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Stuck second valve slide and bottom valve caps. Help!


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khedger
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 8:31 pm    Post subject: Re: Stuck second valve slide and bottom valve caps. Help! Reply with quote

Chenboi wrote:
My 2nd valve slide is terrible stuck (doesn't budge at all) and all three of my bottom valve caps can't move either. I really need to clean my horn but I can't conceive a way to remove these parts without breaking the instrument. Any suggestions?


first of all I'd use valve oil on all offending parts. Let it soak in and even oil it twice.

Run hot water on the slide and caps for a few minutes, then try again.

For the valve caps, cover them with a piece of towel or handi wipe (make a nice pad all the way around, then GENTLY try to unstick them with a pair of channel lock pliers. BE VERY CAREFUL DOING THIS. Make sure there's NO metal to metal contact between the pliers and the valve caps. DON'T try to force them. If an initial try doesn't work, then try something else. DON'T squeeze the channel locks too much!!! You don't want to damage anything here. Sometimes though, just a little more torque than you can get with your fingers will get things moving.....be very careful!!!!

keith
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Robert P
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:10 pm    Post subject: Re: Stuck second valve slide and bottom valve caps. Help! Reply with quote

khedger wrote:
GENTLY try to unstick them with a pair of channel lock pliers.

No - absolutely not - no matter what you have between the channel locks and the caps it's too easy to damage something. Those channel locks can exert massive pressure.

Heat and soaking in *real* penetrating oil - PB Blaster or Kroil as previously mentioned, glancing taps with a rubber or leather mallet and grab them with a rubber gripper. If you don't have the digital strength, find someone who does.
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A.N.A.Mendez
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

From what I can gather this is the WORST place to get good advice regarding horn repair issues. Sheeesh
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etc-etc
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would suggest to convince yourself that your trumpet bottom caps have been fixed.

Unlike previous advice, this is psychological and will not harm the trumpet.

If you think, "but how can I convince the trumpet?", you cannot - unless you want your horn to suffer. Convincing trumpets without incurring additional trauma is the forte of brass psychoanalysts, also known as horn repairers.
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khedger
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 28, 2020 4:32 pm    Post subject: Re: Stuck second valve slide and bottom valve caps. Help! Reply with quote

Robert P wrote:
khedger wrote:
GENTLY try to unstick them with a pair of channel lock pliers.

No - absolutely not - no matter what you have between the channel locks and the caps it's too easy to damage something. Those channel locks can exert massive pressure.

Heat and soaking in *real* penetrating oil - PB Blaster or Kroil as previously mentioned, glancing taps with a rubber or leather mallet and grab them with a rubber gripper. If you don't have the digital strength, find someone who does.


Well I guess this is one of those 'whatever works for you' things. I've used this method dozens of times over the years and never damaged a horn. You'll notice I said several times, in no uncertain terms how careful one must be.....

keith
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Brad361
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 29, 2020 7:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Penetrating oil....pliers.....rubber mallets.....not me. Depending on the horn and it’s value, anything that I could not easily remove/unscrew/loosen/whatever using reasonable, manual strength would go to a tech that I trusted, REGARDLESS of whether it’s convenient or not.

Just my opinion.

Brad
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Robert P
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 31, 2020 5:18 pm    Post subject: Re: Stuck second valve slide and bottom valve caps. Help! Reply with quote

khedger wrote:
Robert P wrote:
khedger wrote:
GENTLY try to unstick them with a pair of channel lock pliers.

No - absolutely not - no matter what you have between the channel locks and the caps it's too easy to damage something. Those channel locks can exert massive pressure.

Heat and soaking in *real* penetrating oil - PB Blaster or Kroil as previously mentioned, glancing taps with a rubber or leather mallet and grab them with a rubber gripper. If you don't have the digital strength, find someone who does.


Well I guess this is one of those 'whatever works for you' things. I've used this method dozens of times over the years and never damaged a horn. You'll notice I said several times, in no uncertain terms how careful one must be.....

keith

You might get away with it but the fact remains that you're using a hugely inappropriate tool for the job and it's too easy to have an "oops". Look into what channel locks are designed to do - bite into metal parts that are a lot tougher than the delicate brass of a trumpet and act as a force multiplier for your hand with -0- consideration as to things like cosmetics, potentially altering the critical roundness of a finely machined piston cylinder, breaking loose a solder joint.

Why risk that when you can use other methods so you don't *have* to use a tool with all that force potential?
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Bundy
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Getzen Eterna Bb/A piccolo
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