At The Bench: Band Aid Repair Tools

With Daron Anderson
DoDDS Repair Technician

For the last decade or so I have had many great opportunities to share my training and experiences, here at the bench, with instrumental music teachers throughout Europe. Most recently I have been involved in developing a comprehensive repair course that band directors can take in their own classrooms. A set of CD's include step by step instructions, diagrams, still photos and video clips of band instrument repair procedures. My original idea was to create the perfect tool for anyone interested in performing minor repair and preventative maintenance on woodwind and brass instruments. I realize that your goal is to teach students how to play a horn, and my goal is to keep the horn working, but you are going to be forced into repair situations when I'm not around. So, here are a few tools you should consider acquiring:

TOOLS:
_ Alcohol lamp (micro torch)
_ Screwdrivers
_ Rawhide mallet
_ Bench hammer
_ Smooth jawed pliers
_ Soft jawed pliers
_ Round nose pliers
_ Slip joint pliers
_ Duckbill pliers
_ Cork scraping pliers
_ Wire cutters
_ Mouthpiece puller
_ Slide pulling pliers
_ Cutting block
_ Bench anvil
_ Lead block
_ Spring punching pliers
_ Spring hook
_ Pinvise with needle spring
_ Waterkey spring installing jig
_ Mouthpiece truing tool
_ Valve mirror
_ Ruler
_ Calipers
_ Pad slick
_ Flute venting gauge
_ Bench peg
_ Feeler gauge
_ Razorblades
_ Needle files
_ Tweezers
_ Cleaning rods (valve casing, trombone slide, flute)
_ Cleaning brushes (mouthpiece, valve casing, snakes)

SUPPLIES:
_ Cork assortment: sheet cork (1/16", 1/32", 1/64", 3/16"thickness), waterkey corks, flute head corks)
_ Felt assortment: valve stem, finger button, top cap, sax bumpers
_ Spring assortment: round, needle, waterkey, valve, flat
_ Screw assortment: pivot, guard, thumb rest, lyre, wing, flat
_ Pad assortment: piccolo, flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, sax
_ French horn string
_ Rubber stoppers
_ Wood wedges
_ Contact cement
_ Pad cement
_ Cork grease
_ Slide grease
_ Cement thinner
_ Denatured alcohol
_ Butane
_ Key oil
_ Bore oil
_ Valve oil
_ Slide oil
_ Penetrating oil
_ Sandpaper
_ Cotton cloths
_ Cotton swabs
_ Pipe cleaners
_ Cheesecloth
_ Cleaning swabs
_ Miscellaneous parts:
_ clarinet thumbrests,
_ finger buttons, waterkeys, sax key tubing
_ Testing mouthpieces and reeds
_ Work pad (piece of carpet covered in cotton)
_ Apron
_ Safety glasses

Here are a few other items that I include when performing on-site repair at schools or music fests, just in case:
_ Bench vise
_ Butane torch
_ Tenon expanders
_ Tenon shrinking dies
_ Swedging pliers
_ Dent balls, rods and mandrels
_ Leak light
_ Heat gun
_ Pad cup heater
_ Solder and flux
_ Solder scraper
_ Binding wire
_ Buffing compounds
_ Ragging tape
_ Lacquer
_ Drill and bits
_ Taps and dies

And for those of you who tried to get by without the first tool I mentioned, don't forget the Band Aids!

Daron Anderson is the chief DoDDS instrument repair technician. His skill in instrument repair are only surpassed by his congenial nature. Daron is highly regarded by those he serves.