The Journey of a Used Saxophone to the Store Shelves

— Metalwork and Cleaning —

In Part 1, we showed you the disassembly of our subject, the Selmer A.SAX SERIE II, while providing various explanations along the way.
If you’d like to see more details, please check out “Part 1: Disassembly.”

This time, we’ll introduce the preparations before reassembly!
Think of it as the “prep work” in cooking. It’s a series of very mundane tasks, but this is the key!
These are crucial steps that greatly influence the precision of the final result.

Breaking it down into steps:

  1. Sheet metal work (fixing dents and warping)
  2. Adjusting the tone holes
  3. Removing consumables
  4. Rust removal and cleaning
  5. Polishing


That’s it. Now, let’s go through them one by one!

1. Sheet Metal Repair (Fixing Dents and Warping)

Before assembly, we prepare the base. First, we repair any dents and warping.

When you’re practicing the saxophone every day,
“Should I take a little break?” “Thud!!”
I’m sure everyone has had an experience like this at least once.

Bumping it against the corner of a chair or desk, knocking it over from its stand… or even wondering, “Huh? When did this dent get here?” and so on…
It’s a real shock, isn’t it? Well, the saxophone is made of “brass,” which is actually a surprisingly soft metal.

But that’s exactly why dents can be fixed!

Before

After

For the dented area, we use a mandrel secured in a vise to push it out from the inside. Conversely, for areas where the metal has bulged due to the impact, we use a hammer to smooth them out. Pushing out the dent with pinpoint accuracy—without causing the undented areas to bulge—requires a high level of skill.

💡Key Point for Kubokan

The key to minimizing damage to the instrument is to make the repair with as few steps as possible.
We restored the shape of not only the dents clearly visible to the naked eye but also all the hard-to-spot (shallow) dents.

2. Tone Holes (Adjusting Tone Hole Precision)

This refers to the tone holes (the round openings).
These tone holes are created using a manufacturing method called “pulling up from the tube body.” Although they are smoothed out as much as possible during factory production, their precision isn’t perfect.

In other words, if you’re aiming for “perfect pad adjustment,” you need “perfect (flat)” tone holes!
That’s why at Kubokan, when we perform an overhaul, we go the extra mile to ensure the precision of the tone holes.
(To be honest, it’s actually quite a labor-intensive process 😭)

Specifically, we use a wide, flat file or a flat acrylic plate, check for gaps using light—just as we do when adjusting the pads—
→ and then file to correct any imperfections. (Of course, filing too much is a no-no! We adjust it to the absolute minimum width—about the thickness of a single strand of hair!)

💡 What is pad adjustment?

It’s the process of adjusting how the pads sit (seal) against the tone holes.
The higher the precision here, the less sound is lost—it’s a crucial factor in determining a high-quality instrument and a good adjustment.
(Strictly speaking, it’s also influenced by subsequent balance adjustments.)

Before

After

3. Consumables (Removing cork, pads, etc.)

Between the brass keys, there are cork, felt, and tubing attached, primarily for balance adjustment.
These consumable parts are constantly under spring tension, so over time they compress or absorb oil and moisture, causing them to harden.

Since these are attached with adhesive, use a scraper to scrape them all off.

STEP 1｜Remove the Cork, Felt, and Tubing

This is probably something only repair technicians will appreciate, but...
If you check the current thickness of the cork and the key’s opening at this point, it’ll make installing the new cork much smoother. 💡

STEP 2｜Remove the Pads
Since the pads are attached with shellac—an adhesive that melts when heated—apply heat from the cup side with a torch to remove them.

STEP 3｜Preparing to Remove Rust
Since rust-removing chemicals only work on the surface, you’ll need to do some prep work if there’s thick verdigris or rust showing through the lacquer (this is another nameless task that takes time...)

To avoid scratching the key, use a scraper (one that’s well-worn and has a nicely rounded edge) to gently scrape away only the surface layer.

4. Rust Removal and Cleaning (Removing Years of Grime)

🛁 Alright, it’s bath time!

At this point, it’s finally completely stripped down!

Remove all the old oil (pitch-black), dust, (occasional cat hair), verdigris, and red rust that have built up from years of use!
*Cleaning the tube body after filing the tone holes also removes all the filing dust!

Here’s what the neck looks like after the red rust was removed

I soaked it in a magical rust-removing solution... (Palm D keys)

I soaked all 30 or so keys in the solution and gently washed them with a sponge and detergent—and look, they’re spotless!
The keys, which were bright red in places, have returned to their natural metal color—ranging from yellow to pale pink👏

After washing, there’s still water and old oil residue inside the key tubes, so it’s time to clean them out!

5. Polishing (Restoring the brass’s natural luster)

Finally, the last step!

If there was heavy red rust, the keys themselves will have discolored, so I’ll use a paste-type metal polish.
This restores the original brass color and brings out a beautiful luster. It not only prevents oxidation but also blends well with any remaining lacquer—killing two birds with one stone!

Before: Top – Condition after rust removal and cleaning (Palm F key)

After: Bottom – Condition after further polishing (Palm F key)

*For cases where the original rust is mild or where you want to retain a matte finish, we may choose not to polish it.

And this polishing process is actually quite labor-intensive.
Even so, going to this extent is part of Kubokan’s policy.

We want to dispel the notion that “used” equals “not clean”—the idea that “it’s just a used item, so this is to be expected” or “it’s okay if it’s a little dirty.”

We carefully polish every single part, even the backs of the keys where they’re out of sight.

Well, our time is up, so that’s all for now!

NEXT｜Preview

Finally, it’s time for assembly!

It’s taken us half a day to get this far. I would have liked to get as far as installing the new consumables, but we ran out of time…
Next time, we should finally get to the long-awaited “assembly”!
Stay tuned!

Written by: Takechi (Saxophone Repair Specialist at Okubo Gakki)
Baritone saxophonist. My favorite instrument is the Selmer Paris SERIE 2.

Biography:
Born in Kanagawa Prefecture. Graduate of the Global Wind Instrument Technical Academy. Currently a member of a corporate wind ensemble.

Qualifications and Experience:
He is solely responsible for saxophone repairs at Okubo Gakki and has completed over 500 overhauls to date.

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