Posted by Dan Schultz on January 11, 2004 at 21:22:40:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: repair people posted by I saw this on January 11, 2004 at 21:10:08:
Making leadpipes round is a painstaking process. You've got to get inside with graduated balls and do one heck of a lot of hand work. The reason a repairman fills the leadpipe with pitch is so it can be bent to fit the installation without kinking the tube. New leadpipes are available for the Miraphones. They are pretty expensive but usually worth the money on serious restorations. The big problem with leadpipes is that they are made straight with a conical bore... meaning the tubing gets gradually smaller as it gets closer to the mouthpiece receiver. After the taper is formed, the leadpipe is filled with material to keep it from collapsing while it is being bent to fit. Dan Oberloh's tutorial did not get into the art of making leadpipes and tubing round again. Trust me.... it's a lot of work!
Dan Schultz
'The Village Tinker'
Brass Repair Shop
Newburgh, Indiana