One of our new-this-year school customers seems to like us a bunch.

[bloke]

We haven't really spent any of our own money on servicing this school (other than the gas to get there and back)...' only affected repairs UNTIL this:

...but we really didn't spend money here, either.
A year or so ago (another school), we traded three marching baritones w/cases for some repair work. They were distressed, but only needed dent removal and partial refinishing.
Mrs. bloke is taking care of minor case repairs. I rounded up 3 good 6-1/2AL mpcs. to put with them (avoiding pulling from new stock).

This one has been straightened out, the ugly places stripped/buffed/lacquered, it's clean on the inside and it's ready to put into one of the nicely-repaired cases.

We started thinking back and selling them these (plus two double horn repairs in the shop, right now) easily pushes them over the $XX,XXX mark (again, no money spent - on our part - to receive any of that revenue).

(This is the same school system with the three formerly bashed-up 20K sousaphones, as well as some previously-screwed up 3/4 tubas and a couple of Jinbao rotary tubas which had been twisted around this-way-and-that.)

[bloke]

It's been raining all day. I've been fairly sick for a couple of days, so I didn't get this done over the weekend and also not Thanksgiving as I had planned (as several of the Thanksgiving family members stayed longer than I anticipated, and I was really glad, because I enjoyed their company).
I went out there - just now, early Monday evening, just after sundown, and just before dinner - and did the final polishing on marching baritone #3 (not a complete re-lacquer, as were not the other two, but the entire bell section, the entire large bow, and a bunch of other spots). I went ahead and shot that custom-dyed-to-look-aged lacquer on it that was only mixed with drying retarder (so virtually blush-proof). I shot it out the barn door (out of range of the rain), and it looks fine. I hit the bare polished metal with the torch to darken it after I shined it, and I also hit the drying lacquer with the torch after I sprayed it to additionally darken it as well... so - after the parts are stuck back onto the body - I'll have all three of these things done. (I inserted each of the German-made Bauerfend pistons into their casings, just to make sure that I would have a trouble-free reassembly. They all went in and out of their casings smoothly.) I'm beginning to see dollar signs...

[gocsick]

I should send my Blessing matching baritone to you for a respray .. but then you would see the horrible braces I fabricated when I was just beginning to learn (as opposed to now when I am finally a real repair novice). In my defense I got it for $25 and it came as a box of parts rather than as an intact instrument. Bauerfiend valves are flawless and fast though.

[bloke]

I should send my Blessing matching baritone to you for a respray .. but then you would see the horrible braces I fabricated when I was just beginning to learn (as opposed to now when I am finally a real repair novice). In my defense I got it for $25 and it came as a box of parts rather than as an intact instrument. Bauerfiend valves are flawless and fast though.

It might be cheaper to just bide your time and wait for one on eBay that looks pretty darn good and costs less than a re-bracing and refinishing job for the one that you have now, and then find someone to buy your not-so-shiny/not-oem-lookin' (yet functional)one.

Understand this:
I made these instruments look good/presentable, but I didn't make them look new. I didn't charge anywhere near enough to make them look new.

...their cases:
Two of the three had punched in areas on their top/front surfaces. I was thinking of stripping the tolex off of the fronts, and then gluing and riveting a layer of thin Masonite over the damaged tops and then painting them satin black... but - before doing all that - I injected TiteBond II (an absolutely superb carpenters glue) into all the cracks, pushed all the busted cracked edges back together into alignment, and allowed them to dry and harden for two or three days. Fortunately, those tops both feel as solid as the backs now, and - even though you can see the lines where they were formally cracked - they really don't look bad, and - well - "used" is used, as long as it's decent and functional.

They're getting three dent-free and shiny (scratches aren't buffed out, so they're just as thick as new instruments) American/German-made (Bauerfend valve sections) marching baritone outfits - with solid cases - for just about my wholesale cost of two brand new JP marching baritones.
This band director is going to be very happy with these.