Definitely, soldering repair is an area where there is quite a bit of room for divergence in quality of service.  I know of relatively unknown techs that do excellent soldering work, for example, and I know of one very notorious (I would say "renowned" but I think most would agree that "notorious" is more apt) saxophone repairperson whose work I can almost always tell with one glance at the horror of his soldering repair.

Actually, I have a picture of a soldering repair this latter person did, sent to me by a client of his, and it's probably instructive to discuss it as an example of what is at stake in soldering repair, and what a really bad repair looks like and what causes it:
 

(THE UGLY...bad soldering repair NOT done by Just Saxes)

^THE UGLY...bad soldering repair NOT done by Just Saxes
(So ugly, and so bad, it bears repeating)

What you are looking at, above, is a smashingly disfigured tonehole from a Buescher bass saxophone.  In short a soldering repair done for hire should never look like that -- like a weld off a ship's hull, in minature, or similar.  The first thing to say is that it's not clear why this tonehole was "repaired" in such a manner.  Normally, upon seeing solder in that location -- abominably applied or not -- one would suspect that the tonehole seam had cracked or was leaking at the bottom of the chimney; I know this person's "work" a bit, and any number of other intentions are also possible, that could produce such a messy result.  Still, whatever the reason for the job, why does it look like that, all piled up, globby and sloppy?  I can think of at least two reasons:
 

• Simple incompetence.  Solder has to be heated to the correct temperature, with the proper prep work and an appropriate flux to the solder, in order to flow properly.  An inability to carry through some part of those requirements is supported by the appearance of the (very abundant, piled up) solder, obviously; had all the correct prepwork been done, and the flow temperature reached, there is basically no way the solder would remain piled up as it has.  What's interesting, though, is that there are a few signs to suggest that obvious forms of incompentence are possibly only half the story; specifically, the fact the bell brace obviously was not resoldered by the same person, nor most likely was the post just above it (at 2 o'clock) in the photo -- that the globs are so piled up and the other posts apparently did not need to be resoldered is truly wacky.  If the globs of solder are actually silver solder, this would be really puzzling, because to get silver solder hot enough to even glob on like that you would have to get the metal very hot, and this would point to some weird combination of skill and lack thereof, because the person who did that repair would need enough skill to get silver solder hot enough even to glob on to the surface without melting the much lower temp solder of the bell brace and post; this would be, in short, a bit of a weird and interesting feat.  Regardless of any perverse and nonsensical ingenuity -- incompetence obviously plays a role here.  The proper solution here -- assuming the repair was to the structure of the tonehole, not some other mysterious reason -- was either (a) to make a proper repair with silver solder and then make proper resoldering repairs to the brace and post, which would likely detach in the process of making a proper silver solder repair, hopefully while discussing what would happen with the customer beforehand, or (b) to fashion a brass or tin patch and shape it to fit the tonehole snugly, so that the patch could be soldered to both body and tonehole, providing structural support, with a (lower, or non-lead) solder that heats at a moderate temperature, so that the patch could be applied with that medium temp solder without causing the brace and post to detach.
• Cost effectiveness.  To do either (a) or (b) as above would require significantly more time, and I can imagine a scenario where a repairperson who, confronted with a customer who clearly had some financial difficulties, would offer to make a quicker, makeshift repair that might work on a temporary basis because the labor to make a repair in that way would be more affordable for the owner.  The only problem with that is that, based on the fact that the saxophone in question is a bass saxophone -- the most expensive pitching -- and probably cost the owner in excess of $3000, the odds that the customer wanted a cheap, chintzy, ugly repair are minimal.  I also happen to know, in this case, that the repairperson is a bit of a money glutton, and would charge a customer anything he could convince the customer to pay for, with the exception of a "freebie" given out to someone he felt could benefit him some way.  Still, while in this case cost effectiveness was likely not the reason for the sloppy repair, discussing the possibility of a cost-effective sloppy repair at the customer's request is worth mentioning, because it does sometimes happen with good intentions.

The basic message in discussing a repair like the one shown above is to say that a professional soldering repair ideally would not look like that.  There are makeshift scenarios where I can see it happening -- a repairman's own saxophone, repaired in a way that doesn't bother him, that was later sold to a client who really wanted it, but no soldering done for hire should ever look like that.  I know that there are repairmen here and there who would, as a normal practice, glob on solder like that because in their minds it would add stability, but if that much piled up solder is needed in their minds for the stability they want, a patch that is soldered on with a medium flow solder will be not only more stable but easier to re-service in the event that something ever goes wrong with the solder bond.

All of that said, I will say this:  the "rub" to soldering is that neatness and structural stability are sort of set against each other when doing solder repair.  Why?  For several reasons, related to what causes solder to degrade, the most dependable solder repair is always the one that does not incorporate gaps; when a post rib is soldered to the saxophone body, for example, ideally there would be no air or empty gaps between the bottom surface of the rib and the surface of the saxophone body.  A gap there would likely trap exposed solder flux, and lead to the solder surrounding the gap eventually failing.  In order to avoid allowing gaps to be left between surfaces that are soldered to each other, it is better to allow a small amount of solder overflow than to apply too little solder.  This means that some clean-up is usually necessary, and once one gets into clean-up one gets into a battle between ideals and the practical where the wants of the customer -- most customers would prefer NO brass were ever removed from their instrument, no matter how little -- and the prejudices of the repairperson (most repairpersons are far less concerned with a bit of brass being removed in a soldering clean-up, because unlike the customer the consequences of various repairs are less unknown and mysterious to them -- it's the unknown that is scary, for laypersons, which I know because I still remember what it was like to be a layperson).

Personally, I try to abide the concerns of customers, and I actually agree that ideally one does not remove brass from the instrument if it's not necessary.  If a customer is more concerned with cosmetic results than function, I will abide that.  That is their choice, to a certain point (there is a thresshold I won't cross, but the customer's wants are more important than my preferences -- my job is to help in making an informed choice).  My philosophy on soldering is to err on the side of proper function, rather than sacrifice structural stability for cosmetics' sake.

Where this comes into play is mainly in repairs where air leaks are a concern -- the prime cases for that being resolderings of tenons, neck sleeves, toneholes (on a Martin, for example, or another saxophone with soldered toneholes), octave pips, and body/bow/bell joints; actually, though most would think the last case would be the trickiest, for cosmetics' sake, it is actually one of the easiest in terms of the actual soldering's neatness (a different matter from lacquer burn), because there is a greater gap to be filled which means that the air seal can be made across a greater surface area, necessitating less concern for the exterior-most areas of the joint seam.  The one place where I will intentionally allow a bit of excess solder to remain, and where I will intentionally apply and leave a bit of excess solder is in particular the octave pip.  The reason for this is that I want to be absolutely sure that there is no air leakage at the octave pip, because any leak there at all will profoundly affect the instrument's performance.

Octave pip resolderings are probably the single most common application of soldering repair, as well, because most dentwork in the body tube and bow will necessitate removal of the body octave pip, in order to perform the work without damaging the stem (the portion of the "chimney" that intrudes into the body tube).

(Example of a Just Saxes octave pip repair:)

As you can see, there is some excess solder, but it is smooth and visually unintrusive, despite that it has not been cleaned up other than with a rag, some metal polish, and a wash and dry with a toothbrush.

Not all of my pip resolders are this neat, or relatively invisible, and it is worth mentioning some of the reasons for this.  For example, I use a a lead-free solder that blends well with silver surfaces, and the body tube here is new silverplate.  Were the same repair done on a brass saxophone body, the solder would be more visible because the solder and body would be different colors.  Similarly, were the body lacquered brass, the lacquer would have to be removed in order for the soldering work to be structurally sound; very low temperature solders will sometimes flow and bind to lacquer, but in a case like that the lacquer becomes the weak link, so that when the lacquer detaches from the body, the soldered-on part will detach with it.  One always wants parts that are to be soldered onto lacquered surfaces to be soldered on only after the lacquer is removed; this involves some cosmetic evidence of the work, as the metal under the lacquer, after it is cleaned, will usually have a different cast than the metal that remains under the original lacquer, because (a) that covered metal will have developed some patina over time, most likely, and (b) the lacquer is often tinted, so that when it is removed the brass that has no tinted lacquer over it is a different tone.  Probably a photo of a nearly identical octave pip repair here would be handy for illustration.  This is an octave pip repair I did for a Mark VI tenor refinishing/overhaul job; the soldering work is roughly identical to that depicted on the silver 10M:

(Mark VI tenor, octave pip resolder by Just Saxes - done in order to facilitate body dentwork and avoid damage to the pip stem)

There are other reasons for allowances of small imperfections in soldering work and clean-up as well.  A recent 6M's neck brace (the band of brass across the top of the neck crook that lends it support against being bent) provides a good example:

(No-buff refinish, neck-screw replacement, double-socket tenon refit and overhaul on this 6M in photo also by Just Saxes)

So, here the soldering work is clean, and the coverage with the (lead-free) solder is thorough.  The brace is where it should be, and the only imperfection is that the point of the brace, near the tenon, is not as flush to the neck as would be idea.  Most people would probably not notice, but I point it out because it is an opportunity to explain how I do things.  I have always found that heating the entire saxophone to a certain temperature, as the last step of every overhaul, works a special magic on the horn.  Perhaps all it does is cause the saxophone to iron the pads (literally via the hot toneholes ironing the surface they contact, or for something else to happen related to getting a better airseal in the pads (a tightening of the pores due to shrinkage perhap), but I have always wondered if it might not be related to a release of tension in the metal of the saxophone due to its being heated and then cooled -- something like what annealing does but on a less pronounced/extreme level due to more moderate temperature variations.  As one works on a saxophone, tension does develop in the metal.  In the abstract, heating the metal could cause tension to release.  Anyway, I regard it as possible that tension in the metal is an enemy of saxophone response -- and I have heard this echoed in the remarks of some saxophone magicians of the past, on occasion.  So, rather than press down on the tip of the brace while the solder was being applied and heated, as many would do, and which in my mind would create some extra tension in the metal in the part of the saxophone itself that is most crucial to the saxophone's tone -- the neck is responsible for most of what we experience as any given saxophone's personality -- I opt to allow a bit of solder to fill in the space.  The lead-free solder melts at a higher temperature than lead, and is a stiffer and harder material, so not much strength is lost as compared to brass, which is a very soft metal.  Sure:  I could have spent some more time with the metalsmithing of the point, but as any repairman with experience will tell you when you get as close to perfect as the brace above is, continuing to ask for that last little bit of bend from the point could result in the nice fit of the rest of the brace becoming upset.  I don't think there are too many people doing cleaner soldering work than what you see above.  I'm OK with the tiny bit of imperfection you see, there, which is why I don't have to be in denial about it and pretend it's not there, or to avoid drawing attention to it.

To know why it is sometimes preferable to leave something nearly perfect, rather than to insist on perfection to the point of diminishing returns, and why one stops, is part of this craft, to me.  I would be willing to bet that some of the ugliest work out there is the product of someone trying too hard, going too far, and then getting fed up and frustrated and in the end allowing a horrible mess (such as the soldering in the first picture, at the top of this page, for example) to stand.

Soldering work is not that hard when it is done correctly.  Doing it correctly can be, however, mildly time consuming, especially when clean-up is taken into account.  It is also work that I do strictly on the clock -- meaning according to a timer -- because it is difficult to determine in many cases just how long a particular job will take.  Sometimes one gets lucky and soldering work is quicker.  Other times, one has to start and stop, reverse direction and redo, a few times.  The important thing is to have a high standard and have clear communication about what the likely outcomes are, and what the choice are, with any given mechanical work.

(Martin keyguard feet, resoldered by Just Saxes)

Above:  Martin alto keyguard that was repaired in the past, but needed to be redone -- there is some old solder spatter on the tonehole chimney
that is not from the work done by JS.  I would characterize this as an average or normal result for resoldering keyguards, here at JS.)
 
 

(Yanagisawa soprano saxophone tenon replacement)

Above:  Yanagisawa soprano owned by local professional, tenon replaced by Just Saxes.  This S992 took a bad fall with the neck inserted, and the original tenon was badly bent, and beyond repair unless removed.  Because a new tenon is better than an old tenon - and the labor to repair the old one well is not much less expensive than the new replacement part, we replaced the old tenon with an identical, original stock new tenon.  I would characterize this as a slightly better than average result.  I would not feel comfortable using less solder, which would allow for less of a solder "shadow" at the tenon-body seam, because here dependability of performance -- sturdiness in this case -- is more important than making a completely invisible repair.
 
 

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