As my last post was filled with optimism about the technique of burnishing out scratches, it's only natural that this post is filled with soul-crushing reality. I decided to try the technique on another trumpet the other day, this time on a small scratch under a dent at the very back of the stem. The instrument was in for a cleaning, no dent removal was requested, but I thought "Hell, I'll take the dent out at no charge, then it will give me a chance to practice. If it's not perfect, no big deal, because it will still be better than when I started, and they're not expecting the dent to come out."
Wrong.
I learned something important about burnishing - ALWAYS make sure the area you are burnishing is completely clean, not only on the outside surface, but on the inside, too. Any crud on the inside of the instrument will get stuck between the inner surface and the surface of the mandrel you're burnishing on. That results in tiny little dents coming out from the inside of the instrument that only get worse the more you burnish. I had just cleaned this instrument, so I though I was safe, but failed to look down the bell to make sure everything was clean, and somehow a bunch of corrosion had remained in the back of the stem, right in the area I was burnishing. So not only did I do an incomplete job cleaning the instrument (after all my bluster about ultrasonic cleaning in the brochure), but I made the finish worse trying to fix something that wasn't supposed to be addressed. Further, I ran out of time to make it right on Friday, so I'll be trying to fit it in tomorrow.
The myriad lessons of this day merit a list of their own.
1) Check down the bell after cleaning to make sure you got everything out
2) If you didn't, move on to more serious cleaning practices, in this case a dip in Mineral Shock would be next.
3) If a mandrel is catching in the bell, it's because the bell is dirty on the inside!
4) Don't burnish on a dirty piece of tubing!
5) Don't do work the customer doesn't want, even if you think it will "add value."
6) Especially if that work is burnishing on a dirty piece of tubing! In case you forgot, it's not OK to do that!
7) Respect the techniques that have been handed down to you. For instance, burnishing is great, but only if you're willing to commit the time to do it right and not rush.
Number seven is the most important. Respect what others have taught you and respect your craft. Don't get too big for your britches or assume you're becoming an expert just because something goes well once or twice. It took my predecessors a lot of time and a lot of screw-ups to learn the things they've shared with me. It will take me a long time, too. Today was one of those screw-ups I'll carry with me, as I hope to carry all of my mistakes and preserve them in my memory and in this blog. Making mistakes is part of the process of learning and getting better, so I'm trying not to feel terrible about this one. I think I'll be able to make it right, and the experience will become another building block I draw upon as I continue to advance my skills. That, however, doesn't change the fact that with a little more focus and attention to detail I could have avoided it completely.
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