[infoquest]

1) I removed my first soldered-on keyguard.
In doing so, I found that after a foot "popped" off from the heat, it was still attached, as a little bit of solder balled up and held it in place.
I had to reheat and pry it up higher than the solder would ball-up.
Is this usual? What is the "pro" method?

2) In the above situation, there was enough natural spring in the wire keyguard so that it popped free of the body automatically, tho not by much.
But is it considered better to put a stress on it to make it do so more? On the other guardfeet, I had used a wine cork shoved under the guard, providing upward force.......but that can (and did) burn, which is dangerous.
Is there an accepted process for this?

3) If only a single foot of a keyguard has been knocked free by a bump, etc........to re-solder it theoretically one needs to clean the joint before fluxing and resoldering.
I've read one shouldn't use the solder still on the joint.
However, if it was a light bump, the distance between the foot and the body can be paper-thin and impossible to get in to clean.
Is is required to remove the entire keyguard and resolder all 3 guard feet? Even expertly done, that would be more of a "defect" than having left the one foot unsoldered.
What is the correct procedure in these cases, please?

4) It took quite a while of grinding with a Dremel to remove the remaining solder from the horn and the guard to prep for resolder................is this what everyone goes thru? Or is it accepted to use one of those desoldering tools (I think you reheat the bare solder and suck it off into an eyedropper-type system).

Thank you very much for any help on these points.

 

[KEN K]

If you have a part unsoldered on a old horn and the spot is dirty or bent you should clean off all old solder , get it real clean then solder.

A lot of times a bump will knock loose a key guard foot. If you press it down and it looks right and is flush and not bent and not dirty you can put a small amount of flux under the foot ,press it down ,apply heat in a circle around that spot it will resolder itself. Maybe put a dab of ribbon solder or a small piece of flattened solder under the foot. Don't heat the foot directly because it will get too hot and burn the lacquer before the body of the horn gets hot.

If you have a brand new horn this kind of repair will not do any damage to the lacquer if you use just the right amount of heat.

I don't know why you are taking the key guard off.

You don't have to grind the old solder off. Wipe it off. Heat up that spot and when the solder melts quickly wipe if off with a cloth over your finger. When horns are made at the factory they never scrape it off, it is always wiped off while the part is still hot the exception is silver solder.

 

[Gordon (NZ)]

....If you have a brand new horn this kind of repair will not do any damage to the lacquer if you use just the right amount of heat...

It depends a lot on the type of lacquer used.

The baked epoxy used on student Yamahas resist a lot of heat.

Whatever Selmer is currently using on at least some of their models, browns very easily indeed. Nitrocellulose?

 

[Rowka]

Nitro will dissolve with alcohol.

 

[JerryJamz2]

Try sliding a piece of paper or any thin object between the body and guard foot when the solder is heated to it's molten state. Then with the paper still in place, apply water carefully to cool and solidify the solder, then remove the paper. The paper might be soggy and/or tear, but this is not a problem. Unless there is a dent in the body tube/bow under the guard foot, the guard cage can easily be manipulated back into proper position by carefully forming/bending the entire guard until it aligns properly and the foot seats itself in it's original position. Try heating the area from the inside/underneath the foot. Direct flame on a lacquered finish will expedite burning and/or discoloration. Application of flux using a needle oiler and using the flux exactly where you need it and very sparingly will also save you further work in the end. Remember, solder will only stick where the flux is present. Try using a q-tip or pipe-cleaner to remove solder from tight to reach areas. No need to remove the entire guard and resolder all three feet, if you follow what I stated above. Hope this helps.

 

[shmuelyosef]

I use a device that was originally developed for electronics soldering called a solder-sucker. Basically a spring-loaded hypodermic operated in suction. HERE IS AN EXAMPLE, just the first one that popped up in google...

 

[griff136]

I use the same method as Jerry - paper or thin card.
Wise words re the application of flux too.

 

[infoquest]

thanks for all the knowledgeable replies.
I needed to remove a guard from a parts horn to put on another horn.

What about inducing an upward pressure so that the guard pops up? Is that considered unnecessary due to the paper/card technique?......pardon me, this is my first time for this

 

[JerryJamz2]

thanks for all the knowledgeable replies.
I needed to remove a guard from a parts horn to put on another horn.

What about inducing an upward pressure so that the guard pops up? Is that considered unnecessary due to the paper/card technique?......pardon me, this is my first time for this

Yes you can do this, but you'll have to keep the foot separated from the body until the molten solder re-solidifies. We use the paper shim and water quenching technique due to time constraints while in the shop. If time is not a factor, go for it.