[Rowka]

I've got 2 mpcs I want to use on the same horn. One mpc has a bore that is much larger than the other. To allow for interchangeability I'd like to cork the neck for the larger bore and then open up the smaller mpc. The mpc is hard rubber.

I think I can easily do this with a properly sized hand reamer. How important is it to taper the bore? Can I just use a straight reamer or do I need to hunt down a tapered reamer (which now exponentially complicates matters: large diameter, small diameter, taper rate, overall length, ...)?

Thanks

 

[fballatore]

Have you ever done this before? I think you'd be better off getting a second neck with a thinner cork.

 

[Seasax]

what i think steve neff does, or it might've been someone else, is wrap very fine sandpaper or glasspaper around a drumstick putting it in the mouthpiece, turning it once, trying the fit on the neck, turning it again, etc.

 

[Rowka]

Have you ever done this before? I think you'd be better off getting a second neck with a thinner cork.

Old Buescher C-Mel sax. A second neck is gonna be near impossible to find.
The mpc is a relatively inexpensive, readilly available item. If I destroy it it won't be a big deal to replace it and try something else.

 

[fballatore]

Then in that case, do what SeargeantSax suggests. Might take a lot of turns...

 

[Spooner]

If you really do want to open up the bore with a reamer, I think a straight reamer and not a tapered one would be the way that you want to go.

How much of a difference between the two bores are there? If you try to take too much off with the reamer at once it can be more difficult (especially by hand).

 

[Rowka]

iirc, about .040"

 

[Dr_sax]

Go to a tech with a lathe. It takes only a couple minutes to open up the bore. I had this done twice with two hard rubber pieces and one metal mpc. My tech just took about 10 bucks for it per piece.

 

[Rowka]

Go to a tech with a lathe. It takes only a couple minutes to open up the bore. I had this done twice with two hard rubber pieces and one metal mpc. My tech just took about 10 bucks for it per piece.

Did he bore it straight, or put a taper on it.

I guess that's at the heart of my question. We have a pretty good machine shop where I work, with very talented machinists. I can get tapered reamers, straight reamers, or have it turned.

So, straight bore and a more-tapered cork or tapered bore and more of a matched taper cork?

 

[Canadiain]

I've got 2 mpcs I want to use on the same horn. One mpc has a bore that is much larger than the other. To allow for interchangeability I'd like to cork the neck for the larger bore and then open up the smaller mpc. The mpc is hard rubber.

I think I can easily do this with a properly sized hand reamer. How important is it to taper the bore? Can I just use a straight reamer or do I need to hunt down a tapered reamer (which now exponentially complicates matters: large diameter, small diameter, taper rate, overall length, ...)?

Thanks

I opened up my beechler metal piece by about 0.030" with a dremel with the flex shaft extension cable thingy and some sanding drums. They were almost a perfect fit, and after a bit of patience and cooling the piece in a tub of water from time to time I was able to get it to a size where it was close enough to the same as the rest of my pieces that the cork would make up for any difference. After that I polished it to a nice finish with some rouge and and soft drum pad.

I would be a little carefull trying that on a HR piece though...it will wear a lot faster and you might struggle to get a controlled result. The stainless beechler was plenty hard enough that that was never going to be an issue.

A reamer struck me as being more trouble than its worth if you cant hold the piece firm enough to get any torque on the cutter, and I wouldnt worry about the taper, the cork will take care of any imperfections. Drilling / reaming is probably a lot less hassle on a HR piece than a metal one though.

 

[Spooner]

Go to a tech with a lathe. It takes only a couple minutes to open up the bore. I had this done twice with two hard rubber pieces and one metal mpc. My tech just took about 10 bucks for it per piece.

I would agree with Dr sax. .040" is a lot of material to take off with a hand reamer and would be very difficult to do without having removed most of the material first. Just buying the reamer for that size of a bore can be $20-30. I think you would be better off taking it to a tech or a machine shop and have the bore opened up (it will probably cost the same and you'll have somebody else's experience and skill to boot).

The bore should be straight and not tapered. All of the mouthpieces that I have seen have a straight bore.

 

[Rowka]

The reason I'm hung up on the taper is that both mpcs have a taper to the bore. The taper is less on the larger one, but it is still measureable at ~.005/inch (which is the bore I want to open the other mpc to).

 

[MojoBari]

A tapered bore will fit with less wiggle on a tapered cork. But it is not a big deal diff.

 

[Dr_sax]

All my bores are straight. No problem at all.

 

[bruce bailey]

Get some pipe sanding cloth at Home Depot (plumbing). It is a roll with emery cloth. Wrap it around the neck cork and work the mouthpiece around and it will shape it to that neck. Finish off the inside with some wet emery paper.

 

[saxtek]

Get a dowel a little smaller in diameter (about 1/16") than backbore of the smaller mouthpiece. Cut a slot in the end of the dowel about 3" long. Buy at least 3 sheets of sandpaper, one 60 to 100 grit, one 150 to 220 grit and one 400 grit. Cut them into strips 3" wide with BAD scissors - you'll ruin good ones. Put the end of a coarse grit strip of sandpaper through the slot sideways, wrap the strip around the dowel until it just barely fits into the mouthpiece, and cut off the excess. Start sanding (rotate dowel in the direction of the wrap). When the grit fills up with mouthpiece dust, fold the dirty part under, exposing new sandpaper - the sanding surface will still be the same diameter. Later, put the dirty end of the strip through the slot and use the other end.

As you get closer to the desired diameter, switch to finer grit strips. for a final finish use steel wool or plastic abrasive pads.

My MYSPACE site:

http://www.myspace.com/saxpsychosis

 

[saintsday]

Yikes! Why make this so hard?

Cork the neck for the smaller bore and use teflon tape when you want to use the bigger bore.

 

[Rowka]

In the long run, that will be the more difficult solution. As frequently as I'd be changing mpcs I'd be buying teflon tape by the case.

 

[madav]

I did this with a wooden lebayle - simply some sandpaper round the existing neck cork and a few turns later - presto! far easier, and far less work than i jhad expected!