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I an a beginner /Intermediate who has played as a dilettante over the years but a with COVID19 I have decided to commit previous commute time to more practice behind the Sax. Overall the Sax has survived very well and seems to have no leaks.

Before sending it to a pro for changing pads a few years from now, I would like to re-oil the saxophone. I handle mechanics and maintenance for my vintage motorcycles and hope the careful methodology and attention to detail will transfer to this new exercise. There are many videos and material out there to discuss the order of key removal and how to re-oil a sax. But what happen when everything is put back together?

My question is: after I remove keys, clean old oil and properly put the sax back together exactly as it was, is there any concern that the sax will need to require any new adjustment? any possibility or pitch issue or leaks?

Thank you

 

[milandro]

welcome we have a vast archive with questions like this.

please use them , they are there to be consulted and added to i will search a few for you

https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?224793-Lubricating-your-sax

https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?130833-Oiling-the-action

https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?78372-Step-by-Step-Key-Oil-Procedures

To answer your questions, removing keys MAY result in the likelihood that something will no longer close as it did before, it all depends on you expertise, pitch is not the normal concern but you may knock something out of adjustment o

 

[lydian]

My question is: after I remove keys, clean old oil and properly put the sax back together exactly as it was, is there any concern that the sax will need to require any new adjustment? any possibility or pitch issue or leaks?

Probably. You'll knock a piece of cork or felt loose in the process or discover things that needed adjustment before you disassembled.

Unless you're having problems with keys binding, you don't need to oil it and could possibly do more harm than good by over oiling it. I recommend you spend that time practicing rather than disassembling/reassembling the horn. Sounds to me like the mechanical side of things is the part you enjoy most. So you're simply wasting time doing the mechanical stuff rather than doing the hard part which is practicing. I know how you feel. I've been there many times. Just resist the temptation this time.

 

[blaine hoopes]

I wouldn't advise you disassemble it to clean old oil - simply put the tiniest drop of new oil in all the proper locations and work the keys up and down while that tiny drop of oil works its way into the mechanism. Very little oil is needed and it isn't (repeat is NOT) like a car engine where the old oil will be gritty and abrasive.

 

[Sacks Of Phones]

I wouldn't advise you disassemble it to clean old oil - simply put the tiniest drop of new oil in all the proper locations and work the keys up and down while that tiny drop of oil works its way into the mechanism. Very little oil is needed and it isn't (repeat is NOT) like a car engine where the old oil will be gritty and abrasive.

You should watch this:

 

[blaine hoopes]

You should watch this:

There are lots of opinions on the internet. Feel free to take your sax apart and clean the old oil if that's what you want to do. I generally do for old saxes but I still wouldn't advise a novice to disassemble his fairly recent horn as in the OP.

 

[Dr G]

If the horn has not been maintained for many years, I agree that it is good to break it down, clean the long rods and tubes especially, and relube with synth key oil.

Yes, there is the possibility that you might knock off an adjusting cork/felt. There is also a probability that the stack keys, especially, will benefit - especially if oil has only been dabbed onto the ends of the rods for the last 15 years.

One easy before/ after comparo - or check to see if you have any binding in the first place - is to release the springs acting on the keys and see if they swing freely. If they don't, then they would benefit from cleaning and lubrication (or there may be some slight bending in the stack).

 

[Sacks Of Phones]

There are lots of opinions on the internet. Feel free to take your sax apart and clean the old oil if that's what you want to do. I generally do for old saxes but I still wouldn't advise a novice to disassemble his fairly recent horn as in the OP.

Matt is an expert. There is only one way to learn - by doing. The average guy can save lots of money by learning to do periodic maintenance himself/herself. I say go for it. Take before pictures. It helps to have another sax handy as a reference if one gets stuck.

 

[Dr G]

Matt is an expert. There is only one way to learn - by doing. The average guy can save lots of money by learning to do periodic maintenance himself/herself. I say go for it. Take before pictures. It helps to have another sax handy as a reference if one gets stuck.

If one is meticulous about the disassembly, laying out the pieces in the order in which they are removed, the reassembly is much easier. Good screwdrivers are a must. Plan to reassemble the same day. The first time I did it, I spent some time cleaning the body and polishing the silver plate - the total time was about four hours. That's also a good time to clean the grooves in the pad seats and edges of the tone holes - just a cotton swab is all you need for that. Pipe cleaners are great for cleaning the interior of the tubes.

 

[JohnInDenver]

To the OP: you've asked one of the many questions that inspires lively debate here on SOTW. At this point you'd be hard-pressed to find a question that doesn't!

I think it's safe to say that lightly oiling in the correct locations without disassembling is a pretty safe and beneficial procedure. Maybe monthly, depending on how much you play?

Beyond that, you could remove a key here and there and check things out without taking on too much risk. Say left-hand palm keys or right-hand pinky keys to start. The easy stuff.

If you are itching to remove the top stack or bottom stack, IMHO that's when you need to be very careful. While these are probably the areas that would benefit most from proper oiling, these are also the areas that have the most delicate adjustments and corks, etc.

To be honest, your recent Selmer probably doesn't have a lot of gunk in the mechanisms yet, so a light periodic oiling is all you'd need, right?

 

[[email protected]]

Lot to think about in just an hour. Great forum indeed. Just like an old bike you need to resist action unless you know you will not make the situation worse. I will do the check with the spring first. The Selmer sax has not been touched since its construction in 1988 so I assume it is time. I also have DolnetM70 in France which I acquired in 1985 and is very noisy when playing. I will look at it as well. Thanks again and next time I will search the archives.

 

[blaine hoopes]

If you maintain it regularly (so the oil on the rods doesn't dry out and the rods start to rust) -- I feel that you can wait until it is time to do a repad before you disassemble and clean out the old oil. But if you feel up to the task, it's a lot of fun to take a horn apart and learn how to clean it and put it back together.

 

[Dr G]

If you maintain it regularly (so the oil on the rods doesn't dry out and the rods start to rust) -- I feel that you can wait until it is time to do a repad before you disassemble and clean out the old oil. But if you feel up to the task, it's a lot of fun to take a horn apart and learn how to clean it and put it back together.

Maintenance is one thing, but if you don't know the starting condition, you may be only keeping the ends of the rods moist. Pivots are best lubricated with grease - not oil.

+1 for Matt Stohrer's videos. He has overhauled two my saxes, and his work is exemplary.

 

[saxoclese]

This link has some information I posted a while ago that you might find parts of it useful: So Ya Wanna Learn Sax Repair There are lots of different methods and materials that others use that are just as effective. These are just the things I have found work for me.