I'm planning to offer for sale a "premium" feeler gage set with the 
following 12 sizes:

0.0015
0.005
0.010
0.017
0.026
0.037
0.049
0.063
0.078
0.093
0.109
0.125

The 4 smallest sizes would be in stainless steel.  I'm thinking about 
including a spare .0015" feeler since they can take a beating over time.

These sizes are similar to what I have been using for years.  But they 
are spaced out more evenly.  

If there is enough interest, I can get these sooner than later.  I 
would need interest in about 25 sets to get the price down to $100/set.

Drop me an Email to mojomouthpiecework@...m if you are interested 
at this point.  I will probably ask for payment before I place an order.

How did these seemingly random odd sizes come about?

Best Regards,
Tom

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Keith Bradbury 
  To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Friday, October 31, 2008 4:33 PM
  Subject: [MouthpieceWork] Mojo Feeler Set


  I'm planning to offer for sale a "premium" feeler gage set with the 
  following 12 sizes:

  0.0015
  0.005
  0.010
  0.017
  0.026
  0.037
  0.049
  0.063
  0.078
  0.093
  0.109
  0.125

  The 4 smallest sizes would be in stainless steel. I'm thinking about 
  including a spare .0015" feeler since they can take a beating over time.

  These sizes are similar to what I have been using for years. But they 
  are spaced out more evenly. 

  If there is enough interest, I can get these sooner than later. I 
  would need interest in about 25 sets to get the price down to $100/set.

  Drop me an Email to mojomouthpiecework@... if you are interested 
  at this point. I will probably ask for payment before I place an order.



   

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, "Tom De Winter" 
<tdewinter@...> wrote:
>
> How did these seemingly random odd sizes come about?
> 
> Best Regards,
> Tom

Tom, I'll comment on each:

0.0015  "One and a half thousandths" had long been the standard for 
facing length.

0.005   Some have added this "in between" size, but my set just goes 
from .0015" to .010"

0.010   This measures "the break".

0.017   This is an added size to the old E. Brand sizes.  My Winslow 
kit's feelers added a .014".  This is an effort to get a reading 
between .10" and the next size, which in the E.Brand is .025"

0.026   Close enough

0.037   I have seen .034 and .035 used for this intermediate gauge.

0.049   They were looking for .050" and this is close enough.

0.063   1/16"  that is, .0625"

0.078   2 mm

0.093   15/16"

0.109   Don't know

0.125   1/8"

Paul's speculation is pretty good.   The original Erick Brand set of 5 feelers is inadequate in my opinion.  The intervals between the sizes are uneven making some parts of the facing curve measured more than other parts.  This is really noticeable if you plot your facing curves as you work on your mouthpieces.  The wider gaps are sections where you can get high and low spots from your target facing curve.

These problems are partially corrected by adding .005" and .014" or so in some sets.  Also, sizes above .050" are needed for sax mouthpiece work.  Stacking gages does not work well.  

Smaller sizes below .025" are easy enough to purchase.  About 4 years ago Jeff Rosner supplied us with a nice extension set:

http://www.shmuelyosef.com/Saxophones/Feeler_Gages.htm

I had input into these sizes: 0.063   0.078   0.093   0.109   0.125

They are the decimal equivalents from 1/16" to 1/8" at 1/64" intervals.  I did it this way thinking it might be easier to find these sizes from other suppliers over time.  Mitchellstore is supplying an extended set of feelers now, though I have not evaluated this set.  Theo Wanne has an extended set for sale, but his have wide gaps between the sizes.

Since I was recently getting quotes from a vendor who could supply any size feelers, I decided to re-think the smaller intervals so they are more evenly spaced.  I tweaked a few of the sizes until I got this spacing:

Targets	Change (Spacing)
0.0015	
0.005	0.0035
0.010	0.005
0.017	0.007
0.026	0.009
0.037	0.011
0.049	0.012
0.063	0.014
0.078	0.015
0.093	0.015
0.109	0.016
0.125	0.016

The smaller spacing is needed where the curve breaks away from the table.  If you plot the facing curve, you will see what I mean.  If you work off of charts of measurements, you will probably not like this new set of feelers unless you re-work your charts.  But I think the set I propose here will help to move the craft of mouthpiece work forward.  The old ways are not "bad" but I think there is room for improvement.

Next, I'd like to have a glass gage made out of optically flat glass to use as a standard to test other glass gages.



      

Keith, count me in for a set... I'll contact you off line for details.  Thanks.   My contact info www.bachorndoctor.com 913.369.1776. I've got ur glass gauge and have been very happy with results...   
Sent from my BlackBerry smartphone with SprintSpeed

-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Bradbury 

Date: Sat, 1 Nov 2008 12:30:58 
To: 
Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Mojo Feeler Set


Paul's speculation is pretty good.  The original Erick Brand set of 5 feelers is inadequate in my opinion.  The intervals between the sizes are uneven making some parts of the facing curve measured more than other parts.  This is really noticeable if you plot your facing curves as you work on your mouthpieces.  The wider gaps are sections where you can get high and low spots from your target facing curve.

These problems are partially corrected by adding .005" and .014" or so in some sets.  Also, sizes above .050" are needed for sax mouthpiece work.  Stacking gages does not work well.  

Smaller sizes below .025" are easy enough to purchase.  About 4 years ago Jeff Rosner supplied us with a nice extension set:

http://www.shmuelyosef.com/Saxophones/Feeler_Gages.htm

I had input into these sizes: 0.063   0.078   0.093   0.109   0.125

They are the decimal equivalents from 1/16" to 1/8" at 1/64" intervals.  I did it this way thinking it might be easier to find these sizes from other suppliers over time.  Mitchellstore is supplying an extended set of feelers now, though I have not evaluated this set.  Theo Wanne has an extended set for sale, but his have wide gaps between the sizes.

Since I was recently getting quotes from a vendor who could supply any size feelers, I decided to re-think the smaller intervals so they are more evenly spaced.  I tweaked a few of the sizes until I got this spacing:

Targets	Change (Spacing)
0.0015	
0.005	0.0035
0.010	0.005
0.017	0.007
0.026	0.009
0.037	0.011
0.049	0.012
0.063	0.014
0.078	0.015
0.093	0.015
0.109	0.016
0.125	0.016

The smaller spacing is needed where the curve breaks away from the table.  If you plot the facing curve, you will see what I mean.  If you work off of charts of measurements, you will probably not like this new set of feelers unless you re-work your charts.  But I think the set I propose here will help to move the craft of mouthpiece work forward.  The old ways are not "bad" but I think there is room for improvement.

Next, I'd like to have a glass gage made out of optically flat glass to use as a standard to test other glass gages.



      

I think you are absolutely on the right track, Keith. You mention that you
have not tried Jim Mitchell's feelers. I have owned a set for several months
and use them every day. The larger sizes in Jim's set have really helped.
The feelers were all first quality and dead on the money accurate according
to my caliper. The price was right as well.

  _____  

From: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Keith Bradbury
Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2008 1:31 PM
To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Mojo Feeler Set



Paul's speculation is pretty good.  The original Erick Brand set of 5
feelers is inadequate in my opinion. The intervals between the sizes are
uneven making some parts of the facing curve measured more than other parts.
This is really noticeable if you plot your facing curves as you work on your
mouthpieces. The wider gaps are sections where you can get high and low
spots from your target facing curve.

These problems are partially corrected by adding .005" and .014" or so in
some sets. Also, sizes above .050" are needed for sax mouthpiece work.
Stacking gages does not work well. 

Smaller sizes below .025" are easy enough to purchase. About 4 years ago
Jeff Rosner supplied us with a nice extension set:

http://www.shmuelyo <http://www.shmuelyosef.com/Saxophones/Feeler_Gages.htm>
sef.com/Saxophones/Feeler_Gages.htm

I had input into these sizes: 0.063 0.078 0.093 0.109 0.125

They are the decimal equivalents from 1/16" to 1/8" at 1/64" intervals. I
did it this way thinking it might be easier to find these sizes from other
suppliers over time. Mitchellstore is supplying an extended set of feelers
now, though I have not evaluated this set. Theo Wanne has an extended set
for sale, but his have wide gaps between the sizes.

Since I was recently getting quotes from a vendor who could supply any size
feelers, I decided to re-think the smaller intervals so they are more evenly
spaced. I tweaked a few of the sizes until I got this spacing:

Targets Change (Spacing)
0.0015 
0.005 0.0035
0.010 0.005
0.017 0.007
0.026 0.009
0.037 0.011
0.049 0.012
0.063 0.014
0.078 0.015
0.093 0.015
0.109 0.016
0.125 0.016

The smaller spacing is needed where the curve breaks away from the table. If
you plot the facing curve, you will see what I mean. If you work off of
charts of measurements, you will probably not like this new set of feelers
unless you re-work your charts. But I think the set I propose here will help
to move the craft of mouthpiece work forward. The old ways are not "bad" but
I think there is room for improvement.

Next, I'd like to have a glass gage made out of optically flat glass to use
as a standard to test other glass gages.



 

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, Keith Bradbury 
<kwbradbury@...> wrote:
>
> Paul's speculation is pretty good.   The original Erick Brand set 
of 5 feelers is inadequate in my opinion.  

We have to remember, when the E. Brand set was introduced, most of 
the mouthpiece work was for clarinet.  And for saxophone, the tip 
openings were much smaller than today.  

People wonder why many of the great mouthpieces of the past are so 
difficult to find in the larger facings, but smaller facings all over 
the place.  Back then they used longer facings, smaller tip openings, 
and harder reeds than are used today.  Just that simple.

But yes, we need more and larger feelers than the five in the 
original E. Brand set.

About the extra .0015" feeler Mojo mentioned... John Winslow sent me 
a .002" gauge.  He felt that it gave very nearly the same (or just as 
usable) reading for total facing length, but was a more durable 
gauge.  I experimented and found that it would measure from 1-2 mm 
shorter than the .0015", and this was hardly a problem.  But I still 
use the .0015".

Some of the other gauges, I doubt it would make a difference if you 
used a .024", .025", or even .026" for that intermediate gauge, 
or .048" to .050".  Those are used out where the curviture of the 
facing is at a far greater angle than the near tangent measurement 
with the .0015" and .010" gauges.

I also feel the .010" measurement is far more important in getting 
the feel of the facing length (the "break") than the .0015".  If 
the .010", .014", and .024" are correct, then the .0015" can vary 
quite a bit and not affect the playing or feel of the mouthpiece. 

Paul

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, " STEVE GOODSON" 
<saxgourmet@...> wrote:
>
> I think you are absolutely on the right track, Keith. You mention 
that you
> have not tried Jim Mitchell's feelers. I have owned a set for 
several months
> and use them every day. The larger sizes in Jim's set have really 
helped.
> The feelers were all first quality and dead on the money accurate 
according
> to my caliper. The price was right as well.
> 
>   _____  
> 
>From 
Jimmitch                                                              
                                                                      
     >Thanks Steve I can say this business is slow right now.I was
selling my kit for $100 on ebay pretty well until this down
turn.Overseas sales were good then the dollar started to rise.I'm
hoping things pick up or I will have to stop making my kit.

Well, rats! I wish I had read this post yesterday since I just 
ordered a monster gage set from Eastern Gage (www.easterngage.com). 
It's a set of 35 gages that cover everything in the "standard" set 
below plus a bunch more in between up to 0.125". The feelers are 12" 
long and need to be cut to make 3 or 4 sets.

My old gage sets took quite a beating. Does anyone have ideas on how 
to store the gages so that they're well protected but easy to 
access? The best thing I've tried is a memory card tray for holding 
laptop memory modules. It's easy to keep the gages organized and 
clean, but its bulky to transport. I like to be able to store all my 
mouthpiece work tools in a briefcase.

- Jorns

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, Keith Bradbury 
<kwbradbury@...> wrote:
>
> Paul's speculation is pretty good.   The original Erick Brand set 
of 5 feelers is inadequate in my opinion.  The intervals between the 
sizes are uneven making some parts of the facing curve measured more 
than other parts.  This is really noticeable if you plot your facing 
curves as you work on your mouthpieces.  The wider gaps are sections 
where you can get high and low spots from your target facing curve.
> 
> These problems are partially corrected by adding .005" and .014" 
or so in some sets.  Also, sizes above .050" are needed for sax 
mouthpiece work.  Stacking gages does not work well.  
> 
> Smaller sizes below .025" are easy enough to purchase.  About 4 
years ago Jeff Rosner supplied us with a nice extension set:
> 
> http://www.shmuelyosef.com/Saxophones/Feeler_Gages.htm
> 
> I had input into these sizes: 0.063   0.078   0.093   0.109   0.125
> 
> They are the decimal equivalents from 1/16" to 1/8" at 1/64" 
intervals.  I did it this way thinking it might be easier to find 
these sizes from other suppliers over time.  Mitchellstore is 
supplying an extended set of feelers now, though I have not 
evaluated this set.  Theo Wanne has an extended set for sale, but 
his have wide gaps between the sizes.
> 
> Since I was recently getting quotes from a vendor who could supply 
any size feelers, I decided to re-think the smaller intervals so 
they are more evenly spaced.  I tweaked a few of the sizes until I 
got this spacing:
> 
> Targets	Change (Spacing)
> 0.0015	
> 0.005	0.0035
> 0.010	0.005
> 0.017	0.007
> 0.026	0.009
> 0.037	0.011
> 0.049	0.012
> 0.063	0.014
> 0.078	0.015
> 0.093	0.015
> 0.109	0.016
> 0.125	0.016
> 
> The smaller spacing is needed where the curve breaks away from the 
table.  If you plot the facing curve, you will see what I mean.  If 
you work off of charts of measurements, you will probably not like 
this new set of feelers unless you re-work your charts.  But I think 
the set I propose here will help to move the craft of mouthpiece 
work forward.  The old ways are not "bad" but I think there is room 
for improvement.
> 
> Next, I'd like to have a glass gage made out of optically flat 
glass to use as a standard to test other glass gages.
>