from a rod that just happened to touch the pad.

 

[Carl H.]

Tough one. I can't think of anything that wouldn't mess up the life of the bad even worse than leaving a little oil on there.

 

[sonnymobleytrane]

This very question would make me shy away from the White pads

 

[Carl H.]

This very question would make me shy away from the White pads

I've got them on 2 saxes and love them. I didn't choose them for looks, even though they are good looking.

 

[TMadness1013]

If you think about it, this is a huge advantage the white roos have.

You can actually TELL if there's gunk on them. Imagine all the yucky stuff you could get on those black Saxgourmet pads and never have a clue about it...

 

[sonnymobleytrane]

I've got them on 2 saxes and love them. I didn't choose them for looks, even though they are good looking.

I've had different color pads One time when Emilio overhauled my horn he asked me what color I wanted. I picked green and to tell you the truth I picked green cause it looked really freakin cool

 

[JerryJamz2]

I'd call Curt and ask HIM what he would suggest John. Or just change the pad.

 

[brassnaked]

Ah...maybe a Q-tip dipped in a little white "nurse's shoe" polish...it IS for leather...it IS for covering up scuffs and other dark marks on otherwise white shoe leather...just a thought...

 

[Jaice Singer DuMars]

I had this same experience with the white roos... it drove me a little nuts because when you are working with them, you can't help but have oil and other muck on your hands. I'm a lot like the characted Monk on the USA Network show, and having one slightly smudged pad almost drove me to madness. I didn't have a replacement either, so I had to make peace with my OCD perfectionism doing the repad. The good news is... HOLY SMOKES does that alto play well now! I am 100% sold on roo pads and ESPECIALLY the maestro resonators. I may re-re-pad all my horns with them. Post-overhaul, my Martin "Official Music Man" alto KILLS my Super 20, and I attribute this at least partially to these pads. Now, if I can just avoid thinking about them getting dirty, I'll be fine.

 

[jbtsax]

Jason. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Now I know that there is at least one other person in the world like me.

Seriously, your compulsive perfectionism comes through in your engraving work that I have seen. Don't ever change. You are a truly gifted artist.

Maybe we could just deliberately smudge one pad at the beginning of the job (like getting a ding in a new car) so we can relax and not worry about it having to be perfect.

John

 

[Jaice Singer DuMars]

Seriously, your compulsive perfectionism comes through in your engraving work that I have seen. Don't ever change. You are a truly gifted artist.

Thanks John! It really is a healthy dose of OCD that helps me work on projects. It's hard with my hand now because IT makes me stop, instead of sheer exhaustion like the old days. If it weren't for the arthritis, I'd engrave all the time!!

Maybe we could just deliberately smudge one pad at the beginning of the job (like getting a ding in a new car) so we can relax and not worry about it having to be perfect.

This was akin to my wife's suggestion. She said I should just mess them all up. I figured one was a nice round number. The rest of the pads are spotless.

Let me say again how AWESOME these are. I simply can't believe the change.

It's nice to know us "Monks" are out there.

 

[hansmartini]

John, I still like Windex on a Q-tip for stuff like this. Haven't tried it on a Roo pad though.
The search for perfection , to me, can go too far. I just read a message where the guy was replacing the hinges on an old case and wanted to know how to make them look old and not shiny. I think this illustrates going too far. I guess if somebody is willing to pay for these types of services, go for the money. I don't. I try to fix up a horn (or case) so it plays as best as I can make it play. I clean the body and will spot silver plate, shine. wax, or spot touch up lacquer. That is the extent of the cosmetics. To try to make an old silver Conn 'perfect' cosmetically takes way too long and I have to charge way more than I am willing to charge. If you are striving for cosmetic perfection, go for it. I'd rather get a dozen kids back playing their horns.
I know this makes me sound like an old curmudgeon, but, after all, I AM an old old curmudgeon.
As an aside, if I buy an old Conn for, say, $1200 and spend the time to make it look perfect (and, of course, play perfect) The old Conn is now worth between $2400 and ??? Whoever this repair was for will probably sell it for a lot more (on EBay). The horn is now worth??? $ As this process goes on and repeats itself over the years, I begin to understand why 'vintage' horns cost so (too) much. I understand that there is a market, but I also understand 'There's a sucker born every minute'. I know you asked about cleaning Roo pads, but I can never resist a chance to rant.
Hans

 

[jbtsax]

John, I still like Windex on a Q-tip for stuff like this. Haven't tried it on a Roo pad though.

Thanks Hans. I'll try that.

The search for perfection , to me, can go too far. I just read a message where the guy was replacing the hinges on an old case and wanted to know how to make them look old and not shiny. I think this illustrates going too far.

Ha, ha, ha. I just posted in that thread and suggested how he could do that.

I guess if somebody is willing to pay for these types of services, go for the money. I don't. I try to fix up a horn (or case) so it plays as best as I can make it play. I clean the body and will spot silver plate, shine. wax, or spot touch up lacquer. That is the extent of the cosmetics. To try to make an old silver Conn 'perfect' cosmetically takes way too long and I have to charge way more than I am willing to charge. If you are striving for cosmetic perfection, go for it. I'd rather get a dozen kids back playing their horns.

I agree. I am restoring a Conn C-Melody for a friend of my shop manager, and doing a lot more work (off the clock) than he is paying for, but I am doing it for the experience and because I love to restore the vintage saxes and bring them back to life. (I said that just to annoy Gordon.) :twisted:

I know this makes me sound like an old curmudgeon, but, after all, I AM an old old curmudgeon.

Yes, but you are everyone's favorite curmudgeon.

I know you asked about cleaning Roo pads, but I can never resist a chance to rant.
Hans

Rant away my friend, that's what these message sites are for. By the way, that picture of you dressed in the colorful garb playing your saxophone would make a PERFECT avatar for you on this site.

John

 

[Gordon (NZ)]

"I said that just to annoy Gordon"

I'm not annoyhed. Sometimes I am obstinate here and elsewhere just for a bit of stiring verbal fun and frolic.

 

[abadcliche]

When I am overhauling a horn with white roos, I wash my hands every 20 minutes with that orange hand cleaner stuff that really scrubs you clean. If I get a pad dirty, I throw it out. Its a bit of a pain, but they sure look nice when they are installed.

As far as gunk on the pad AFTER an overhaul, I think you have three options, presented here in descending order of feasability for someone who is not into repair themselves:
1. Gently rub as much as you can off with an untreated plain paper towel or cotton q-tip and leave the rest. It will look nasty but if it is just a smudge and not actual material, it probably isn't affecting the seal. Definitely check with a leak light to make sure.
2. Take a cotton swab or pipe cleaner with some naptha on it and gently wipe away the smudge. It will be clean, but you will probably decrease the life of the pad relative to the others. I have done this before, and as long as you aren't scrubbing the pad and just wiping it, it works fine.
3. Replace the pad.

I have seen white roos on a horn that was done a while ago and some of them had turned green and brown from various alcohol-tobacco-saliva mixes. They still sealed fine, but it wasn't pretty.

I also had white roos on my Aristocrat alto for a few years before I traded it away, and they looked as good as the day they were put in, and I played it quite a bit.

 

[hansmartini]

John, all of the silver Conns/Beuschers, etc That I have restored have been labours of love (ie: for friends). Usually they pay for parts + a couple of hundred bucks to feed my tool addiction.
Hans

 

[shmuelyosef]

I had this same experience with the white roos... it drove me a little nuts because when you are working with them, you can't help but have oil and other muck on your hands. I'm a lot like the characted Monk on the USA Network show, and having one slightly smudged pad almost drove me to madness. I didn't have a replacement either, so I had to make peace with my OCD perfectionism doing the repad. The good news is... HOLY SMOKES does that alto play well now! I am 100% sold on roo pads and ESPECIALLY the maestro resonators. I may re-re-pad all my horns with them. Post-overhaul, my Martin "Official Music Man" alto KILLS my Super 20, and I attribute this at least partially to these pads. Now, if I can just avoid thinking about them getting dirty, I'll be fine.

When doing a repad, I get the horn working as quietly and perfectly as I can with no oil in evidence. This assures that oil does not obscure minor friction points that I can remove. As the very last thing, I disassemble and lubricate the horn keeping my fingers clean.

Additionally, you can clean the white roopads by flooding them with naphtha and then quickly blotting the excess off. Do it a few times and it leaches the oil off the pad.

 

[MusicMedic]

In addition to things mentioned, some people have had success with good erasers cleaning white RooPads.