[eddie reeds]

Hi all, Happy Xmas

can you give me some advice, i occasionally lose corks from under the levers of my alto sax, and cant find a glue that hold hold new cork replacements

your advice would be appreciated


regards eddie

 

[milandro]

some good contact cement should be doing the trick, follow the instructions, let dry before using.

 

[HUTMO]

CONTACT CEMENT: clean parts, coat each contact area with glue, let dry, stick, them together... shouldn't come off.

 

[Chris Peryagh]

Use Evo-Stik or similar adhesive - the kind you'd use to glue formica to a kitchen work surface with.

But in order for the glue to work, you will have to thoroughly clean off the old glue and degrease the areas on be glued on the keys. Degrease them thoroughly with alcohol such as isopropyl or methylated spirits as they won't harm the lacquer (don't use solvents such as acetone or nail polish remover as they can dissolve the lacquer).

Then thinly and evenly coat both the surfaces to be glued (the key and the cork) and wait for a few minutes until they're touch dry. Then stick the corks to the keys and apply some pressure to ensure a good bond, then trim the excess cork off and refit the key. If the venting is too low, trim the cork with a razor blade or carefully sand it down (avoiding scratching the body as you're doing so).

 

[Gordon (NZ)]

On rather small areas, the particular contact glue becomes more fussy. So does the thickness of glue that is applied, Too thick, or inappropriate glue, and the result is a cork that rather easily "slimes" its way off the key.

Also, it is difficult to do a good, thin, even application of glue without removing the key.

Always, how a material is used is just as important as the material itself.

 

[Henry D]

Super glue. Clean the surface well.

If using real cork first put a drop on the cork then gently wipe it off with a towel. Let it sit for a minute or so and then glue normally.

If using tech cork it'll stick fine as is- but will be more difficult to sand in place.

If you get any super glue on the horn's finish it'll ruin it.

 

[griff136]

Super glue. ............If you get any super glue on the horn's finish it'll ruin it.

One reaon why super glue is not a good application for this purpose IMHO. another reason is that the glue tends to seep into the cork making it hard. Much better to use contact adhesive.

 

[Gordon (NZ)]

I have also found superglue - done by others... I don't use it - to be less reliable, usually parting from the metal.
Reason? Hmmm. It is possibly a lot more fussy about surfaces being uncontaminated with any trace of oil or grease.