TromboneChat

Question for all of the repair people here. Where did you get your mandrel to work on bass trombone bells? Something you've had for years? Ordered somewhere? Thanks.

WGWTR180 wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 7:37 am Question for all of the repair people here. Where did you get your mandrel to work on bass trombone bells? Something you've had for years? Ordered somewhere? Thanks.

Allied Supply Corp?

Ferree's is the only US company that offers a trombone bell flare mandrel for repair purposes. Böhm in Germany also offer one.

Why do you ask??

WGWTR180 wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 7:37 am Question for all of the repair people here. Where did you get your mandrel to work on bass trombone bells? Something you've had for years? Ordered somewhere? Thanks.

More specific, what repair are you looking to do? Do you need a steel mandrel/bell iron to use as a reaction surface? Mine came from Ferree’s (actually from Cliff’s trunk as he was redoing the designs like 30 years ago).

For a general wooden holding mandrel to hold the flare while working on other things and/or supporting the horn in in a vice, I made mine from a table leg that I bought at Home Depot or Lowes.

Ferrees will sell to anybody and have in the past been very helpful over the phone to guide you to what you actually want rather than exactly what you initially ask for… I don’t know who’s working the phones there these days, but in the past they were quite helpful.

Cheers,
Andy

Some links:

https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/collect ... e-mandrels

https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/collect ... -bell-iron

https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/product ... ly-mandrel

Cheers,
Andy

hornbuilder wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 9:22 am Ferree's is the only US company that offers a trombone bell flare mandrel for repair purposes. Böhm in Germany also offer one.

Why do you ask??

Hi Matthew. A friend of mine found a french horn mandrel at a yard sale! Really?? He thought it was for the bass trombone but it's not. He has zero internet presence so I thought I'd ask. Yes I can google myself but I don't even know specifically what I'm looking for. Matthew are you saying that you have 1 bell mandrel or are there different ones for tenor and bass?

elmsandr wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 9:37 am Some links:

https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/collect ... e-mandrels

https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/collect ... -bell-iron

https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/product ... ly-mandrel

Cheers,
Andy

Thanks Andy!!

Repair wise, there is one bell flare mandrel for trombone, which suits tenor and bass. You actually don't want a form that fits the bell precisely when repairing, because often times the metal has to be taken past where you want it to eventually be.

hornbuilder wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 10:58 am Repair wise, there is one bell flare mandrel for trombone, which suits tenor and bass. You actually don't want a form that fits the bell precisely when repairing, because often times the metal has to be taken past where you want it to eventually be.

Ferree’s made at least one batch of a specific large trombone mandrel… it wasn’t popular nor more useful, so I think he decided not to make any more. Measurements for that tool came from my horns, I still have the blue sharpie marks on two of them…

Cheers,
Andy

hornbuilder wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 10:58 am Repair wise, there is one bell flare mandrel for trombone, which suits tenor and bass. You actually don't want a form that fits the bell precisely when repairing, because often times the metal has to be taken past where you want it to eventually be.

Matthew makes a very valid point here. Those mandrels that are the same shape as the brass instrument bell flares have a very limited use. I only use them for quickly getting a badly twisted rim back to being on the same plane. Otherwise, those mandrels usually sit around and accumulate dust!

The most effective tools for bell flare and bell stem work are the roller tools (come in a few different diameters), and a bell stem mandrel (just like Matthew, I have one that works for almost all trombones and bass trombones). Sometimes I use a Votaw tool that has different dent balls that can attach to the end. That tool can very effective for sharp dents that are up on the narrow part of the stem.

For good finishing work, burnishing tools are used return the metal to its original shape. That’s an entire topic all to its own. In the end, good dent and finish work is not in tools…..it is in the skill of the person using the tools.

I have both the "tenor" and "bass" bell mandrels from Ferree's and rarely use the bass unit.
I use the slightly curved bell iron most of all, but also the "stubby" mandrel quite often.

I find it odd that the tenor mandrel is cut from a larger rod blank than the bass mandrel.
I guess to allow a sharper taper from the vise end?

Bonearzt wrote: Sat Jun 10, 2023 3:10 pm I use the slightly curved bell iron most of all, but also the "stubby" mandrel quite often.

Really? I find that the “stubby” mandrel is probably the one I use the least. Honest inquiry here. I’m very interested to hear….how do you use it? I would love to get more use from it. Whenever I use it (maybe 3 or 4 times a year), I usually spend more time removing the oxidation on it than actual time with a bell on it!