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Complete restoration of Buffet Pochette

Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2014-02-04 07:18
Attachment: Pochette 1.jpg (1233k)
Attachment: Pochette 2.jpg (1218k)
Attachment: Pochette 3.jpg (1107k)

A couple of weeks ago I purchased a 70's Buffet pochette from Ebay. It needed quite a bit of work, however the exterior condition was almost perfect. It needed new handles, and a whole new lining.

I purchased a pocketbook with the correct diameter handles from a local thrift store for $6.00. I was able to locate what seemed to be the original color cotton velvet/velour fabric at an upholstery supply house. I stripped the interior down to the basic structure, but I noticed that in order to fully protect the sections of the horn, I would have to rework the wooden dividers so that everything would lie straight and secure. This involved carving down some of the dividers and re-thinking the bits of cardboard and padding so that it could be optimized without putting pressure on the keys or allowing slop during transit. What usually results in a one hour job turned into a four hour job, as it required a great deal of trial and error and continuous re-fitting. For this job, I used rubber cement for the largest sections of fabric with strong hot glue at the edges to make sure there would be no shifting. Ailienes Sticky glue can leave the cotton velvet hard in areas where the glue soaks through the cotton, so I opted against using it. The ribbon which says Buffet the sweetest etc .... had to be sponge cleaned and sealed at the edges with a hot knife to prevent unraveling. These older Buffet pochettes had springs to hold the cover open and fabric bands to keep the cover from opening too far. The fabric bands had to be redone.

The overall look is nearly factory fresh and the fit and instrument protection factor has been far improved over the original.

Check out the final result in the three photos attached. Four hours plus seems a little excessive for the labor involved, but even using the best fabrics and having to source the handles from a pocket book left my cost of restoration to $17 plus the cost of obtaining the pochette from Ebay. Not a bad result, I think....

Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com

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