Here are a couple of quick tips that may come in handy someday if you are not near a repair person.
Spring breaks
Saxophone springs are made of stainless steel or blued steel and does have a limited lifetime of service. Especially if blued steel needle point springs start corroding, they will at some point fail and break off.
The “quick and dirty” repair is to use a rubber band to perform the action the spring used to do (open or close the key). Find a convenient way to wrap the rubber band around, under or over the key with a similar pressure/tension that the spring used to have.
One caution: On plated finishes (gold, silver) the rubber band will leave a dark line (discoloration) on the plating where it is contacting if left on for a while – putting a strip of paper of cloth at this contact area will help alleviate this issue . Be sure to get a proper repair done as soon as you can.
Pad falls off
A pad can fall out of the key cup for a few reasons.
1: If it is poorly installed – either using too little shellac or glue.
2: If the shellac is very old (and I mean very old, like 30 years+) it will dry up over time and can come unattached and lastly.
3: If during the pad installation the key cup was NOT heated up. If the pad is installed “cold”, meaning the shellac or glue was melted onto the pad and then the pad pressed into a cold key cup, then the bond between key cup and pad will not be strong.
What to do if a pad comes undone and you are not near a repair person? A couple of simple fixes will work.
Glue – either a drop or two of instant glue or a thin smear of contact cement. Either will work – just be careful with the instant glue – it is really easy to get on fingers and places it should not get to! Very little is needed.
It is important that you look closely at the imprint of the pad before you install it – if the circle/imprint is not centered then look at the key cup and see if you can gauge how the pad was positioned. This will minimize the risk of a new imprint overlapping the original imprint and also give you the best chance of getting the pad to seal.
Cork or felt comes off
Corks and felts falling off is not uncommon. The glue may lose its grip after some years or it could be by accidentally pushing it off.
It is best to use contact cement if possible. Apply on both surfaces and let dry for 10 minutes before you press the cork or felt piece back into position.
On cork, it is also okay to use instant glue. Use only ONE SINGLE drop. Please be careful not to get it on your fingers or on any lacquered or plated parts of the horn. Instant glue won’t work on felts as it is too porous.
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