Today I was able to observe a demonstration on pipe bending. While fixing an older model cornet it was decided that replacing the mouthpipe would be necessary but nothing that was available would have been an exact match. The replacement mouthpipe would have to be bent manually to ensure the best possible fit. The mouthipe was placed into the vice and bent around a wood jig that was cut to desired shape. The photograph shows the new mouthpipe after the bending process.










Here you can see the new mouthpipe on the instrument. It will be sent away for silver plating in order to match the rest of the instrument.


Before the plating the pipe must be trimmed to the final shape and prepared for plating. The picture on the right shows the removal of the pitch that it inside the pipe. This is a black tar substance, the same that has been around for hundreds of years, that helps the pipe to stay round while bending. The pitch fills the entire pipe creating support so that the pipe will not crimp when bent.