How do you create a saxophone cleaning swab?!
Question: I now have a new saxophone which does not come with a swab. My previous hired saxophone included a swab which I now have had to return, but it looked simple to make and if I could possibly sew one together or something like that without it being harmful for my sax, and not having to go out and buy one, it would be a good idea. Anyone know please?
Answers: I now have a new saxophone which does not come with a swab. My previous hired saxophone included a swab which I now have had to return, but it looked simple to make and if I could possibly sew one together or something like that without it being harmful for my sax, and not having to go out and buy one, it would be a good idea. Anyone know please?
what you do is take an old hanky and a long piece of strong thick twine. what you also want to do is get something that has some weight to it. like a small fishing weight or washer. cut a slit into the middle of the hanky tie the twine to the slit and tie they weight on the other end. slide it through the top ( take of the neck) and flip your horn upside down. so that the weight falls out of the bell and pull through. do this a couple of times. this is a cheap and effective way to clean your spit. i did this all through high school. until it was mandatory for us to get those sticks that have yarn all over them. those are great because you just shove it in your horn and go. i'd look into one of those when you have the dough. back then they were about 25 bucks.
lots of pipe cleaners with a rag hoooked on the end thats wat i did with my sax ;-p
I agree with all of the other answers, but I feel compelled to tell you that the long sticks that you are supposed to put into and leave in your sax are bad. Rather than cleaning out the inside of the instrument, they actually encourage the growth of mold in your horn. They are disgusting and can ruin your instrument. Any music teacher that requires you to buy and use one of those is wrong and they need to be questioned about this decision.
I use an old silk tie and a cord/string with a weight on the end. Connect the cord/string to the end of the tie, and you are done. It isn't harmful, but a lot of options (even including my idea to a little bit as it doesn't soak up the most moisture) aren't going to be as good as just buying one, which is the best idea (being that any music store carries them from $5 or so, or www.wwbw.com has a silk one for $9.95).
The long sticks ("Pad Savers") are actually pretty good if you leave them in until they've absorbed the moisture and then take them out. I'm a big fan of the Neck Saver- if you've got to play and run you can shove it into the neck and you can keep a lot of that moisture from dripping into your case until you're back home and can clean up your horn properly. Same with the Mouthpiece Saver- all great quick fixes but don't just shove them in and leave them.