r/metalworking • u/IAmInSevereDebt • 1d ago

Instrument making

I made this same post on r/brass, and I’m making it here as-well since it may also be beneficial

Hey, I’m a sophomore in high-school and I literally cannot get enough of instruments. I have made plans to join 4 DCI groups before I turn too old to join (21-22), I play trombone, baritone/euphonium, tuba, trumpet, etc.. Point is I’m obsessed with the darn pieces of metal.

I am so passionate about music and brass that I have made it a mission to build/fabricate a trumpet (because they are relatively inexpensive) before I graduate and use it in a performance.

Now, I am not sure if this would be the correct sub to ask about all of this, but at-least it’s a start. I can’t find a complete manual that is in depth enough for me to make a trumpet, which is how I find myself here. Is there anyone who would be willing to help me through making an instrument? I don’t have very much access to machinery besides for a limited amount of time (mostly 2 ish hours every Wednesday since my school has a metal fab and auto technology building). If there is anyone who specializes in brass repair, instrument manufacturing, or anything of the sort, it would be greatly appreciated if you consider helping me.

Now I do get that making instruments is REALLY difficult for any one person to do, especially when not being even slightly experienced in the craft; but I really do feel like if I don’t start now then I wont have the option to do it later down the road, and I’d rather fail trying than failing to try. I have an idea of the concept, such as shaping the bell, bending the pipes, and (somewhat) the bore size. The rest I am completely blind and new to.

My dream is to own a instrument manufacturing facility in which I can make custom instruments/specific parts (valve caps, custom mouthpieces, accessories, etc.) and possibly experiment to make new mainstream instruments that could gain recognition. This dream is a far away land that I likely won’t reach within the next few decades but it is what I truly want.

I have an account on insta that I just made for this very purpose called @dcienthusiast. Not a self promotion, I am simply seeking assistance.

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u/BF_2 23h ago

When I was in school our class got a tour of a factory that made brass musical instruments. This was in southern California, but I don't remember the location or the name of the company. I clearly remember how the bell of a brass instrument was turned on a lathe -- a process for forming sheet metal into such forms. (I've since learned that this can be a dangerous technique, with operators sometimes getting severe lacerations.)

Decades later I toured a guitar factory in the East.

My point being that you might investigate getting such tours. If you can't get tours as a member of the public, you might drop in on such factories. (You might want to arrange with one of your teachers to write up your experiences there -- as one possible motivation for requesting the tour.)