I have never done this before and would like to experiment on some old student mouthpieces I have. My goal is to learn how to do it, and I don't expect great results at first. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

I have better luck with the putty style epoxy than with the two part tube type like J B Weld. I make the rough shape I want outside the mouthpiece and then press it into place.

I experimented with adding baffles, but finally gave up because I just didn't get good results. I can tall you that my experiments taught me that a little bit goes a long way, and that most of the baffles I installed were initially too big.

Most guys I know use different kinds of modeling clay,putty, etc. They said it's easier to re-shape. I have an assortment of Runyon spoilers that I play around with. Actually, I've cut the "spoiler" part off & just use the wedge.

GOOD FOR YOU HARRY!

Experimenting with student mouthpieces is the way to go for a start.

Keep in mind slapping a baffle on a mouthpiece speeds up the air, and makes it project and play brighter...but it may also throw off the intonation. But after a while of trial and error you will quickly learn what you can and cannot do...just keep the intonation thing in mind.

I really agree with Bill's comment about the use of 2 part epoxy clay. That stuff is really great for BAFFLES and MOUTHPIECE REPAIR.

Check out this link:
http://www.epoxygator.com/

This stuff is great to have around ANY work bench. It cost about $7.50 a tube and it is useful for fixing all kinds of stuff.

For RUBBER & PLASTIC mouthpiece work/repair, The "PLASTIC STICK" works great.

I would fix old rubber mouthpieces that players would bite through with their top teeth, and make it *look and feel like brand new again. The repair patch will not come off once it is cured so the filler becomes part of the mouthpiece permanently. PLASTIC STICK is excellent stuff to work with for making baffles once you get an idea of what direction you want to go. It will stay soft and malleable for about 30 minuets before it cures rock-hard.

I use "STEEL STICK" for filling the hole in the top of a METAL mouthpiece that is left by a missing bite patch or one that is damaged by a player's teeth. If it is just a repair to the plastic bite patch, I will use "PLASTIC STICK" to patch it but if the bite patch is completely gone, I will model and shape a new one for the metal mouthpiece using STEEL STICK. STEEL STICK would be excellent for making a baffle on a metal mouthpiece.

*Cosmetically, you can finish off top of a mouthpiece repair with non-toxic paint and then place a mouthpiece patch over the top of the beak after the paint is good and dry. On the inside baffle people usually do not care about such things as raw modeling clay or epoxy. But this stuff is handy to always have around.

Once you get a good grasp of understand custom mouthpiece work, it will be important for you to stamp words like "NY" and "Vintage" on your creations. Be sure to charge $800.00 for them too. This is important because no mouthpiece is ever worth having unless is is is stamped "NY" or "Vintage" on it.

Have fun and good luck with this!
* Last updated by: jim_scimonetti_sr on 4/14/2012 @ 11:39 AM *

before you embark on adding baffles, take some time and carefully measure baffles from mouthpieces you like...remember, it's not JUST the baffle that affects the sound and rsponse

What are some other areas of the mouthpiece that a do it yourselfer might address?

Generally speaking, making the side rails and tip rail as narrow as possible is a good thing because it makes the mouthpiece articulate faster.

Enlarge and extend the window, and thin out the amount of material under the window

How do you know how much larger to make the window? I have noticed that different mouthpieces have different sizes.

I believe I have read that the window should correspond to the location and size of the scrape of the reed being used in order to obtain optimum results. If you look at most windows, they are too small and don't open far enough from the tip.

I just looked at several different brands of reeds, and they are all more different than I thought. The width is pretty much the same, but the location of the vamp and shape of the tip are different. There seems to also be a real difference in the cross section profile as well.

"I believe I have read that the window should correspond to the location and size of the scrape of the reed being used in order to obtain optimum results. If you look at most windows, they are too small and don't open far enough from the tip."

Perhaps it is better (I think so) to first find a reed that plays well with the mouthpiece. For example, and I do not mean to sound critical of these reeds, but Vandoren Traditional ("blue box") and Rico Royal do not play well with any of the jazz/rock mouthpieces I have tried. You wouldn't stick a "Java" on a classical mouthpiece, either.

I was once sent a RIA bari sax mouthpiece to reface or anything else I could do to make it play well. The player even sent some of his reeds. Though my bari had no leaks I squeaked horribly. My wife said from the other room, "You sound like a 5th grader! I've never heard you squeak before!" Try as I might, with the several reeds he sent, I could not get a good tone or response, and chirps and squeaks were horrible. A simple reed change and it sounded and played great.

If you are wondering, I replaced the customer's reeds with Rico (orange box) and Fibracell, both brands getting great results.

An aside, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, the Rico reeds (currently) in the orange box, and previously in the woodgrain box, were the same as the Symmetricut and were used by many pros.

I returned the mouthpiece untouched, charging the customer only for a few of reeds enclosed. He was ecstatic.

Anyway, if you make a major change like that, the window, you have made a completely new mouthpiece that has different reed and playing characteristics that may be far from what was originally intended.

I use epoxy putty for baffles, a black color, sold as "plumber's epoxy putty" for hard rubber and black plastic mouthpieces. For metal moutphieces I use a similar epoxy putty sold as "Steel Putty" which looks blue, the two parts being blue and white. They mix to a light blue color, but eventually turns white. Most of these epoxy putties are made by Oatey, and are pretty much the same thing.

For teeth gouges, I usually use epoxy, sand to shape, and cover with a clear adhesive patch to seal the area. Anyone that can bite into a metal mouthpiece has some serious biting issues, huh? They have names like "Lockjaw Jones", "Gator Davis", and "Pitbull Johnson" and play mouthpieces with tip openings so wide the tip wand falls through the mouthpiece without being able to measure. This is what happens when you open a tip on the bench grinder.

Paul C.
* Last updated by: Paul_Coats on 4/16/2012 @ 9:58 AM *