"But, all in all - this was the best investment I've
made since opening my own business. And, I really appreciate the help in getting
financial terms to pay for it. You guys Rock!"
Brett Laidler, Brett's Bench at Klaverenga's
The machine that started it ALL.
The
FIRST mass produced dent machine.
Ferree's Z60, now
with over 42 years of experience and still providing quality, value and that rare commodity,
non- obsolescence or permanence. The new tools developed over the last 6
years, FIT the first Z60 dent machine ever made.
This nearly 40 year old Z60 & Z61 machine
was donated by Mrs. Alma Sturgis
Williams of Chicago, IL,
widow of long time Lyon & Healy B. I. Repairman,
DAN
WILLIAMS and then was completely Remanufactured & Updated by
Curtis Ferree for the National Technical Training Center in Normal,
IL.
When this machine first came out, it was called a "Sousaphone
Machine" by a lot of people because, that is what they used it for and because that was the
fastest way to recoup the expense. Also, that was the dirtiest, sweatiest,
hardest job there was to do back then. The 'burnishing rings' that were
used back then were heavy
machined cast iron (The largest one, almost 12" in diameter, even an extra weight
cast into it to make it even heavier and further increasing the mechanical advantage), and the dent rods were
about 5 foot long, SOLID hot rolled steel bars, special bent, up to 2
1/2" in diameter; man were they heavy. It could take 2-3 days just to
do the dent work on the sousaphone branches; all done by HAND using these
monolithic tools and your largest dent hammer.
Most brassmen were large and/or
stocky, that did that type work back then; for obvious reasons. Like the
"Village Smitty" or "Blacksmith" of days gone by.
In the
mid to late 60's, we had a fellow named Dan
in our shop who was about 5'-7", 145#, who, using the Z60 and Z61, could DO 2
to 2 1/2 complete Sousa dent
jobs A DAY! That was ALL the curved branches and the bell! Some of
you may recall we charged you just $75 for all that work. Lots better than
you spending 2 1/2 days of your time.
As time went on and repairmen got more experience
with the machine, they started doing FINER and finer work, on smaller and
smaller instruments. Later, they started doing playing condition jobs and
then finally, rental returns. As the experience and "Comfort"
using the Zmachine grew, more and more things were attempted. Now,
Repairmen
are doing jobs they wouldn't even have considered or conceived of doing even two
years ago, at least, by using the machine.
The three greatest advances in dent machine use have got
to be the many new Power Discs, the Z61-11 articulated tuba arm and the Z60-50
"finger tool". Armed with these new tools Repairmen can do even more jobs,
better, faster and easier; even more profitable than ever before AND preserve
the instrument in the process.
Small wonder the base is now also available as a, "Z61E",
which includes the Z61-11 Tuba Arm, instead of the Sousa rods. Tuba bows can now
be as smooth as the sousaphone branches have been for a long time.
ATTENTION: The NEW Z60S and Z61S STANDS are NOW
available. If you only have or want the Z60 top for doing bell flairs,
backs, accessible bows and reachable straight tubing, you will be able to do a
more secure and proficient job with one of these holders.
With this new assemblage of tooling, Repairmen are much more versatile,
more efficient and as well equipped
as any profession can be. As it (we) should be.
Ferree's Tools-"the most copied tools in the world"
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