Relacquers and Restorations
I wanted
to weigh in my opinion on Relacquers and Restorations, because i get almost
daily emails, wanting to know what i think about them.
A
vintage horn is heavier and more solid than today's Chinese, Taiwanese or Japanese horns...
and can usually take one relac/buffing, without any real ill effects... but many
"50 plus years" horns have been relacquered 2, even 3
times. By the time this happens, weight is lost from the horn and the
sound does change. Take a look at a sax that has been buffed and relacquered so many times, the
engraving is virtually gone. This is not a wise choice, for a potential
buyer.
Now,
restorations, like my silver plating jobs, work great, if a horn has only been
relacquered once... the weight is added back on, with the new coat of
silver and the engravings are restored (by re-Engraving) to bring back the beauty of the
horn. My opinion is the best thing you can do for a overbuffed, dented up
horn is to play it until you can get yourself something better. You
will know "better" when you see it, after you have worked your way
through a few ebay disasters...
More Relacquer
Info
I have received so many questions and
requests about Vintage instrument finishes and lacquers, that I have created
this page to try to help answer your questions.
There are many
tricks to uncovering the history of a sax, it's history of repairs and care.
There are also as many tricks to cover it up as well. A really good
refinish will look just like the original finish.
Sometimes when you
see an ad, it will say Factory Relacquer...the reason this is desirable, is the
factory will usually have the exact color tint formula, for an authentic look.
An elderly Selmer should have a dark gold hue to it. As it ages, it
will take on a sort of brownish-red highlight near the edges of some areas.
This is usually because the original technician, many years ago, polished and
cleaned all the acid and residue, off the main bell, but missed some at the
outside edges. This continues to oxidize under the lacquer and cause color
variations. A 40's instrument without any blemishes or discoloration
could be a relacquer. A older instrument with a light gold finish like a
Yamaha is probably not original.
Runs in the lacquer
are a dead give-away. Look for paint that has sags or runs off of posts...
then it almost surely is a relaq. Another good way to tell, is if the
lacquer fills in and smoothes out the engraved areas of the bell and serial
number location. Original engravers received the horn after it had been
lacquered, and then cut the engraving, by hand, through the lacquer, into the
bell or other areas. This was frequently done with a temporary tattoo,
called a STENCIL, (a drawing
of the pattern they are going to engrave on the sax was called a stencil)
hence the term "Conn
stencil" etc. The engraver would transfer the stencil pattern onto
the bell and then follow it's pattern as he engraved.
Yet another
give-away is to look for fine scratches under the lacquer. When the
finish is removed, the buffing process can leave
tiny lines in the metal. These are then lacquered over and can be seen
where it was hard to do the fine buffing and rouge polishing process, like
behind the bell, around the keyholes, etc. Many times red rouge compound
can be found inside the toneholes too. That said, many fine horns, such as
mid 60's Selmer have buffing lines under original lacquer... sometimes rouge in
the horn too. this is normal and sometimes happened because they hurried
their work too much, trying to keep up with production.
The most difficult
"tell" is the depth of the engraving. It should be clear and
deep and a little rough to the touch. If the instrument has had the
original lacquer buffed off, it takes a couple thousandths of an inch of metal
off the engraved area and lightens the engraving.
It
is most difficult to tell the engraving depth on French instruments from the
40's and 50's. The French seem to engrave very lightly, and this makes the
depth tell difficult. When in doubt, take it to the very best vintage sax
specialist, in your area for a 2nd opinion.
I
also frequently see acid bleed and copper bleed under the finish on Selmers.
This was probably due to an overall rushing the manufacturing, assembly and
finishing, in order to keep up with the overwhelming demand for Super Balanced
Action and Mark VI saxes. A little solder acid under the finish, not
thoroughly cleaned off, will show up years later as discoloration. There
are several things that will cause discoloration, but they are considered part
of the "original" finish and therefore do not detract from the value
or playability of the instrument.
Here is a typical
picture of a relacquered finish: 
Note the smoothness of the engraving. It should be sharp and distinct and
maybe even have a little corrosion in the lines that are cut through the lacquer
into the brass. The engraved lines here are filled in with lacquer and
smooth, rather than cut and sharp.
thanks, sarge
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