[Saxplayer67]

My twenty-year old Meister (made by B & S) alto has started to lose a bit of lacquer on a couple of contact points, specifically underneath the metal thumb hook and also some nickel plating from one of the left hand palm keys.

Suddenly, the area where my right thumb rests has had lacquer lost and I'm getting a black thumb from the bare brass and it also feels weird on my thumb, not being shiny . Can I purchase a small pot of lacquer to 'paint' on it? Or since it's only a small non-noticeable area, would clear nail varnish be an alternative? As it stands, how could I prevent it getting a patina without lacquer?

Can I also do anything about the small amount of lost nickel plating on the palm key?

I know that eventually a full relacquer (which this horn doesn't need, being 100% everywhere else) would cost far more than the market value of the sax but to me, it is worth it. Does anyone know if my particular make of sax might be clear or gold lacquer? The reason is, if I eventually had a relacquer, I'd like it to be a good colour match to how it is now, if it is coated with gold colour rather than clear. An alternative would be to have the sax gold plated. Again, this is worth it to me but not to anyone else.

 

[Randall]

Clear fingernail polish will do the trick...easy and cheap.

 

[kavala]

If you have it gold plated, I think you still need clear lacquer to protect
the gold.

My sax has no lacquer left and is plain brass.
A while back, as an experiment, I took one key off my sax, and
polished it up.
I then sprayed it with clear polyurethane. The standard stuff you get
in an aerosol can at the hardware store.

This lasted several years before it began to show some wear.

Might wear more quickly where your thumb is rubbing however.

I just put up with the black thumb.

 

[Saxplayer67]

One day I might have to get my baby relaquered, as I wouldn't like it to look shabby,

I'm not sure if I can put up with a black thumb, as being a sensitive soul, coming into contact with some materials gives me a skin problem!

 

[Saxplayer67]

As nail varnish won't be as resilient as lacquer, I did some surfing around and the UK's Windcraft (I've checked their site out before) do an aerosol of clear and two shades of gold laquer. I'd prefer a pot of the stuff I can paint on - any suppliers in UK? Also, anyone yet can tell me if I'm clear or gold?

 

[Dave dix]

Any auto-motive shop will sell clear laquer, go for the acrylic laquer
Dave

 

[littlemanbighorn]

I'd personally just buy one of those cheap rubber Selmer thumbrest covers and leave it at that instead of doing price devaluing alterations.
They attach easily and semi(but not totally) permanently with good ol' fashioned contact cement.

 

[Saxplayer67]

I'd personally just buy one of those cheap rubber Selmer thumbrest covers and leave it at that instead of doing price devaluing alterations.
They attach easily and semi(but not totally) permanently with good ol' fashioned contact cement.

No, the problem isn't the hook part, although the lacquer is pitted here on the underside; the missing patch is where the pad of my thumb presses against the part of the rest on the tube of the sax.

 

[Dave dix]

I cant see touching up a bare patch as price de-valueing alterations
Dave

 

[Carl H.]

cloth tape

 

[littlemanbighorn]

Maybe that's why the "Selman" horns on eBay come with white gloves.

 

[tictactux]

No, the problem isn't the hook part, although the lacquer is pitted here on the underside; the missing patch is where the pad of my thumb presses against the part of the rest on the tube of the sax.

Use clear self-adhesive plastic foil - eg an XXXXXL mouthpiece patch.

 

[TMadness1013]

black thumb must look better than the nasty green thumb I get from my vintage Conn's