The following list is something I pulled together out of my own curiosity, before I realized I'm just way too busy to start one more project. All you really need is a smooth surface, and some varying grades of sandpaper to get started.
| Basic Tools & Supplies |
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| Notebook to record & track measurement & MPC work; research diary |
| File system to store articles, MPC records, etc. |
| Calipers: dial or digital (may be easier for reading with bi- or tri-focals) |
| Tip opening measurements |
Dial/Depth indicator w/ half type bar vs. full bar (Winslow gauge) OR |
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tip opening, wand, taper, or curved tip gauge; stainless steel or glass in various scales & sizes OR |
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Babbitt tip gauge set; 2 red handled tip gauges $30 as of 30 Jul 02 |
| Feeler Gauges, Stainless |
.0015, .010, .014, .020, .024, .031, .048, .063, .077, .094, .125 inches - incl .034 and .050 fr E. Brand ? |
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get several of the thin ones: .0015, .002, etc. as they bend easily |
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.0015" = .04 mm; .010" = .25 mm; .014" = .35 mm; .024" = .60 mm - see chart at bottom |
| Glass Gauges |
both wide and narrow (going out of production); setback zero; metric |
| Surface Plate |
thick, beveled glass 9" x 6" x 3/8" |
| Files |
small, half round file for baffles, about ¼” wide, flat on one side, and rounded on the other |
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set of coarse needle files, including some which are small and narrow |
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Riffler or curved, fine files |
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handles for files ??? |
| File Card |
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| Abrasive papers |
fine, wet and dry (black) sandpaper or silicon carbide paper: 400, 600, 800, 1000 grit |
| Steel Wool "0000" for cosmetic chamber and exterior work |
| Knives |
pocket or hobby knives, with small, sometimes curved blades for scraping, etc. |
| Magic marker |
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| Pencil |
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| Scriber |
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| Polish |
Kit Scratch-Out (shine up an older MPC) for plexiglass/plastics, from an auto store |
| Homemade tools |
chamois, leather, cork, popsicle sticks or old reeds, plastic sticks from hobby stores, sandpaper, glue |
| 6" steel ruler(s) |
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| Loupes |
several (don't always see close work as well as desired) |
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| Miscellaneous |
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| Toolbox |
briefcase, tackle box, toolbox, or something similar to hold everything, if necessary or desirable |
| Hand Tools |
miscellaneous ones needed, as preferred by each individual MPC worker |
| MPC Patches |
clear or black, thick or thin, etc. |
| Vacuum |
shop or hand vs. household |
| Rags |
old towels or similar rags to keep MPCs and working surfaces clean; shake them out frequently |
| Aprons ??? |
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| Work Space |
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| Workbench |
Desk height, similar to Brand's & Morgan's, dedicated to MPC work |
| Magnifier light w/swing arm |
reading the gauges requires decent lighting |
| Chair or stool or both for workbench |
| Shelves and devices to store tools and other stuff |
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| Manuals, Catalogs, Documents and Theories - this list is an inventory, not a statement of quality materials |
| The Band Instrument Repair Manual by Erick D. Brand, 1946 or 8th and last edition - MPC refacing |
| The Saxophone Is My Voice by Ernest Ferron |
| The Art of Saxophone Playing by Larry Teal |
| The Rough Guide to Saxophone by Hugo Pinksterboer |
| Artistic Clarinet Technique and Study by Gabriel Tose |
| The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing by Rober Willaman |
| Clarinet by Jack Brymer |
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| The Clarinet: Some Notes on Its History and Construction by F. Geoffrey Rendall |
| Clarinet Acoustics by O. Lee Gibson |
| The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing by David Pino |
| Saxophone by Paul Harvey |
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| articles from periodicals, too numerous to list and most not yet in my possession |
| Ferree catalog; tools & supplies |
| Enco catalog; tools & supplies |
| Micro-Mark catalog; tools & supplies |
| J.L. Smith catalog; tools & supplies |
| Woodwind and Brasswind catalog; what's available in MPCs |
| International Musical Suppliers catalog; what's available in MPCs |
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| Advanced Tools or Unessential Accessories (this depends on individual preferences) |
| Briefcase, tackle box, toolbox, or something similar to hold everything, if necessary or desirable for storage or portability |
| PC or MAC to plot facing curves, etc. |
| Additional glass gauges: narrow or wide, setback zero or flush, metric or inches |
| Winslow or similar depth gauge/dial indicator if starting out with a curved tip gauge; the Winslow kit is backordered at WW&BW |
| Tip opening, wand, taper, or curved tip gauge; stainless steel or glass in various scales & sizes if starting w/Winslow gauge |
| Babbitt tip gauge set; 2 red handled tip gauges $30 as of 30 Jul 02 |
| Set of 5 tungsten carbide files for metal MPC work |
| MPC blanks vs. used ones |
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| Ligatures & caps |
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| Kiwi or similar MPC cases |
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| Abrasive papers |
fine, wet and dry (black) sandpaper or silicon carbide paper: 220, 320, 1500 grit |
| Crocus Cloth |
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| Taper gauge in thousandths of an inch |
| Black onyx or pink granite block for facing surface plate, ground perfectly flat |
| Inside telescopic gauge |
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| Contour gauges |
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| 3 Scrapers of various contours and sizes |
| Reamers |
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| Contour templates |
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| Expandable ligature |
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| flashlight magnifier |
(don't always see close work as well as desired) |
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| Epoxy Work (baffles, tip repairs) - ease into as needed |
| Epoxies; some are putties, some are glues |
| Malleable wax substance |
to make impressions of chambers |
| Plaster of Paris |
to make negative casts of wax impressions |
| Resin |
for casting baffles |
| Epoxies |
Hobbypoxy by Pettit Paint 5 min type hardens in 15 min (+several other types/times) |
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epoxy pigments, tinted |
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Atlas Plumber's Epoxy |
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Ferree's Jet Black |
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J.B. Weld |
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Milliput is moldable and comes in various colors |
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PC-11 Marine Epoxy |
| Glues |
E6000 craft glue (Alene's 7800 in craft stores and Goop Automotive Sealant & Adhesive) |
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gel type CA glue (mostly for producing hand-made tools for baffle & chamber work) |
| Putties |
Devcon 5-min. |
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gray epoxybond plumber's putty |
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Oatey Epoxy Putty |
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poster hanging putty (Sticky-Tack [sp?] and DAP Fun Tak) |
| Plastiline |
Super Sculpey (oil-based clay) |
| Putty Knives |
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| Rubber Casting Materials |
to make baffle molds |
| Homemade Tools |
chamois, leather, cork, popsicle sticks or old reeds, plastic sticks from hobby stores, sandpaper, glue |
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| Major Chamber Work (flex shaft tool) |
| Rotary Tool |
flex shaft rig for chamber work; Dremel or something similar |
| Bench Stand |
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| Flexible Shaft |
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| Rotary Burr |
file-like |
| Foot Control |
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| Grinding Wheel |
3/4" diameter x 1/8" thick |
| Bore or Chamber Reamers |
are these something adapted from general tool and die work??? |
| Goggles |
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| Homemade Tools |
chamois, leather, cork, popsicle sticks or old reeds, plastic sticks from hobby stores, sandpaper, glue |
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| Kits |
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| Ralph Morgan @$145 at WW&BW as of 30 Jul 02 |
| John Winslow @$195 at WW&BW as of 30 Jul 02 |
| J.J. Babbitt @$225 direct as of 30 Jul 02 |
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| Feeler Gauges |
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| J. Winslow prefs: .0015, .010, .014, .024, .031, .048, .063, .077, .094 (also .020) |
| K. Bradbury prefs: .0015, .005, .0095, .0165, .0245, .033, .0485, .065, .079, .0955, .125 |
| E.A. Brand & C. Forbes prefs: .0015, .010, .024, .034, .050 |
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| Converson #s |
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| Inches x 25.4 = Millimeters |
Millimeters x .03937 = Inches |
| .0015" = .0381 mm |
.0380 mm = .0015" |
| .0050" = .1270 mm |
.1270 mm = .0050" |
| .0095" = .2413 mm |
.2415 mm = .0095" |
| .010" = .2540 mm |
.2540 mm = .010" |
| .014" = .3556 mm |
.3555 mm = .014" |
| .0165" = .4191 mm |
.4190 mm = .0165" |
| .020" = .5080 mm |
.5080 mm = .020" |
| .024" = .6096 mm |
.6095 mm = .024" |
| .0245" = .6223 mm |
.6225 mm = .0245" |
| .031" = .7874 mm |
.7875 mm = .031" |
| .033" = .8382 mm |
.8380 mm = .033" |
| .034" = .8636 mm |
.8635 mm = .034" |
| .048" = 1.2192 mm |
1.2190 mm = .048" |
| .0485" = 1.2319 mm |
1.2320 mm = .0485" |
| .050" = 1.2700 mm |
1.2700 mm = .050" |
| .063" = 1.6002 mm |
1.6000 mm = .063" |
| .065" = 1.6510 mm |
1.6510 mm = .065" |
| .077" = 1.9558 mm |
1.9560 mm = .077" |
| .079" = 2.0066 mm |
2.0065 mm = .079" |
| .094" = 2.3876 mm |
2.3875 mm = .094" |
| .0955" = 2.4257 mm |
2.4255 mm = .0955" |
| .125" = 3.1750 mm |
3.1750 mm = .125" |
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Saxophone Mouthpiece Makers | MPC Refacing Tool List