Where the
world gathers for metal finishing
Q&As since 1989


-----

Relacquering a brass saxophone body

How can I re-lacquer a saxophone body after polishing.

Vermeulen Gerard
vintage saxophone collector - Zevenbergen, Noord Brabant, The Netherlands
2004

---

2004

Get some lacquer and spray it on the instrument! An epoxy baked coating would be very durable, but you would have to find a large enough oven to accommodate your part. I would suggest a nitrocellulose based clear air dry lacquer.

Shortly after you polish the brass, wipe the surface with MEK / methyl ethyl ketone or acetone [on eBay or Amazon] to remove any leftover polish. This helps the lacquer "bite" into the metal. Spray the lacquer on with light coats and let dry overnight. The next time you have to refinish the instrument, strip the old lacquer off with MEK or acetone [on eBay or Amazon] and follow the same procedure.

Jake Koch
G. J. Nikolas &Co.,Inc.

Bellwood, Illinois

I am a musician who plays the saxophone.

I bought a used saxophone that has some corrosion (that is to be buffed off) on the bead of the bell. There are also places (called touch points) where the lacquer has worn off but there is no further damage. There are also a few places where there are minor scratches that are rust-colored. I don't want to re-lacquer the entire horn, but would like to know what to do to clean out the rust, and then protect the metal from further damage.

Thank you.

Michelle Rowell
Musician - George, Iowa, USA
2004