Tuba Restoration part 1 of 4, 2023, band instrument repair, Wes Lee Music Repair

New for 2023, a 4 part in depth series of teardown, dent work, tips and tricks, rebuilding, hammering, etc. to get this tuba back in shape for the customer. Techniques to help elevate your work.
Tools by:
Ferree's Tools- www.ferreestoolsinc.com
Intro & Music by: V6 Creatives- v6creatives@gmail. com
Thanks for watching.

Пікірлер: 153

  • @alphabeets
    @alphabeets Жыл бұрын

    Man, that’s a lot of work. Hey kids, take good care of your instruments!

  • @1that-one-weird-kid1
    @1that-one-weird-kid1Ай бұрын

    the amount of damage was terrifying, nice work!

  • @JimmyTomes
    @JimmyTomes Жыл бұрын

    Wonderful to see a craftsman at work. Watching I became aware of the number of cuts each video contains. It must be a lot of work editing these videos to show the minute changes in the piece being worked. Thank you and know that your effort is appreciated.

  • @AutismusPrime69

    @AutismusPrime69

    Жыл бұрын

    Don't be a simp

  • @AgOG47
    @AgOG47 Жыл бұрын

    I appreciate your profession. Saving instruments daily. You do a great service for music, bringing more joy to the world. I approve. 👍👍👋

  • @Finn-McCool
    @Finn-McCool Жыл бұрын

    I'm so happy to see another long term project on the channel! Personally not a fan of shorts when it comes to instrument repair. Need that hands on experience 😊

  • @matthewrinehart2367
    @matthewrinehart23676 ай бұрын

    I'm sure you don't make any money on school instrument resurrection but I do love to watch them. The pro bono of the instrument industry.

  • @user-cg8rv4th8d
    @user-cg8rv4th8d2 ай бұрын

    Thank you so much I did not know my 3 slide could come out

  • @georgesaunders6362
    @georgesaunders63625 ай бұрын

    Wes, every time I watch your videos I am amazed at how you are able to manipulate the brass. I Know it would take a lot of work to take still photos as you work a piece and then make a video with those stills and watch the transformation of the metal in your hands. The patients that you show when working on all of those baninstruments has helped me to slow down and be more patient on the wood and steel parts that I work on. I'm converting a bus into an RV.

  • @pmfmpls
    @pmfmpls Жыл бұрын

    Fascinating to watch. Always beautiful work. ❤

  • @EeekItsSnek
    @EeekItsSnek Жыл бұрын

    I've been waiting for 2 months for another video! Glad you're finally able to make time for us again 😀😀😀

  • @rusplaygames4976
    @rusplaygames4976 Жыл бұрын

    I subscribed to him with 3 thousand subscribers

  • @billroberts3864
    @billroberts38644 ай бұрын

    Wes, your artisan skills are phenomenal and a joy to watch. It will be nice to see the rest of the repairs. Blessings to you.

  • @lotsabirds
    @lotsabirds Жыл бұрын

    That is off to a GREAT Start! I don't think they ever made a horn that you couldn't fix! I wonder how many times that one fell off the bus!? Fantastic video, as always!

  • @bethcrane5780
    @bethcrane5780 Жыл бұрын

    Very cool to see this instrument restored. I enjoy your fine work and patter. Keep em coming!

  • @hijmestoffels5171
    @hijmestoffels5171 Жыл бұрын

    Can’t wait for part two!

  • @Meister1551
    @Meister1551 Жыл бұрын

    You are an amazing craftsman. I love your channel and your work on the Tuba is over the top fantastic!!

  • @OhItsAustinB
    @OhItsAustinB Жыл бұрын

    Love the intro!

  • @CraigRodmellMusic
    @CraigRodmellMusic Жыл бұрын

    Bring on part 2!

  • @richtraube2241
    @richtraube2241 Жыл бұрын

    Great to see a horn brought back to musical life.

  • @andywidy5788
    @andywidy5788 Жыл бұрын

    Perfekt 👍

  • @marklapierre5629
    @marklapierre5629 Жыл бұрын

    I've got to bring my tuba in for similar treatment.

  • @jerebigler7520
    @jerebigler7520 Жыл бұрын

    Really enjoy watching you work your magic on those horns. It's amazing. Thanks for sharing.

  • @sgsax
    @sgsax Жыл бұрын

    Impressive cleanup on that dent. Looking forward to seeing it good as new. I remember pulling tubas out of the chem clean dip. Always a fun time. Thanks for sharing!

  • @tomhohum4275
    @tomhohum4275 Жыл бұрын

    Love this. Played tuba in high school. It was owned by the school. Always wish I owned one to play in local community band. The only thing I own is the mouthpiece🤣

  • @runwillrobinson

    @runwillrobinson

    Жыл бұрын

    I kept my tuba mouthpiece too. Just in case....

  • @johns3106

    @johns3106

    Жыл бұрын

    @@runwillrobinson I kept my tuba mouthpiece from high school as a keepsake for 30+ years…it wasn’t until my daughter started getting serious about playing euphonium in high school that I even THOUGHT about playing again. Several years later, I’ve bought an inexpensive tuba and now play in two community bands…you never know how life will turn out!

  • @glennwishart6730

    @glennwishart6730

    Жыл бұрын

    Right about that !!!

  • @paulnolastname9422
    @paulnolastname9422 Жыл бұрын

    Refreshing to see very skilled labor. I'll be following your work.

  • @AnthonyCurreri
    @AnthonyCurreri Жыл бұрын

    Amazing. I'd never think the dents would come out.

  • @djasge3893
    @djasge3893 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you again, so inspiring to see just what can be “saved”.

  • @zhiyaxue5064
    @zhiyaxue50644 ай бұрын

    Man is a true artist

  • @coldwarmotors
    @coldwarmotors Жыл бұрын

    Very satisfying! Looking forward to the next one...

  • @sailingyemaya9781
    @sailingyemaya97819 ай бұрын

    Looks like a kid threw it out of a bus window on the highway. Nice work!

  • @Crowbar777
    @Crowbar777 Жыл бұрын

    It's amazing the repairability of brass instruments. Just takes a lot of elbow grease and the right tools.

  • @snipersnipes4475
    @snipersnipes4475 Жыл бұрын

    God, I love to see him working on the tubas?

  • @Gerrygambone
    @Gerrygambone8 ай бұрын

    These must be very expensive to buy new, as all that skilled labour hours cannot be cheap. Great to watch a craftsman in action

  • @benloyd1970
    @benloyd1970 Жыл бұрын

    My new favorite channel. You a a real artist.

  • @drorbengur
    @drorbengur Жыл бұрын

    Love your work. I appreciate it. Thank you so much.

  • @jeffreyyoung4104
    @jeffreyyoung41049 ай бұрын

    I would love to see a tube of dent series! I love watching you remove the dents on big tubes, as i can see the method better and I can use the techniques in small tubes! I don't consider tips and tricks as cheats, as it is knowledge you earned over the years. One thing I don't understand is the lime scale remover. Does it neutralize the flux, and wouldn't it be safe to rinse after using it?

  • @57Banjoman
    @57Banjoman Жыл бұрын

    Your patience humbles me-well done!

  • @jnburcher
    @jnburcher Жыл бұрын

    Daron and I have used that dent procedure before. We used the slide hammer that is available and used a piece of brass bar with a hole drilled in it. It gave us more surface area for the solder while allowing us to shape the bar to our need. Great video.

  • @wesleemusicrepair9820

    @wesleemusicrepair9820

    Жыл бұрын

    I’ve got several different versions of this theme, sometimes they work more than others. This one moved a bit and did save some time. Hope y’all are doing well buddy!

  • @heloshark
    @heloshark Жыл бұрын

    Love the intro - great content!

  • @AdeReeves
    @AdeReeves Жыл бұрын

    Always interesting ..never thought you would straighten it, but rather replace .. 👍

  • @Dustin_the_wind
    @Dustin_the_wind Жыл бұрын

    Bump for work well done, thank you for the lesson.

  • @davidwood351
    @davidwood351 Жыл бұрын

    That’s pretty severe. Quite a challenge. I can’t wait to see the final work.

  • @Aeschyne
    @Aeschyne Жыл бұрын

    Love these videos, thanks so much!

  • @edgor3224
    @edgor3224 Жыл бұрын

    very great skill and knowledge about materials.

  • @OSUCharger
    @OSUCharger Жыл бұрын

    Wes. Ever see how race teams get dents out of dirtbike exhausts? Water pressure! Kinda neat.

  • @TheShufflinmaster
    @TheShufflinmaster Жыл бұрын

    I would definitely love to take a closer look at your “post raising tool”! I’ve used a similar technique over the last year by soldering a saxophone post and raising it with the sax post tool.

  • @georgeosborn3223

    @georgeosborn3223

    Жыл бұрын

    That's what I did for 20+ years. Worked quite a bit of the time.

  • @wesleemusicrepair9820

    @wesleemusicrepair9820

    Жыл бұрын

    I have 4 or 5 of them, different shapes. I have sax post as well, but sometimes it has too much surface area. But thinking about it after the fact, after that first round, maybe could have gotten the wider flanged sax post to raise that area more. Next time.

  • @drorbengur

    @drorbengur

    Жыл бұрын

    Yes please.

  • @OnlyTheEd
    @OnlyTheEd11 ай бұрын

    On first sight, that tuba looks like it was in a demolition derby.

  • @judsonteles6605
    @judsonteles6605 Жыл бұрын

    trabalho fantástico! ansioso por mais videos.

  • @dnixon8767
    @dnixon8767 Жыл бұрын

    Good video. Thanks for sharing.

  • @ODIS-bp1ks
    @ODIS-bp1ks Жыл бұрын

    love all of it!

  • @andyvan5692
    @andyvan5692 Жыл бұрын

    good video, esp. the welded post idea, car repairers use it to dent pull too, esp. if the job has to be painted anyway, and it saves having to expand from the inside (esp. if you can't).

  • @Sir_Uncle_Ned
    @Sir_Uncle_Ned Жыл бұрын

    Have you considered using Hydroforming to remove large dents? Seal off the dented section and pressurise it with water, which will press harder against dents and other imperfections than the rest of the makeshift pressure vessel, rounding things off to at least a decent starting point.

  • @CDaisy-tp7hw
    @CDaisy-tp7hw8 ай бұрын

    I have watched several of these videos now and there is no doubt that you are a highly skilled craftsman. Artisan even. What I can't help but wonder about though, is how in the world do these horns get that beat up? Some of them look as though the damage may have been intentional.

  • @bassguitarplayer09
    @bassguitarplayer09 Жыл бұрын

    Love your channel!

  • @reedd.4228
    @reedd.42286 ай бұрын

    I’ve always found soldering a plug and pulling large dents out before doing traditional dent work to be really effective. Typically on thicker brass I use the same style tool you fashioned to use a striking motion. But for thinner brass and really wide dents I usually just pull on the plug with vice grips by hand in one motion so the brass doesn’t flex. I found it comes up more and takes less time.

  • @flashgarage
    @flashgarage Жыл бұрын

    Hello from Russia, good job

  • @Polarbear44
    @Polarbear44 Жыл бұрын

    When you send the instrument back, do you include a video of what it took to fix it ?

  • @Rich-on6fe
    @Rich-on6fe Жыл бұрын

    Have you seen people doing painless dent repair on cars? They often hot-glue little plastic attachments onto the painted car body panel and then use a slide-hammer to pull out the dents. It could work on your instruments.

  • @crabmansteve6844

    @crabmansteve6844

    Жыл бұрын

    It works to an extent. Brass is a lot more malleable than sheet steel, so it tends to deform and has to be worked back into place, whereas sheet steel is easier to "pop" the dent out of because it's so much harder and more springy. It (sheet steel) retains it's memory better, so to speak. Softer metals tend to be less forgiving. Source: many years in a paint and body shop, but I work with brass, copper and aluminum as a hobby.

  • @keithgloyns9814
    @keithgloyns9814 Жыл бұрын

    amazing work you do

  • @yt650
    @yt650 Жыл бұрын

    I always want to know what happened to it and why did it happen?

  • @velhotucaJR
    @velhotucaJR Жыл бұрын

    👏👏👏👏👏👏

  • @user-jt2ge7hx7b
    @user-jt2ge7hx7b Жыл бұрын

    Отличная работа! 👍👍👍 привет из России!🖐️ Владимир.

  • @ms-mac521
    @ms-mac521 Жыл бұрын

    👍👍👍 see you later ! ☺

  • @clintonr9804
    @clintonr9804 Жыл бұрын

    Was thinking, "You need a dent puller...."! Next you might try taking an old jigsaw, remove the base plate, and attach a padded wooden or rawhide "fist" where the blade goes, and use that for tippy-tapping creases. No as much tactile sensation, but might speed things up and save some effort. Such things are used in hospital respiratory therapy departments to help clear lungs.

  • @runwillrobinson

    @runwillrobinson

    Жыл бұрын

    That jigsaw idea is really a good one!

  • @leomerguzman2681
    @leomerguzman26817 ай бұрын

    Traducir Al español,muchas gracias: trabajo muy valioso.😊

  • @Matt-ze3oo
    @Matt-ze3oo Жыл бұрын

    that technique reminds me of the Same process as pulling a dent on a car

  • @jamesdstallard8743
    @jamesdstallard8743 Жыл бұрын

    Fascinating to watch you work. Thank you. Have you considered sealing both ends of a dented part and plugging in a pressure washer to blow out the dents?

  • @kevinhill5977
    @kevinhill59774 ай бұрын

    God bless you for continuing a profession that relies on our God-given physical talents. I do have a question tho - in this case, wouldn’t it have been better to just replace the two largest damaged parts? I see on Yamaha’s website, you can buy any part on the instrument. Curious also as to the total number of hours you put into this restoration.

  • @ryandupuis2346
    @ryandupuis23469 ай бұрын

    My dad's a body man now days we use a stud welder and pull dents with the same slide hammer

  • @hsax03
    @hsax03 Жыл бұрын

    Got any tricks for removing a bow alone. Very good work love your videos.

  • @kthwkr
    @kthwkr Жыл бұрын

    This is a lot like body work. They weld rods onto the bent in body panel and then pull it out just like you did.

  • @sfop1
    @sfop1 Жыл бұрын

    Wes, your work is amazing. How many actual hours did it take you to pull out those dents you worked on today?

  • @kristimiller-lee2338

    @kristimiller-lee2338

    Жыл бұрын

    I think this part took 3 hours. I was filming. The 4 part series took 2 days.

  • @user-gr5wv1ok5b
    @user-gr5wv1ok5b11 ай бұрын

    When you repair dented instruments can or does it affect the sound quality. I'm amazed at your skills.

  • @Joe___R
    @Joe___R Жыл бұрын

    The soldered stud worked well enough, but you would be better off buying a modern stud gun. You would most likely have to make your own brass studs, but a spot welded stud would be a fair bit stronger. With it being made out of the same material, you wouldn't have to worry about the solder causing a light spot on the brass.

  • @mikerichards6311
    @mikerichards6311 Жыл бұрын

    😱👍

  • @imspartacus4909
    @imspartacus490910 ай бұрын

    Wes what about using 'hot glue tabs' as they do on cars when they do 'paintless dent removal '

  • @justthetruth870
    @justthetruth8704 ай бұрын

    You do amazing things Wes, but what I want to know is how the hell does an instrument end up looking like that ? Seriously that looks almost deliberate with multiple attempts to smash up the tubes !

  • @waynewestgate5473
    @waynewestgate54739 ай бұрын

    If you had a metal ball that fitted into the tube it would make removing the dents easier

  • @anonymousprime3395
    @anonymousprime33956 ай бұрын

    I heard some people get rid of dents by making it super cold in the tuba, air locking it then letting it warm up again and dents pop out

  • @agostinodibella9939
    @agostinodibella9939 Жыл бұрын

    When I watch this, I wondered, is there a tool that holds that ball, and vibrates so you can put pressure on the piece being repaired and let the vibrations work like little hammer taps? That would be an interesting experiment.

  • @tiagogregoriodasilva4082
    @tiagogregoriodasilva4082 Жыл бұрын

    profissional americano. eu tiro o chapeu pra voce rapais

  • @gamerelated3887
    @gamerelated38873 ай бұрын

    I've been a musician all my life and I've carried instruments around with me A LOT and have never even come close to doing anything like this to one. How on earth did that happen?!?

  • @TheStickCollector
    @TheStickCollector Жыл бұрын

    Always impressive this big of an instrument can be repaired

  • @andyvan5692
    @andyvan5692 Жыл бұрын

    yes, good tip, but at 11:04 this is called a 'rose_bud', welders use it for manipulating metal, NOT for welding or braising, as this produces a fat large fire, not a controlled beam of heat.

  • @matthewrinehart2367
    @matthewrinehart23676 ай бұрын

    I wonder if you could use a pressure cuff to expand the metal.

  • @Rich-on6fe
    @Rich-on6fe Жыл бұрын

    Another thing car body people use is air-bags that go inside and inflate. They come with a rubber bulb to blow them up. I suspect one of these inside that crushed pipe might push it out effectively.

  • @Oldman618
    @Oldman618 Жыл бұрын

    Seems like a rubber bladder that you can blow up with compressed air would take some of those big dents from inside.

  • @general5104
    @general5104 Жыл бұрын

    l appreciate watching a great craftsman do his magic !!! THANK YOU !!! Were is your email address. I am a retired tool designer, amongst a lot of other crafts. Id like to brainstorm some with you, to come up with shortcut tooling, that only YOU have....just for giggles. I have watched your channel for quite a while.

  • @eazycheezie
    @eazycheezie Жыл бұрын

    Have you ever tried pressurizing the instrument with water to fix dents?

  • @arisaka9963
    @arisaka9963 Жыл бұрын

    Any time you deform the metal you are work hardening it, even if you are using a rawhide hammer.

  • @simon-oy6um
    @simon-oy6um Жыл бұрын

    Looks like they dragged it behind the bus on the way home 😮

  • @eliezertapia9216
    @eliezertapia9216 Жыл бұрын

    Hi Mr.I have a smaller tuba .it's very old and the bell comes appart.Is a two pieces tuba.

  • @gateway199999
    @gateway19999911 ай бұрын

    Honest question? Is repairing what’s seems to be a cheaper instrument cheaper than just buying a new one? Your work is amazing but is the instrument really the same after that much damage?

  • @chrisoakmountain2387
    @chrisoakmountain2387 Жыл бұрын

    Tubas give you a good physical workout, don't they? ;-)

  • @duenge
    @duenge Жыл бұрын

    Is there a tool consisting of a pneumatic bladder that can be snaked inside a sever dent like these and used to push outwards?

  • @ZENO357
    @ZENO357Күн бұрын

    Dad, I TOLD you that I hated playing that tuba!

  • @user-dn1bf2uq8e
    @user-dn1bf2uq8e11 ай бұрын

    修理代はどれぐらい掛かるんでしょうか?

  • @robertnorton4276
    @robertnorton4276 Жыл бұрын

    This is awesome! The damage is unbelievable! How many man hours do you estimate will go in to the repair of this horn?

  • @kristimiller-lee2338

    @kristimiller-lee2338

    Жыл бұрын

    I was the camera person for this 2 day event.

  • @Romcat0
    @Romcat03 ай бұрын

    Curious how much this kind of dent repair would cost. I have a horn in similar condition but want to sell and curious if the horn is worth the cost of repair! Thanks!

  • @landonbrown6568
    @landonbrown65683 ай бұрын

    You need a balloon of some sort to put down in the tube and air up to reshape the tube