Custom Case....

[IanJ]

I've thought about this a lot recently. I plan to very soon have my saxophone restored however the vintage case I simply don't trust. The suggestion I got from this forum about it is to just get some velvet and redo it myself. While I would like to do that one day I started to think why not just build a whole new one or have one built for me. So I have a few questions about building my own case.

1. I know that there are two main causes of case related damage. The first being movement within the case which can lead to bent rods, unaligned keys, and a few other things. The second is transfer of energy through the case and through the sax. So Padding and a good fit are important. Any suggestions on the best way to pad the case? Molds and that sort of thing...

2. Air/water seal. With my Sax being silver, it's prone to tarnish. While it's impossible to keep it from ever tarnishing I can at least reduce it. One way of doing this is to limit the amount of sulfur in the air from coming in contact with it. I plan to purchase a haverty's silver bag in order to help limit this. However, humidity in the air (or lack there of ) can also lead to a decreased pad life. I have a pretty good idea of how to establish a seal but is it really a good idea. It would limit air flow but it would also trap residual moisture caused by playing, in the case. There's always desiccant, but would that cause it then to become too dry inside the case? Should I just ignore the seal altogether?

3. Chemicals... I know that some chemicals can cause adverse reactions to various materials, are there any I should aviod (Glues, shelacs, stains and that type of thing)?

4. Case lining... What materials make the best case lining? I was thinking of velvet but what other option are out there that will not cause any unintended affects to my Sax?

5. Case parts... Where can I get case parts? (latches, hinges, locks and that sort of thing)

I think that's about all for now...

[Ari]

I can give you just two pieces of info in your quest:
1) I had great luck with a standard "abs" hard case (various ebay dealers sell these - they are huge and clunky looking with a metal lip) for a keilwerth with a big bell - it gave a comfortable tight fit inside but I did have to cut into the polyurathane foam padding a bit where the bell sat b/c it was a big bell type sax - this was done by just cutting the velvet, scooping out a bit of foam and glueing the velvet back with hot melt glue (often used in repads- shouldn't react with sax finish).

2) those sulfur supression bags and 3m strips are just activated charcoal - its cheaper to buy it in bulk from a pet store (aquarium supply). I have used a silica gel dessicant in two of my tenor cases for the last year now - works great. It just works passively so its not like you're pulling all the humidity out of the air.

[IanJ]

I have an ABS case for my alto and it works fine but I was looking for something a little more unique. I was contemplating making the case out of wood and staining it( I saw a blue stain that might look nice on a light colored wood, or maybe a deep subtle red). One of the problems with my Sax is that it is a C-mel so there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of case options out there (I like options), which is also the reason for a custom interior. I suppose I could just purchase a c-mel case and cannibalizing it's interior and customizing it to fit my needs... I do like options though so feel free to keep suggesting things.

Charcoal? How do you manage to use it in you case? Do you put it in small cloth bags and disperse them throughout the case? Also how were you able to manage to smooth out the hot glue? It's been my experience that it tends to leave slight bumps on the surface of what ever it's under.

[bruce bailey]

All I can add is that for a silver horn, stay away from Asian cases. The glue and fabric used cause fast browning of the silver. I get piccolos from China and the keys are brown in 6 weeks.

[Ari]

One small pourus satchel (like the kind used for potpuri - you can get at craft stores) of charcoal will do the trick - You do have to change it but that varies with number of case openings and your particular atmospheric sulphur content.

Yes the hot glue can be bumpy - you have to flatten it FAST - that often means risking burning your fingers (depends on how thick your skin is)