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khedger Heavyweight Member
Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 754 Location: Cambridge, MA
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 8:31 pm Post subject: Re: Stuck second valve slide and bottom valve caps. Help! |
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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 Heavyweight Member
Joined: 28 Feb 2013 Posts: 2607
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:10 pm Post subject: Re: Stuck second valve slide and bottom valve caps. Help! |
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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. _________________ Getzen Eterna Severinsen
King Silver Flair
Besson 1000
Bundy
Chinese C
Getzen Eterna Bb/A piccolo
Chinese Rotary Bb/A piccolo
Chinese Flugel |
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A.N.A.Mendez Heavyweight Member
Joined: 27 Jul 2005 Posts: 5228 Location: ca.
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:13 pm Post subject: |
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From what I can gather this is the WORST place to get good advice regarding horn repair issues. Sheeesh _________________ "There is no necessity for deadly strife" A. Lincoln 1860
☛ "No matter how cynical you get, it's never enough to keep up" Lily Tomlin☚ |
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etc-etc Heavyweight Member
Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Posts: 6196
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Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2020 9:34 pm Post subject: |
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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 Heavyweight Member
Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 754 Location: Cambridge, MA
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Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2020 4:32 pm Post subject: Re: Stuck second valve slide and bottom valve caps. Help! |
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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 Heavyweight Member
Joined: 16 Dec 2007 Posts: 7080 Location: Houston, TX.
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Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2020 7:21 am Post subject: |
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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 _________________ When asked if he always sounds great:
"I always try, but not always, because the horn is merciless, unpredictable and traitorous." - Arturo Sandoval |
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Robert P Heavyweight Member
Joined: 28 Feb 2013 Posts: 2607
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2020 5:18 pm Post subject: Re: Stuck second valve slide and bottom valve caps. Help! |
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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? _________________ Getzen Eterna Severinsen
King Silver Flair
Besson 1000
Bundy
Chinese C
Getzen Eterna Bb/A piccolo
Chinese Rotary Bb/A piccolo
Chinese Flugel |
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