Lathe work: Brass Valve Caps

 

Trumpet Mouth-pipe Reattached

The top tube of this main tuning slide was really stuck.
Somebody, in there attempt to free the tuning slide,
managed to rip the entire mouth-pipe off of the instrument.  

Fortunately, I was able to free the stuck slide rather easily.
After using fine sandpaper to clean the tuning slide tubes,
I greased them up and began my mouth-pipe reattachment
by using the tuning slide as a jig to properly
realign the mouth-pipe to the trumpet.  

Not too bad!  However the mouthpiece receiver is a little low.
I started bending and twisting the mouth-pipe and S-braces to proper realignment using my hands and Knipex plyers. 

                                          

Mounting the trumpet on my soldering jig, I continue to
 realign in preparation for the reattachment
of the the mouth-pipe to the trumpet body.

A new casing-to-mouthpipe cross brace has been transferred
from the parts bin to it’s proper place between the casing and the mouth-pipe
and the S-braces have been reshaped and put into place using solder clips.
 Let the soldering commence!

Here’s my soldering job on the new casing to mouth-pipe cross brace.

Here’s my soldering job on the new casing to mouth-pipe cross brace.

Mouth-pipe to bell S-brace.

Mouth-pipe to bell S-brace.

Mouth-pipe to bell S-brace at mouthpiece receiver.

Mouth-pipe to bell S-brace at mouthpiece receiver.

The right pinky ring is a little misaligned 

That is corrected using my Knipex pliers.  I’m taking a chance here.  
The solder joint which holds this hook in place
may break requiring me to go back to the solder bench to reattach it.
 Fortunaely, that did not happen.

Reattached!
I still feel that the mouthpiece receiver end of the mouth-pipe is a little low.
I took the trumpet back to the bench peg,
inserted a mouthpiece to help me carefully
bend the mouth-pipe back into realignment.

Now it’s time for reassembly.  There are several missing items:
Valve buttons; valve caps; top felts; upstroke felts; two valve springs.

With a short trip to the shop’s parts bins, I have what I need
to complete the reassembly of this trumpet.

Now it’s ready for a student somewhere in the U.S.A!

 

Black Forest Clock Project

Pine cone weights purchase at Etsy.com

 

A knuckle patch on a student trumpet

                                                After working out a dent in this trumpet casing 

                                              knuckle, I noticed a small crack in the brass.  I 

                                              proceeded to use my poker to press against the crack 

                                              and it poked straight through.  Time to make a patch!

                                               I chose to make the patch from a second valve slide 

                                               I had in my spare parts drawer.  The patch was cut 

                                              out with a band saw and then shaped with a belt sander.

                                              I scratched away all the lacquer on the knuckle and 

                                              also scratched cleaned the inner surface of the patch.

                                              Each surface was then wiped down with denatured 

                                              alcohol to ensure clean surfaces.  Solder will not adhere 

                                              to lacquer or dirty surfaces.  

                                              First I loosely place the patch onto the knuckle to 

                                              check the fit.  

                                              Here it is soldered in place.  The area has 

                                              been buffed to shine and cleaned.

                                              Ready to be played a little more!
 

Christmas Gifts 2021

This was for my Sister-in-Law, Cheryl.  I found this design either on Pinterest or Etsy.  No

print out design was available for purchase.  So, I printed the photo of the finished product on a regular sheet of paper and free handed the drawing enlarging it on a 1/4" sheet of plywood.  Once I was satisfied with the result, I scrolled sawed the design and then glued it to an 1/8" sheet of plywood creating a background surface.  I painted the background a semi-gloss black and the scrolled design was painted with a few coats of white primer.  Cheryl is very artistic.  Now she can personalize it by adding some color to it!  I can't wait to see how it turns out.!

My brother, Marcus, has always been a heavy metal music fan and therefore likes the imagery that goes along with the music.  Here is a Grim Reaper character I found on Etsy scrolled from a piece of purple heart wood at a thickness of 1/8".  To me, the grain of the wood behind the image looks like the flames of hell.  He's comin' for you!

My nephew, Devon, received two gifts.  He is currently a student at Cleveland State University and is a member of the hockey team.  I found this design on Etsy.  School colors are white and forest green.

Devon is an aspiring actor.  So, his second gift was a pocket copy of Shakespeare's Hamlet and a three dimensional wooden scull.  Now Devon can practice the famous scene Act 5 in the graveyard when Hamlet holds up a scull and begins..."Alas poor Yorick..."   I found this design on Etsy.  Its made up of about 50 different flat shapes each cut from 1/8" hard wood that when assembled in the proper order, create the 3 dimensional object you see.  This was my first attempt at something like this.  It was a lot of fun to make!

I made my Mom something she could display, yet something that was functional.  The last thing she needs is another nick-nack!  She keeps a box of tissues next to her recliner in the living room of her home and one day I thought, I've got it!  A decretive tissue box holder, perhaps decorated with horse imagery.  She likes horses.  Due to time constraints, I knew making the box in addition to making the scroll saw imagery of the sides and the top of the box was too much for me.  I did a little research and found out that Hobby Lobby sells unfinished wooden tissue box holders. I bought one and then went to Woodcrafters to by some some African Padauk wood.  The imagery I found on Etsy and in some of the pattern books I own.  I'm very happy with it and I think she is too.

My good friend, John, received the above 3D picture.  Obviously, John likes fishing.  I believe that I found and purchased this project on Etsy.  This was a lot of fun!  The  wood used and the colors were my choice.  I think I may do a few more like it in the future. 

During September and October of 2022, this is how my sister-in-law Cheryl
decided to complete and utilize her Christmas gift of 2021.
Outstanding!