In a message dated 5/21/2005 2:17:36 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
I understood also, that
if this excess solder is removed by aggressive chemicals,
these must be neutralized extremely well.
Holton used a deleading solution to remove the excess solder. After soaking
in the solution, the horn was then bright dipped and then dipped in a
solution
of baking soda to neutralize the bright did. The horns were also put in a
tank of solution and reverse current was used to remove all the chemicals
and
deposits inside the horn. Most of these processes were withheld from Yamaha
when they toured Holton.
Wes Hatch
Again we are dealing with pseudo technology vs. real technology. As nice as
super custom horns can be, the real difference is usually in the care taken in
assembly. Anyone who has learned how to disassemble an instrument, perfectly
fit the parts, and assemble it with a clear bore and no strains realizes the
designs of top level factory brands is pretty much as good as most custom
instruments, but very few players have ever played a 'blueprinted' factory
horn.
For years I have touted Reynolds Contempora horns as the best bargain in the
horn world. I used to think only Cleveland production was truly pro level, but
as my restoration skills have grown and I've started using a reamer to clean
and open the bores, The Abilene horns are every bit as good as the Cleveland
horns, only the assembly was done with really unskilled labor.
I have been quite critical of the industry not adopting more high tech
manufacturing methods, particularly CNC machining to +/- 0.0003 tolerances,
hydro
forming to similar tolerances with wall thickness control, and atmosphere
furnace brazing. This, and similar posts about Schmid horns are changing my
opinion
a bit. My experience with technical manufacturing processes goes back many
years, and when I hear this story about red rot from a custom manufacturer who
charges super premium price for the supposed superior technology applied to
the instruments, I realize smaller, newer manufacturers don't really have a
grasp of what technology really is. As a process consultant, I go into many
situations with smaller companies where their proprietory procedures were all
stolen over the years from the big companies, and nobody has a clue to
understanding the underlying technology.
The point about Holton being careful not to show Yamaha critical processing
steps is classic. I once taught a larceous employee of a competitor how to
rework plated lamp bases that had been buffed through without removing the
brazed
on part. He took this back to the competitor and they implemented the
process. These were water cooled arc lamps, and any ions in the water bath
would
bleed of the starting voltage. I knew it was impossible to clean out all the
plating solution, so a few lamps in the water would keep any lamp from
starting.
My salesmen were told only that the competitors lamps always screwed up the
system, and to insist that the deionized water be replaced before running our
lamps. This is so close to the red rot story, I had to laugh. For what it's
worth, the solution you refer to is probably either potassium hydroxide or
sodium hydroxide being used as an opposite procedure to plating. Bright dip is
an acid solution. The hydroxide is very base, but actually strips the surface
down to new metal. This step is often referred to as passivating, or
pickling. The first thing one must learn about industrial cleaning is that it
involves a series of chemical operations mostly to clean up the mess from the
previous step. A very common agent for the last step is 23A ethanol. 200
proof
drinkable alcohol. 23A and orange juice is a phillips screwdriver because it
has
twice the strength. Kickapoo juice is Koolaid made with 23A. My dad made a
batch for a neighborhood block party, when I was a kid, and had all the parents
sleeping on our lawn while we kids went nuts.
If you want to learn more about tube materials and processes, the American
Institute of Physics currently publishes two classic books that are chock-full
of advanced information: HANDBOOK OF MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES FOR VACUUM
DEVICES, by Walter Kohl (ISBN 1-56396-387-6); and HANDBOOK OF ELECTRON TUBE AND
VACUUM TECHNIQUES, by Fred Rosebury (ISBN 1-56396-121-0).
The Rosebury should be in the shop of every technician who works on
brasswinds. The book is a priceless, practical 'cookbook' with easy to follow
recipes.
It lists sources for supplies by brand name. Since Rosebury was working out
of MIT, their library has all the references in the bibliography readily
available.
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