I'm curious what resources are available for someone interested in diving into brass repair and/or creation. I assume information on the creation side of things will be less available as people want to protect their intellectual property.

I would like to repair & customize my own instruments, bring life to beat up & run down horns for resale(hopefully to students in need), then possibly do work for others in the future as my skills advance. I don't see myself working in a repair shop or instrument factory any time soon, but might take the opportunity if life allows. I'm generally interested in this as a hobby, but might see if it can become a side gig as time moves on.

I've found a few YouTuber who share information on their work. These are just a couple of the many I've ran across:

Wes Lee Music Repair - https://www.youtube.com/@wesleemusicrepair9820

The Brass and Woodwind Shop - https://www.youtube.com/@TheBrassandWoodwindShop

Miles O'Malley - https://www.youtube.com/@milesomalley5605

I've found a few books, but this one seems to pop up the most:

Guide to Brass Musical Instrument Repair - Christopher Page Bluemel

I understand the initial investment for the required tools and the helpful accessories can add up quickly. I'm hoping to acquire tools second hand as I dive further into this rabbit hole.

What resources have you found to be impactful in your repair endeavors?

Thanks :good:

A lot of better repairmen studied at Red Wing (it has a different name now) in Minnesota. Then take a period working with a noted tech.

Trying to learn from watching videos will have a much steeper learning curve (and the generation of a lot of scrap brass).

[quote="BGuttman"]A lot of better repairmen studied at Red Wing (it has a different name now) in Minnesota.[/quote]
It's now Minnesota State College Southeast

<LINK_TEXT text="https://www.southeastmn.edu/program/Ban ... nt-Repair/">https://www.southeastmn.edu/program/Band-Instrument-Repair/</LINK_TEXT>

AFAIK, it's an in-person program.

CIOMIT (Colorado Institute of Musical Instrument Technology) offers an online program, but there's a significant tuition cost.

[quote="BGuttman"]Trying to learn from watching videos will have a much steeper learning curve (and the generation of a lot of scrap brass).[/quote]

I understand what you're saying. I hope this doesn't come across as arrogant, but I'm fairly confident I can pick up successful brass repairing/rebuilding on my own while getting started.

I have some years of professional experience in welding and fabrication with sheet metals, and building large transmission towers. I particularly enjoyed my time with custom sheet metal work due to the variety of blueprints, different machines used, and the various techniques involved - I maybe welded 25% of the time I was there, as prep/fit work is the majority of the work. It required cutting, bending, heating, rolling, hammering, jig making, cussing at wrong blueprints, confirming measurements... the list goes on.

I'm aware soldering isn't welding, and that brass isn't iron, but I'm confident some of the welding/fabricating knowledge will transfer to working with brass. How heat effects the metals, how to prep/clean metals, building jigs/braces, etc. I know I will need hands on training when it comes to spinning bells or pulling tubes - if I ever get to that side of things - but I believe I can begin brass repair/maintenance on my own.

Right now, I'm interested in finding what's available to me besides enrolling in a technical course, or becoming an employee/apprentice of a shop. I would love to do either, but can't commit to either right now. I have other life & career goals as a priority at this time.