[hornfixer]

Today I am going to start a complete rebuild on a Martin Indiana tenor saxophone.

I was wondering if there was any interest in following along.

I could post photos of my progress and maybe some youtube videos.

Let me know.

 

[jetmech]

Definitely interested. I would love to see some of this in detail. how much shellac to use when setting pads, how to float pads. levelling cups and toneholes. Dent removal. How to remove a stuck rod. (i have one on a noblet that is apparently stuck to the f# key).

I would love to see how you tackle an overhaul.

 

[GT]

I'll second that!

 

[hornfixer]

I would love to see how you tackle an overhaul.

Love the red sax, do you have a larger photo of it?
I was trying to decide what kind of finish to put on my Martin.
View attachment 33392

 

[jetmech]

I will lokk and see if I have some better pics of it. It looks far better than it plays. It's an old bundy that had the gold sparkle laquer and it sounds horrible. now some of that is probably due to the way it is set up, but I'm not sure it will ever be a good sounding horn. I'll post some more pics if I can find them or I will take some more..

 

[hornfixer]

I may just keep it original.
I am thinking of puting some gold dye in the lacquer and replating the keys.

 

[jetmech]

Thats probably a safe bet. I had nothing to lose on the red one. I think I had all of 50.00 in itand it was hideous to begin with. It could only go up from there.

 

[jetmech]

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=20577&d=1275364526
Better pic of the red sax.

 

[Jorns Bergenson]

Hey Paul,
I'm in the middle of overhauling 4 Martin tenors with models spanning 30 years. I'm kind of doing them in parallel because it can be a little more efficient in some ways and it also gives me the opportunity to compare them in detail.

I look forward to your updates.

 

[hornfixer]

Please join me with some updates and photos of your progress.

The first thing I am going to do is make a screw board, any ideas how to best organize the screws?
I will also be taking out the springs so I will need to keep them in order somehow.

 

[jjq587]

Yea let's see some pictures!!! As I am learning about repair myself, I would like to see your process!!!

 

[brasscane]

The first thing I am going to do is make a screw board, any ideas how to best organize the screws?
I will also be taking out the springs so I will need to keep them in order somehow.

I am not a tech, or done anything sophisticated in the way of repairs. I leave that to pros. However, I have taken a few horns apart and reassembled after cleaning. Since I knew I would not be able to look at a piece and be certain to know where it should go (back), I took great care while disassembling. I laid out the mechanism next to where it would fit on the horn and took a load of images. For the springs (only done this for Nortons), I systematically started from the top and work my way down. I put the springs on transparent tape oriented horizontally, with individual spring facing up or down as they would on the horn. When I have removed all the springs, I put transparent tape on top as well. One can now see all the springs in order facing either up or down as they must on the horn and they can be pulled out one by one. I know it must seem goofy, but it works for an amateur.

 

[hornfixer]

Not goofy at all.
I do the same sorta.
I put them in line on a wood with small holes drilled in a line.
I start from the top of the horn, if they point up I put them in the wood pointing up.

 

[Bill Mecca]

videos would be cool. I have an old Martin Indiana tenor, picked it up for $25 years ago at a flea market. Broken key, bell brace etc. sent it away, didn't see it for nearly 5 years. It's now purple with gold keys, but in pieces. black roo pads (wrong size, too thick) and all the rollers etc are in a baggie. Would have cost me nearly 700 to get it put together, so it sits. woudl love to see a video that might give me the courage to do the work myself, someday.

 

[vintage bundy]

Definitely interested, especially on the padding aspect, such as how much shellac to use, how you float them in, how you insure there are no leaks, and how you reseat pads. Recorking and taking out dents I can wrap my head around, but padding requires a finesse that is hard to learn without either attempting it until you get it right, or watching it being done properly.

 

[hornfixer]

View attachment 34146
Here is what my screw board looks like.
I number the keys with pads from 1 to 22 starting from the top.

 

[hornfixer]

Today I took it apart.

 

[mayho]

good luck! Mayho

 

[Jazzmanic]

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=20577&d=1275364526
Better pic of the red sax.

WOW, that thing looks AWESOME!!!! Too bad it doesn't play good. But hell, for $50. Did you say you did that to the finish?

 

[Jazzmanic]

and thanks for posting pics of the repad. I'm sure I'll learn something!