[acmhorns]

Well, file this one under FUBAR. This should be fun! I've never posted any before and after pics here on SOTW and I thought it would be as good a time as any to start documenting. This horn spent "Quite some time" under water according to the owner. It looks like it may have belonged to Jack Sparrow at one point. The upper stack keys do not move at all and I'm sure they'll have to be cut off. We'll see if it's a lot worse than last year's Horn From Hell... a formerly beautiful Mark VI tenor that a man soaked in Dawn dish detergent for several days. Ended up making several new rods for that one.

More updates to come soon. For now, feast your eyes on this:

 

[Tenor Mattness]

Cool! it's even got the original resos. Wanna sell as is?

 

[jgreiner]

Egads.... You're either a brave or foolish man! ;-)

Seriously tho, good luck with that one. I can only begin to fathom the amount of work, patience and wisdom/experience it's gonna take to rescue that one. Please do keep us posted!

 

[PigSquealer]

This horn spent "Quite some time" under water according to the owner.

I'm interested in that story alone.
Looks like a week in alum and keg of good luck. Very cool project. Looking forward to seeing the process.

 

[milandro]

have you seen the Cuban Selmer restoration videos?

What is with these horns thrown out in the sea?

 

[mascio]

No where to go but up!

 

[click]

Restore!

Refurbish!

Reclaim!

 

[Horned Toad]

That horn looks in really good condition other than rods and rollers. It still has lacquer, and will clean up really nice with or without the lacquer. Looks to be a near 50k SBA! For that one I would suggest a bath in methylene chloride, but probable all rollers and rods will have to be cut out. Big job but that horn will come out fine and still be worth a lot.

 

[ZootTheSim]

Arrrrgggh, a saltier lass ne’er shipped a handspike.

 

[milandro]

well it took a lot of work to finish the " el buzo " 1958 horn which was found by a diver in the cuban waters.

By the way, it is not for sale, the amount of hours spent fixing must have been phenomenal.

 

[Horned Toad]

It IS a lot of work, still worth it for such an SBA.

https://hornedtoadmusic.com/selmer-...ue-from-dead-restoration-killer/#.XicDgy2ZMWo

 

[milandro]

Sure, if no part ( such as the toneholes, if they were gone and were replaced by brazing we are in a completely different situation! ) became corroded too thin that they had to be reconstructed... resurrecting from immersion in sea water is a bit more uncertain than, dirty, but sweet water as in a flood.

I suppose also that such a horn with such a history would need to be offered providing full disclosure of the restoration and let the buyer decide

 

[Horned Toad]

Sure, if no part ( such as the toneholes, if they were gone and were replaced by brazing we are in a completely different situation! ) became corroded too thin that they had to be reconstructed... resurrecting from immersion in sea water is a bit more uncertain than, dirty, but sweet water as in a flood.

I suppose also that such a horn with such a history would need to be offered providing full disclosure of the restoration and let the buyer decide

Based on the pictures it does not look that bad, a little furry, but m guess is that will disappear with MEK and leave behind a pretty good surface. The fact that we still see lacquer and engraving is very promising that there is only a mildly pitted surface at worst underneath any of that.

 

[1saxman]

First thing I would do is treat the whole horn with a good penetrant such as Kano 'Sili-Kroil' or 'Kroil' for a few weeks before trying to turn anything. The brass will be cleaned with any household 'Calcium, Lime, Rust' product like CLR or Lime-Away. These products will etch natural shell 'pearls' so you need to rinse them fast. Your main problems will be if any rods or screws have been severely affected by rust and also the springs. I can see the springs are still there so maybe some of them can be saved. The springs already would have been treated with the Kroil, which would have made its way through the post spring holes so they should be removable as long as a stub is left outside the post. Other than that, just an overhaul.

 

[jswers]

There must be more to the story as to how this horn ended up under water and how it was discovered. Did the current owner find it under water or was it his personal horn and for some reason he (hopefully by accident) immersed it in water for a long time?

 

[Grumps]

That horn reminds me of my first rental in elementary school...

 

[Rackety Sax]

have you seen the Cuban Selmer restoration videos?

What is with these horns thrown out in the sea?

People putting the old joke into actual practice:

Q: What do you call 100 saxophones chained together at the bottom of the ocean??

A: A good start.

 

[JayeLID]

Well, folks who say 'it's not THAT bad' or 'hey it'll be great when finished !"...I don't mean to be a curmudgeon...but....do you really have an idea of the amount of work required here ? (this is NOT directed at OP, btw...as we can safely assume OP to be a tech).

My biggest fear here...yeah, you can cut off the rods....but can you get the ends of the rods (and the point screws) out of the posts ?

AND...worse...can you get the (cut) rods out of the key barrels ? And in doing so, can you NOT damage the ends of the barrels and end up having to swedge the heck out of what's left to refit the keys, should you be fortunate enough to actually succeed at extruding the pivot rod pieces....

This one is an Alum candidate, just from the looks of it.

A bear or a project....but who knows ? sometimes you get lucky and old stuck things act agreeable.

I for one would be really interested if you (OP) can post your progress on this one.

Godspeed !

 

[milandro]

I am sure that this would be a very long and painful project

 

[Dr G]

I'm interested in that story alone.
Looks like a week in alum and keg of good luck. Very cool project. Looking forward to seeing the process.

I am interested to hear the story as well - first guess is that it is a Katrina horn. Salt water or fresh water immersion? Which is worse?

Given the close tolerances between rods and barrels, and steel expanding when going to the oxide state, those rods are JAMMED - perhaps even deforming the barrels of the mechanism. Time in an ultrasonic tank may help, but that horn is a serious mess. As JayeLID has commented, I would guess that the work is going to exceed value of the horn.

I look forward to watching and learning.