This was one of the first projects done on the brass side: unbuckling a trombone bell. It was a lovely experience getting to know the different dent removal tools and the methodical happenings of brass work. It all started when my instructor picked out a bell for me and proceeded to throw it on the floor and against the table repeatedly. I was handed this warped piece of brass and this is what happened....
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An average encounter? Let's hope not... |
After assessing the condition of the bell, I began slowly tackling this ripple, by ripple. I started by rolling out the more pronounced areas gently, to avoid enhancing the scars to follow.
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| Rollin' 'em out... |
As time goes by...
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| Improvement... |
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And a progression! (Some day I'll figure out the 'Slide-show' idea) |
It is frustrating to know that this bell will never get fully back to its former glory (ie: scars left behind from the creases and material scratched and/or chipped away). It was fun and mildly therapeutic to restore this as close as I possibly could to its former self though! It'll be a good day to feel comfortable making the call when enough's enough. I felt like I could have spent months on this thing to bring it back! Alas, I was instructed to move on and that All was done in the situation that could be...
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| Finally getting the throat as round as it'd go |
Bell dent work 101. Feel pretty confident about it and enjoyed it much! Time to move on to other brassy things...
I'm all goosebumps of nostalgia or is it neuralgia?
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