This part is hard soldered, so it should be able to withstand carefully bending it back into position. This needs to be done while the key is on the horn and the rod is tight, hopefully it will also fix the binding that I'm sure is going on as well. Another must are pliers that have a smooth jaw, preferably parallel, to avoid marring the key work. I would place the pliers just to the right of the 'stem' for leverage. Best of luck!

 

I had a similar problem with a Buescher C melody and learned a couple of things; first, don't put pressure at all on the straight up pin (stem) , it will detach or yes as you said, break and if it does ( my experience) it can be soldered back. Then I did apply some heat with a jeweler's torch to the part attached to the rod and gradually worked it back and when it it was almost leveled back, I disassembled it, took it to the bench where I got it back to level. I used 2 sets of pliers: nose and slip joint.

 

This is a pretty common problem that can happen if the sax takes a hit or is transported without an endcap. A shop or tech should be able to fix it for you quickly.

If you don't have a shop or tech nearby, it is possible to try bending it yourself, but you would need to be cautious about where you exercise leverage, avoiding bending any of the other keywork or popping the post off the horn. An amateur might have to take the key off to do the most forceful bending and then put it back on for final adjustments.

 

An amateur might have to take the key off to do the most forceful bending and then put it back on for final adjustments.

Yes sir ME!!! Then I learned!!

 

This must be such a common repair. I had the same issue on an alto. I took the key off thinking I could better isolate the re-bending it back to just the key. But I encountered issues with more subtle bends in the hinge tube that could not easily be straightened with the key off. It occurred to me that if I kept the key on its posts and bent it back straight, I would also be straightening out the hinge tube. I think you can be somewhat confident that the posts wont come off by straightening with the key installed. (The posts stayed on when the key was damaged.) Also, you may need to move the posts slightly as they may be misaligned by the accident and that could be sorted out by straightening the key while it is on the posts. (I am not an experienced repair person. All of my comments and advice are open to to question.)

 

Yes, the bend in the rod is visible too. That rod has a steel hinge rod inside that is also bent, so it could be hard to remove. Consequently, most of that bend will have to be reduced on the sax so it can be more easily removed and properly straightened. The brass arm can be straightened with ordinary tools with non-marring material added to the jaws. I would do it myself but if you're concerned about breaking something, take it to and instrument repair shop.
The bend in the arm is severe, but it can be straightened - next time, it might break. Even if this happens, a good shop can braze it back together, polish it and you wouldn't notice the repair.

 

Never bend a hinge tube without the rod inside ! If the rod is not inside you take a great chance of collapsing the tube. Thus making the repair even more difficult for a technician. Honestly this is a job to take to a technician. It’s a working Saxophone that needs a repair. Find a pile of junk to learn the craft of DIY repair. Especially if you have no mechanical experience. Also instrument metalsmith repair is a completely different craft than being a mechanic.

Once the repair is made get a proper end plug Immediately !!!. The damage is most likely from storage in a case without a end plug. The protruding pin being unprotected / exposed to resting area inside case. A very common issue.

 

Wow! I had an Elkart 30A tenor shipped to me with the exact same damage. The seller packed its end plug in the covered compartment of its case.

The tech here was able to carefully bend it back into shape. He said he did it gradually over a 3 day period, but it took roughly just 10 minutes total. Less stress on the metal that way, in his 60-year experienced opinion.

 

There are no time-dependent recovery mechanisms that would operate on that time scale at ambient temperature. He was being cautious, but that was not necessary.

 

The easiest way to do it is take of the part, put it in a vise with some shims and tighten the vise until the arm is straight. You don't even have to touch the tube or rod.

 

Here's the bend on mine. Look familiar?

 

Too familiar.

 

People are just idiots. If everyone used the end plug all the time, or used the stuffers that have a rubber end plug, and stopped dropping their horns, nobody would ever have to do this repair. I was trying to help a lady music store owner sell a large lot of her late husband's saxes but her mule-headed ignorance finally got the best of me and I washed my hands of it. But the point is, every damn sax was missing the end plug and most of them had more or less bent octave rods.