I'm actually building a custom lathe specifically for mouthpieces, it'll appear on this channel at some point!

@@spencerbrodhead Look forward to seeing what you do with it!

Wow thank you!

Wow thanks for saying that! I'm glad that people like seeing the process, also I'm planning on making another one within a week or so watch out for that

@@spencerbrodhead Spencer, I have taken trash, unplayable mouthpieces for my soprano and supranino saxes and worked them into nice playing and sounding pieces. I work on the beak, table, and lay. Also adding a baffle with epoxy. As I find what I like I want to make some pieces out of hard rubber like you have done. Where can we find rubber blanks?

@@terryhorlick9707 By blanks do you mean a roughly mouthpiece-shaped object that then needs hand finishing? If that's the case I'm not sure what to reccomend

@@spencerbrodhead, thanks for contacting me. To me a blank is a rough chunk of hard rubber. I would cut it to rough dimensions and turn it on my lathe. All the finish carving and smoothing is done by hand.

@@spencerbrodhead I mean a chunk of hard rubber larger than a mouthpiece (I’m working on soprano and sopranino mouthpieces, so not large) which I will work up into a new mouthpiece. I have transformed several old, unplayable mouthpieces into very nicely playing pieces by adding epoxy and carving to the desired specifications. Once I have established the lay, tip and baffle I like best I want to replicate it in hard rubber or brass. Having been a dentist for over 30 years, precise carving isn’t a huge issue!

Thanks!

Thanks! I'm glad you like it, I was a bit surprised myself at the end result, I didn't really know what to expect before I started

@@spencerbrodhead I've been pretty curious to try my hand at designing 3d printable mouthpieces but I've struggled to find any books about it. I don't suppose you'd have any recommendations? Or is this the kind of thing that the masters keep to themselves?

@@EdBordin Yeah there aren't any books on mouthpiece design that I know of. The main tricky part about 3d printing your own mouthpieces is that a woodwind mouthpiece is an extremely complicated thing to properly 3d model, If you ever wanted to try that you'd first have to be very familiar with programs like solid works or fusion 360 (I use fusion) and get comfortable modeling and printing all sorts of various complexity shapes before trying a sax mouthpiece. So it's not impossible but designing and printing a mouthpiece that functions and plays well is way down the line of being able to 3d model shapes with all sorts of double compound curves and such. If you do try it I'd say that very careful measuring with digital calipers is a must!

@@spencerbrodhead thanks for the reply! Yeah that was what I suspected. I found some 2d cross sections of various chamber and baffle styles plus there's even some facing curves. The rest I'll have to just work out in 3d. I've been bunkered down with my calipers and a couple of mouthpieces and I've nearly got the table and beak done before the fun starts trying to cut the baffle 😂

Thanks! It seems that you read my mind, I already have a block of Delrin that I'm going to make into another mouthpiece at some point soon.

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thank you!

Thank You!

Thanks! Glad you like it

Thank you!

Thanks!

Thank you!

Wow thank you!

Thanks!

Thanks for saying that, yep my channel is fairly new still, haven't posted too many videos in total

Thank you!

Wow thank you!

Thanks!

Thanks!!

Thanks! I think I'll make another like this soon

Cool, yeah good tip. The blue tape I used here didn't leave any residue, peels off easy. For all the modern pieces I hand finish I never mask off the rails or table and I've never felt like I'm risking buffing those areas, I guess polishing thousands of times will build up some confidence haha, glad you liked the video!

yep that's right, and grenadilla in clarinets/ oboes is a very hard wood

Huon would smell and taste so amazing too. I'd be so conscious of not wasting the tiniest amount though, especially when I think of how many hundred years of growth I just left on the workshop floor.

African Blackwood has no problem with saliva, whatsoever. That's why clarinets and oboes are made out of it.

Thanks for the nice words! As for your yamaha I'm not sure what you're asking, for me to work on the mouthpiece? As far as the horn goes I seriously doubt that the laquer is causing you any issues

@@spencerbrodhead Thanks for your fast reply - and apologies if the question was not clear - I was just wondering whether a different mouthpiece or neck would be more efficient in changing the color of the tone. All the best for your new projects!

@@u2ontour192 Yeah no worries I enjoy answering questions about this stuff. The mouthpiece has the greatest effect for changing the tone and feel of the overall setup, so if you're having issues thats the first thing to change. As long as the neck on your yamaha isn't severly bent or damaged it's almost certainly fine. I play a 1980s yamaha 52 alto as my main and its great, most other yamaha's that are in working condition are very good horns. If the problem that you're having is not getting enough volume, than a jazz style mouthpiece with a larger tip opening would be the first thing to look for. Of course the main contributing factor in tone production is the player, so if there are embouchure issues no mouthpiece is really going to solve that. In my opinion, what contributes to the overall tone is: 80% player, 15% mouthpiece, 5% horn

Thanks! I use Formax brand buffing compound, for hard rubber the first stage of polishing I would recommend the brown tripoli (or the black bar), and then the light blue bar for the final high gloss polish

Thanks! Yeah it plays well (much better than I was expecting), but my more recent wood one plays better, not because of the material, just the geometery is different

Thanks!

Oh cool, actually I'm planning to make another one out of wood maybe this week or next week just for fun, although wood is not the best material for mouthpieces because of its response to moisture/ temperature/ cracking

thanks! yeah 3d printing is great for rapid prototyping, the main thing is to make sure the tables are flat from the print texture but (with a good facing) they can play really well

Thanks!

Thanks! yeah the shank does look like a selmer concept but that was just the easiest shape to make it, the internal geometry is totally different though

haha thanks! yeah that sounds like a recipe for carpal tunnel, carving stainless steel by hand is the worst

I'm not so sure about that, the dust I make is not sawdust it's hard rubber dust mixed with all sorts of other things like the grit from the sanding sponges and other buffing compounds, I would not reccomend putting that on a dog

Thanks, if you google search "german hard rubber rod" you'll find some places to buy it online, depending on how much you need and what size

Glad you like the video! Yeah I was never planning to sell this piece, for that many hours into it that would have to be like a $1500 mouthpiece or something like that which is crazy, I'm currently designing new techniques and equipment that will let me make them by hand in a much more efficent way

Yeah thanks, I've had a 3d printer for a few years now actually!

Ah very cool! Yes baffle height is one of the most dramatic changes in mouthpiece design variables, what you said is true.

I currently play a Ponzol on my tenor, one of the very few he built with a moveable baffle, controlled by an allen wrench. I think I will "screw" with it today as a result of our communication. I have spoken on the phone with Peter Ponzol about the mouthpiece.@@spencerbrodhead

Hi Vivian thanks so much for the kind words! As for the piece you mentioned, I don't have any experience with, so I'm not sure I can help you find those dimensions. Careful measurements with some calipers would be my only thought to find what kind of taper the chamber has. Maybe if you measure the chamber at both extreme ends of the taper and set the distances between those measurements relative to the tip of the mouthpiece, you might be able to calculate the amount of taper. Kind of the way I'm measuring my piece around 2:40 in the video. Not sure if that helps but It's the ony thing that comes to mind at the moment. You can DM me on instagram if need be (same name as the youtube channel)

@@spencerbrodhead Thank you Mr Spencer for your so prompt reply. Naturally I was disappointed by your not being able to provide the dimensions so desperately required. To make things easier for you, hopefully, I would be totally gratified to receive dimensions for any very large chamber tenor mouthpiece not necessarily those related to the Conn Eagle. I have written to all manufacturers the world over for the required information and though most have been kind enough to at least reply no one, but no one, but no one totally incredibly has the faintest idea of just what those dimensions could be or should be or are in fact. Just one kind person , the Syos Lady informed me that the chamber size is indeed 21 mm dia but understandably did not or could not reveal any more information as she is in the manufacturing business and the information sought means so much money for her.I regret giving the impression that I required the dimensions for the Conn Eagle. I would appreciate the dimensions for any vintage type very large chamber tenor mouthpiece. I assume that you are located in a first world country and I had this impression that just about any information would be just a key pad away but it seems that we over here are in just as bad a situation as far as trying to obtain information. The words I have used are not any sort of kind words but merely the most appropriate to describe your super craftsmanship judging from the jewel like pieces that you have worked on. I have given many mouthpiece builders across the world my technique for building the most advanced mouthpieces using nothing but hand tools and one builder has produced a video using my technique, though he has taken the liberty of using machine tools, If interested you could view the video titled Making a Clarinet Mouthpiece the Vivian Astridge way. Thank you and the very best to you, Sir.

@@vivianastridge2167 Yep I would agree with the information you already have, between 17-21 mm would be considered large chamber (larger than the bore), I can't think of any piece I've seen larger than 21 mm, If this is the case with the conn eagle I wouldn't know. Do you have this mouthpiece to measure?

@@spencerbrodhead Thank you Mr Spencer Brodhead for your continuing interest in the subject of the large chamber mouthpiece. Yes I do have the original ConnEagle large chamber tenor piece. Yes I have measured the chamber and it comes out as 21mm diameter. Syos confirms that this is the largest chamber possible and they do indeed make just such a piece. I had intended to purchase one such but the price would require me to go on a total fast for about four to six months. I have been for several years trying to obtain more dimensions of this Conn Eagle but no one is either interested or is willing to make the effort to help me. I have detailed dimensions for the Melody C model of the Conn Eagle and this has a chamber of 19.5mm diameter which dimension extends right up to the tip end. I am interested and in fact in dire need of a mouthpiece with the original dimensions which my piece does not have as it seems to have been tampered with both as to table angle, tip opening and facing. I have made many pieces according to my own design but who am I against Conn? I just cannot tolerate the harsh edgy sound of modern pieces as I am from a different generation having well past my ninth decade but as yet in some sort of playing form! What would please me the most would be the dimensions of the original Adolphe Sax Tenor Mouthpiece. The patent drawing is nothing more than an artists impression and is useless for my purpose.The University of Connecticut has done some fantastic research into replicating the original saxophone mouthpiece and their effort and product may be viewed on KZfaq. But as with most knowledgeable sources UConn has no interest in pampering to some obscure nonagenarian in some shit hole country. To be precisely specific all that I require is the size of the circular chamber as it extends to the tip end. Also important would be the facing length and type and tip opening. It would seem strange indeed that having spent so much time, effort and money in researching Sax’s original tenor mouthpiece and in fact building and using several in all sizes UConn did not consider- it worthwhile to commercialize on their work not did they make public their design though the related video has many views of the mouthpieces from different angles and of course a brilliant demonstration using replica mouthpieces on original saxophones in a quartet. Thank you again, Sir for your reply and all the very best to you.

@@spencerbrodhead I had written to Dr Caravan requesting information related to the original Sax mouthpiece that his current models are based on. He kindly replied that he did not have any information and yet confirmed that his current models are indeed based upon the design of the original Sax mouthpiece. If you could kindly help me out by providing a contact email to the University of Connecticut and the Manhattan College I could address my enquiries directly to these institutions as they have the original Sax mouthpieces from which they have derived their replicas. I am providing my email id so please do try and help me out or direct me to some source or person who could provide the information required. Wishing you the very best and thanking you. vivianastridge@gmail.com

Just some random noodling to show that the piece works

Thanks, yeah I'm planning to at some point!

Not right now, but that will probably happen sometime soon once I upgrade my tools that will speed up the manufacturing process

What is your experience working on mouthpieces?

@@spencerbrodhead I refaced my trash it came with the cheap 300$ soprano sax 3d printed mouthpiece into slightly less garbage of a mouthpiece. (I had to flatten the table and thin the rails and tip as well as fix some of the baffle. It's an entirely different mouthpiece now. If I'm trying to find a thing of rubber though I'd want it to be a little bigger (Tenor sax bigger)

@@016_ rawkrafted.com/nyh-ebonite-rod-germany-hard-rubber-black-by-the-inch/ you can find some here, although keep your expectations low for what you want to do, you are almost certainly not going to be successful diving into an expert level project like this after working on one mouthpiece, this was hard even for me. I would recomend buying some super cheap plastic mouthpieces and working on those as much as possible, that's going to be the best way to learn.

Hi Fred, if you have any questions you can reach out at spencermusic44@gmail.com