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Replacing a Neck Cork ( A YouTube Video by the Saxophone Whisperer)

3K views 10 replies 8 participants last post by  hornfixer 
#1 ·
OK - So I did another movie ..... playing with the phone and computer in conjunction.

This one is quite long but very detailed.

Also, the music I added is an almost 20 year old multitrack recording I did just out of college of Eine Kline Natchmusik where I played all the parts. I did it to cover the compressor that was running for the 1st min or so of the movie.

Again, this was designed for the average player, and I am sure my fellow repairmen will chime in with ways that they would of done it differently.

 
#2 ·
Another nice video. Thanks Charlie.

Again, this was designed for the average player, and I am sure my fellow repairmen will chime in with ways that they would of done it differently.
I hope you don't mind the "chiming in" :) It can get exasperating around here. But anyways... The average player or just a plain ol' clumsy guy like myself should probably take the precaution of masking off the neck with tape just above where the cork was/is going to be to keep from inadvertently marring the finish or getting cement too far down the neck. I leave the masking tape on until all the sanding of the new cork is complete. I can usually sense the fear emitting from an instrument that I approach with things like razors or sandpaper. They seem to know about some if my lapses in attention that have occurred over the years. :bluewink:
 
#3 ·
Again, this was designed for the average player, and I am sure my fellow repairmen will chime in with ways that they would of done it differently.
I wasn't really going to but why not :)

I do a lot of things differently. Just the way I like to do it. Here they are:

I don't use a razor to remove the old cork. I use either pliers (without damaging the neck at all!) and/or a scraper. I sometimes use heat/flame to make the old cork easier to remove (they vary a lot in how good they are glued).

I sometimes follow with a brass brush in my micromotor to remove all the little bits of old cork and glue if there are any that are really difficult to remove. I also use a solvent to clean it. I doubt it really matters, but I try not to touch the cleaned area with my fingers after that. Actually it probably doesn't matter at all considering how I put the glue...

I don't bother measuring so accurately with a ruler and a string etc. Most often I just put the neck on the cork and mark the width (length from neck perspective) then check by loosely wrapping it around the neck. Occasionally I use a ruler or caliper for approx length. I use a ruler to cut against for the length and sometimes for the width too. Basically whatever is fastest at the moment since the exact measurement isn't so important, it just has to be long and wide enough (while trying to keep waste to a minimum). I measure and cut more accurately for clarinet tenon corks or sax necks with the ring at the end. I cut a longer and not as sharp angle at the end, for more overlapping surface area, but I like the sharper taper for some reasons too and might try a slightly sharper angle sometimes.

Since I want the cork to be more or less cylindrical, I sand some of it before gluing. That is a long, gradual taper, towards the part that is going to be the sax end of the cork. How much depends on the shape (taper) of the neck, length of the cork, etc. Then I have a lot less to sand after the cork is glued.

I use a finger to spread the glue. This is why I said not touching the neck with my fingers is probably not important. It's probably my imagination but I think maybe "greasing" the neck accidently with any skin "grease" might be an issue, though touching the glue itself maybe won't. Anyway I don't know, just used to doing it this way.

I've tried a brush and the result was pretty much like yours. I prefer a much thinner layer of glue. Maybe that's also why it dries much faster than 10-15 minutes. Usually less than 3 minutes. I sometimes spread very fast a very thin layer on the cork, then the "real" layer. I don't think I have to do that, but cork can absorb the glue sometimes, even good cork. After I do that, or if I don't, I put the glue first on the neck. Then I spread the glue on the cork, first on the back, starting from the bevelled end side, then on the small bevel. I do this because I want to put the glue last on the part that is glued last, since it will have a few more seconds to dry.

After the cork is glued I shape it so it is more or less cylindrical. I prefer this because it gives a firm and tight seal and grip at the start but doesn't get exessively tight and hard to insert the more you push the mouthpiece on. I don't use loose sand paper to sand, only nail files and/or sand paper glued to rigid tools. I like to have more control with a rigid sanding tool. I sometimes put some cellotape at the end after the cork just in case.

Also if I'm sanding after using a knife or razor, I first move the knife/razor away from right under my hands where they can touch them and rub against them, etc. :)
 
#4 ·
Everyone has there own way, good to see another vid, Im a lot like nitai here, I apply the glue with finger for very thin application, I find thicker pplications for me fail quickly. I use masking tape to protect the good areas when pre sanding with sandpaper, however the final dressing up, I sand mine similiar to yourself with just the pull past method, but with a little bit more of a cylindrical end result.

Either way, good to see...
 
#5 ·
Thanks Guys,

1st of all, I make these videos with keeping the average person in mind. They might not have scrapers and such, but razor blades are pretty common.

When cleaning off the old cork, I really try not to use any method that could remove any metal under the cork. I think of it as if people complain when you buff material off the body during a re-lacquer, then I should be concerned not to sand or wire brush away any away while cleaning.

For me, the pliers being used for cleaning has a great potential for damage, esp. if I am trying to explain to somebody else in a video.

As far as the protective tape idea - that's a great one!! (I've actually done that before but haven't in years)

Using fingers for glue ..... well different strokes for different folks. I see so much that could be a problem with that, however it obviously works well for others so - to each their own.

I use Contact cement thinner to help me get a thin coat where I want it. On the cork that shows - on the neck I admit that because I was going slow, it was starting to "gunk up;"

Anyhow, now to address the person on youtube who commented there about their tech does it faster. ..... some people don't get that that you cant go fast when making an instructional video.

Thanks Guys!
Charlie
 
#9 ·
1st of all, I make these videos with keeping the average person in mind. They might not have scrapers and such, but razor blades are pretty common.
The main reason I prefer a scraper instead of a razor is that it's much less dangerous and less likely to cut yourself. It's too easy to cut yourself with a razor, especially an inexperienced average person.

For me, the pliers being used for cleaning has a great potential for damage, esp. if I am trying to explain to somebody else in a video.
I agree and wouldn't recommend an average player to do this with pliers, eventhough I do that myself without any damage.

...about their tech does it faster. ..... some people don't get that that you cant go fast when making an instructional video.
I see some neck corks that were definitely done much faster than I can do it... those which fail and brought to me to replace :)
 
#6 ·
Great Video!

I have had real good success using a cup of water heated to a roiling boil in the microwave. After removing the cup of hot water from the microwave, place it on a flat stable surface. Just stick the neck in far enough to submerge the cork. After a while the cork will swell and soften the glue. You can just peel most of it off with your fingernails or I use half of a wooden clothespin. No damage to the neck. Clean up with lighter fluid and you are ready to install new cork.
 
#8 ·
Oops... forgot.... after cleaning with the lighter fluid, I do a final cleaning with alcohol and a clean cotton rag, usually an old t-shirt. I am NOT a repair tech, just someone that has to do minor repairs because the nearest tech is 120 miles away. I have had good results and none have turned loose so far. I could not do repairs for a living. I am way too careful and slow to make money doing this stuff.
 
#10 ·
Very good video.
I too always wrap protective masking tape around the neck at the end of the cork.
Boiling water, as stated is a good way to initially loosen the cork.
Rather than cutting the cork square, I always cut the chamfered edge at an angle so that the "split" line is not axial to the neck.....probably an unnecessary refinement...but it makes me feel more satisfied.
 
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