Instruments

Brazing uses a heated filler material to join two metals without melting them. In creating brass musical instruments, brazing techniques form strong bonds between multiple pieces of brass. Fusion, Inc. provides brazing and soldering products for wind, string, and percussion instruments. We are a leader in brazing and soldering pastes for brass instruments and can help you choose the best product for your needs. Learn more about brazing instruments and the common alloys used.

Traditional Brass Bells Brazing Techniques

Flame brazing by hand is the most common brazing method for traditional brass bells, since they are large and imprecise assemblies. Induction brazing is another option, but only with the proper coil design and heat profile. Furnace brazing is not a suitable technique due to the similar melting temperatures between the base metals and alloy.

For brass bells, a fully brazed joint is needed for the bell’s entire length to prevent splits or cracks as it goes through the shaping and annealing processes. This seam should not be seen in the finished product. 

Common Fusion Alloys for Bells

Saxophone Bodies Brazing Techniques 

Saxophone bodies require a fully brazed joint because it ensures the instrument doesn’t crack or split during the shaping and annealing processes. The seam should not be visible in the final product. The two common brazing techniques used for saxophone bodies are flame brazing by hand and TIG welding. 

Common Fusion Alloys for Saxophone Bodies

Trumpet Valves Brazing Techniques

Brazing trumpet valves is typically done with flame, induction, or furnace heating. The braze should flow into the joint as fully as possible with complete capillary flow to prevent cracking during future shaping and annealing. Paste is usually applied from inside the joint because it is machined out into a cylindrical shape. Brazing the valve cluster fills all gaps to create an air-tight assembly.

Common Fusion Alloys for Trumpet Valves

• Brass: 1076
• Bronze: 1205

French Horn Valves Brazing Techniques

Flame, induction, and furnace brazing are the three main techniques used for French horn valves. When using the flame or induction methods, the valves may sustain fire scale that requires polishing. Fully brazed joints are needed to prevent splits during future processing, and the French horn’s valve assembly is typically soldered together. 

Common Fusion Alloys for French Horn Valves

• Brass: 1076
• Bronze: 1205

Bocals Brazing Techniques

The goal of brazing bocals is to create a smooth, pit-free braze with an invisible seam. Fully brazing bocals prevents splits or cracks during future shaping and annealing processes. Flame and induction brazing are the main techniques used for bocals. 

Common Fusion Alloys for Bocals

• Silver: 1076
• Nickel: 1205
• Copper: 1240, 1260

Woodwind Keys Brazing Techniques

Flame, induction, and furnace brazing are commonly used for woodwind instrument keys. Woodwind keys receive standard quality brazing with a minimally visible brazing filler, and some fillet is allowed. This is because the keys are often silver- or nickel-plated. 

Common Fusion Alloys for Woodwind Keys

• Brass: 1205
• Bronze: 1076, 1260

Advantages of Brazing Instruments 

The musical instruments industry benefits from brazing because it provides minimal distortion. Brazing brass musical instruments is also a highly efficient and versatile solution that creates superior joint quality. 

Fusion, Inc.’s Brazing Products and Services for the Musical Instruments Industry

Fusion understands the precision and art behind brazing brass instruments. Trust Fusion to deliver quality paste alloys to meet your exceptional needs. Common applications include: 

Fusion’s brazing and soldering alloys are custom-blended to meet your requirements for fast, single-step application and eliminate the need to apply separate flux. Our silver brazing pastes, for instance, produce durable, leakproof joints that meet corrosion resistance, temperature, pressure, conductivity, and mechanical performance requirements. Our pastes readily adapt to parts of different sizes or shapes. A wide variety of formulations permit the joining of popular musical instrument metals, including brass, copper, and bronze.

Reach out to Fusion to discuss your brazing or soldering alloy needs, or request a consultation from our experts today.