[silver-sax]

I going to put new pearls on keys of old sax. But do not know how to remove old pearls. Who knows how to remove old pearls? The some holders of pearls have small holes, that will possibly accelerate remove pearls, but there are such holders which do not have holes.

 

[Chris Peryagh]

It depends if the pearls have been glued in or crimped in - obviously glued in pearls will be easy to remove by (carefully) heating the back of the pearl holder in a flame to melt the glue, but ones that are crimped in (as on older Selmers) are more difficult to remove without the pearls being damaged.

If you're relacing worn pearls that have been crimped in (and you don't mind them getting damaged on removal), you can replace them with slightly narrower diameter pearls (narrower in diameter compared to the originals) that fit within the inside diameter of the crimped edge and glue them in place.

 

[jbtsax]

Sometimes the pear can be pried loose by inserting a stiff pointed needle spring between the pearl and the outer edge. You need to be very careful not to damage the edge of the pearl holder using this method. The stubborn ones often require very carefully cutting down the center of the pearl with a thin diamond cutting wheel in a dremel tool. Once split in this fashion, the pearl is easy to pry out using a small screwdriver or knife blade. Both techniques require a steady hand and some degree of skill, so be very careful. If you are not sure of your ability, take the sax to an experienced tech to avoid damaging the keys.

 

[silver-sax]

Thank you for advice.
Where is possibly to found pearls of big sizes?

I need in 15mm, 15,5mm and 16mm. Ferrees tools offer max size only in 14,8mm.

 

[Chris Peryagh]

Try https://www.windcraft.co.uk/

Click on 'repair materials' and then 'pearls'.

They only offer convex pearls (ie. SBA thumb button) in 16.5mm (which can be turned down and hollowed out to make it concave), but they do convex pearls in 14.8mm (which will be alright to fit in a 15mm holder) and flat pearls in 15.75mm which can be turned down and made concave.

Mother-of-pearl sheet can be bought from some craft shops, and the pearl discs cut using a piercing saw, then turned to make them circular and also made concave.

But always wear a dust mask when working with pearl as the dust is very fine, and if you can use water (in a spray bottle) to keep the dust down during cutting, filing and papering, then do that.