INFORMATION
Information - Disclamers - Covid19
HOW WE TEST AND WORK ON YOUR INSTRUMENT
When we test an instrument we will use our own mouthpieces for your safety and our own and will not handle the instruments own mouthpiece unless you specify that work needs to be carried out on it. Any mouthpieces used will be sterilised before and on completion for the customer.
We often use gloves as well as regularly washing our hands and all our equipment to ensure health and hygiene is always a priority during any repair. We are passionate about caring for people's instruments so will always ensure that they are perfectly maintained and that our customers are in safe (clean!) hands!
SECURE CARD PAYMENTS AND MONEY HANDLING
We have a secure card machine to take payments with a receipt given via e-mail so you have an official log of the repair cost as well as all our details for future reference, giving you peace of mind while paying.
We do still take cash payments and always ask that payment is made before or during return of the instrument and any cash payment will be documented on your invoice to form your receipt as well as logged in our own personal income files.
COVID19
To do our part in the fight against COVID, we provide hand sanitiser by the door for our customers and ourselves to use freely and will always have a mask at hand if you require we wear one. We will often endeavour to complete transactions just outside of our residence to allow for a clean air flow but would always maintain the recommended safe distance regardless as much as possible. We will also clean our card reader after every us to continue doing all we can.
Please simply specify if you have any requirements or special measures you would like in place- we are more than happy accommodating everyone in whatever way you feel comfortable! Remember, we can also pickup and deliver instruments straight to your door so if you are isolating then there is no reason why you still can't have a practice instrument fully working to keep you musically sane!
DISCLAMERS
As with any repair work, there can be consequences to some of the procedures used. We will always endeavour to discuss any risks with you before begining any work but you can find all the information on this page too.
Soldering
Soldering administers an instrument with a lot of heat which will inevitably cause some lacquer damage in the area heated. The greater cosmetic fault is when soldering onto a lacquered area to reposition keywork etc as solder will not bond with lacquer and therefore requires sanding first, causing removal of the lacquer and often a change in the colour of the area. We are not liable to restore lacquer as this is a highly in depth process but we will polish and refinish the area as best we can and can often apply a clear laquer coating to help protect from future rusting.
Crack Pinning and Filling Holes
Crack pinning requires us to drill a 1.5mm hole into the area where a crack has formed in wooden instruments. This hole is then filled with black carbon fibre rod and grenadilla chips to seal the area back up and reduce the risk of further cracking. Due to age and pigmentation, the colour may vary between the instrument and the grenadilla chips used so the cracks original location may still be detectable, although this will often blend over time and with regular use of bore oil. In some instances, the level of filling may require some sanding to flatten with the original surface. We aim to be as accurate as possibly but this may lead to minor scratching around the area when using the sanding paper.
Bending and Dent Removal
Bent keywork is a risk of its own as it can either bend perfectly back into place with no visible disturbance or it could snap the key if the metal has taken too much movement from the original damage! We have a stock of instrument parts in case required for any repair but we will advise if a key is likely to break as if this happens then you will be liable to pay for the replacement key. It will always be your option as to whether you wish us to attempt to reshape the key (we have never had a key break on us! and hope this continues). Reshaping keywork and dent removal often leaves behind some form of cosmetic damage, either in the form of small marks from tools, slight scratching or thinner areas of the metal. We always use substances and special tools to help protect from damage but this is inevitable at times.
OUR MEDIA PAGES
We greatly appriciate our customers sharing our posts and praising our services and say a massive thank you to everyone! You can find links to our pages on our website or search our name into instragram and facebook, we use these to keep everyone update about changes, offers, and showing the work we do.