Agggghhhh!!!! Sticky Pads!!!!!

[Morry]

The keycup above the F key on my brand new SX90R alto has been sticking since I unwrapped it Saturday. I've tried all of the usual remedies...dollar bill...powder on paper...etc. Nothing seems to work. I've never seen the pads stick on a brand new horn that had never been played. Man, this is frustrating!!!!!!

[Randall]

Morry,
Seems like the only thing to do is take it into your tech and tell him to replace it with a nice Chanu pad with similar resonator.
I had the same problem with my NEW SX90II soprano and replacing the pad was the ONLY way to end the problem.
Believe me when I tell you that Keilwerth is aware of these pad problems.
It is frustrating! :x

[Morry]

I mean this pad stuck before I even played it. What's making it stick??? Metal and leather shouldn't stick without some adhesive agent being introduced.

[Bootman]

You mean the low C# refuses to open even afte ryou have just unstuck it problem.....very frustrating but it does make for some interesting lines. :shock:

[Ritchie]

It is the pad treatment which is intended to protect them and make them live longer. Not the best choice, I'd say. I had the same problem with my SX90R tenor when it was brand new. I used talkum powder (which helped a little), put a piece of paper between pad and tone hole before putting the sax in the case (which helps better, cures the problem for some days), and have started to use a pad saver again (the shove in thing), which seems to have solved the problem completely now.

[Morry]

Yeah, it makes you take a detour into some be-bop chromatic moves when you realize that pad didn't open.

[singlereed]

Thge only comfort I can give is that after about 8 or 9 months, my JK alto finally stopped sticking. I try to avoid actually putting anything on the pads - as stick + powder = sticky powder - and try to manage by cleaning them with low value currency (say a US $1 bill :D ) or a crud patch. I also use lighter fuel on the crud patch occasionally. As I say, I am no longer having any trouble with sticking, but I have to agree the pads they use do give rise to all sorts of problems.

[Randall]

It was the low C# on my sop too! This seems to be the worst offender on the JK's.
My tech cleaned the pad. dusted it, etc...and it would not stick when he just pressed the key, but as soon as you blew through it, it would stick- obviously from the moisture in my breath.
He had never seen pads that would do this before; so then he made the spring tension a little stronger, but to no avail. Then he changed the spring, but to no avail. In the end, he had to change the pad.
Problem solved.

[kanne]

The problem results from the plain laquer on the rolled tone holes and the bigger supporting surface. It is like adhesion. Try to disperse to two wet panes and you know what I mean. I solved the problem by sandpaping the tone holes. You have to use very, very, very fine sandpaper to abrade the laquer a little bit very carefully.
It works on my SX90R. No more sticky pads. :D

[Riff]

On my SX90R tenor the bis key and low C# were the big offenders.
On the advice of my tech he said to spray some WD-40 on a clean piece of paper and then draw it between the pad and tone holes, like the dollar bill trick. It worked on the bis key which never stuck again but low C# was more stubborn. Finally after much frustration I took the key off the horn, cleaned the tone hole ring and the pad with rubbing alcohol, let them dry thouroughly overnight and then reassembled. I also increased the spring tension. Low C# now works perfectly.

[Morry]

An old local player and retailer that I trust may have fixed it for me. He used a little lighter fluid on a Q-tip and cleaned the tonehole ring. It's not sticking right now. We'll see how it holds up.

[Steve T Sax]

I used some CharlieA's on my SX90R tenor a week ago. No more sticky!

[michaelH]

Morry,
Seems like the only thing to do is take it into your tech and tell him to replace it with a nice Chanu pad with similar resonator.
I had the same problem with my NEW SX90II soprano and replacing the pad was the ONLY way to end the problem.
Believe me when I tell you that Keilwerth is aware of these pad problems.
It is frustrating! :x

This problem is now beginning to drive me nuts on my Sop SX90II. The
offending keys are the C# and G#. (Powder works but only for a about one session.)

Are the "Chanu" pads mentioned by Randall above universally know
as a solution for this? (I.e, will the tech guy in my local shop--Cambridge, UK--know about these?) Are there other pad types which would be suitable? Thanks,

- Michael

[Riff]

This quote is from another forum member (Claus) who visited the Keilwerth factory. (See his report under Keilwerth factory tour - nice pictures!)


We talked about pads and about the problem of stickyness and we got the same answers from Mr. Engel as we did later from Stephan Boesken: it seems that the leather is treated differently from what they used to do with it in the past. The reason is environmental regulations that prohibit the use of certain chemicals which can cause cancer. The leather pads now available are not so well suited for making saxophone pads. This is a problem not only Keilwerth has, but most of the major companies. The problem is enhanced of course on the SX R models, because with the tone hole rings the pads have a better chance to stick

Finding a good replacement pad would seem to be the answer.
The low C# pad I spoke about in my previous post is starting to stick again. :(

[Bigfoot]

I just tried a variation of Morry's suggestion: I put alcohol on a Q-tip and cleaned the tone-hole ring on the bis key of my SX90R. No sticking for the past three weeks!

[Joe Jazz]

I also went the alcohol route(pads & toneholes)using a pipe cleaner. It really helped a lot.....

[Craig Buhler]

You have my sympathy. Here is my ongoing sticky pad saga: http://craigbuhler.com/2007/06/20/what-do-you-do-when-saxophone-pads-stick/#more-184
craig@craigbuhler.com

[FunkyHorn626]

Try a little Campho Phenique on that pad.... Have done this for yrs with all saxes that I have owned with sticky pads... Tried everything else too.. This one seems to work the best... I still use it to this day when I am plagued with sticky pads...

GOOD LUCK

[Morry]

Any topical treatments provided only temporary relief. I finally had Roo pads put on my tenor. Viola! No more sticking.

[LampLight]

If you're having pad problems, it's worth checking out Gordon (NZ)'s posts in
http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?t=41304&highlight=stick. After following Gordon's advice, my pad problems are much less frequent and severe.

[Morry]

The bottom line is that whatever waterproofing material JK uses creates a pad that is defective, and is unfit for sale. You can use whatever mojo you want to try and alleviate the problem, but the only solution that is unlikely to screw with you during a performance is getting those pads out.

[milandro]

You have my sympathy. Here is my ongoing sticky pad saga: http://craigbuhler.com/2007/06/20/what-do-you-do-when-saxophone-pads-stick/#more-184
craig@craigbuhler.com


I've read your article and found that you and I have been reaching much the same conclusion. Silicon lube, I spray the staff in a cup and apply with a q-tip, perhaps your spraying on a piece of paper works better, will try that. I get several weeks of non-stick action but, in time, the problem returns.

I agree it must be something due to the treatment of the leather of modern pads. My horn was repadded last year and almost immediately started sticking, the technician kept suggesting that the sticking was due to the bevelled toneholes Martin have, which, according to him, have more grip on the pads, and the fact that I didn't play the horn often enough (I have been playing tenor a lot more than alto this last year).

His conclusion is that it is either my fault (you don't play enough) or the horn's fault (these Martins always do that...).....of course he doesn't think that this is due to him re-hauling my horn with pads unfit for the job....:evil: