PROBIRT Forums: STUCK slide

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Topic: STUCK slide

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PeterWillis
Technician

Joined: August.01.05
Location: USA
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Posts: 4

Posted: August.17.05 at 6:40pm \| IP Logged

I've got a Yamaha 6335 trumpet in the shop - all slides frozen, all pistons frozen. I got everything out and moving except the extremely stuck main slide - the gunk that came out of this horn rivals any neglected school Bundy or Kris-Kratt I've ever seen. I've tried penetrating oil, heat, Ferree's slide pliers, etc.... ended up with the loose side coming out and the crook coming off the stuck side - surprise. Tried soldering in the old mouthpiece, but that just started to break the solder joint on the bell brace. I have a feeling of where I'm ending up with this trumpet, but I'm just curious what others have done for such ridiculously stuck slides.

bobbaier
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Joined: February.07.05
Location: USA
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Posts: 30

Posted: August.18.05 at 3:55am \| IP Logged

There are a couple of methods I fall back on in extreme cases. If the braces are already loose, you may as well take the slide tubes off and solder a plug in the other end, put that in a vise and grab the soldered in mouthpiece with your pliers. If the slide is all the way in, be careful not to solder the tubes together. I can't recall this happening in recent years, but if it seems that the tubing may twist, unsolder everything and let it soak immersed in penetrating oil for a day or two and resolder and pull.

What's easier and works almost every time for the top tuning slide tube is to solder a solid plug in the ferrule end. Take a steel rod (brass will work but tends to mushroom at the ends) that will fit through the mouthpiece receiver and protrude above the receiver several inches. Holding the leadpipe below the receiver, hit the rod with a hammer (easy, now) to drive out the tube. This puts no stress on the braces.

Cautions: If you've been agressive in your oiling and heating, the outer slide could come unsoldered from the leadpipe (see the first method) or if you don't have a strong joint at the ferrule end, your plug could come unsoldered so it's a good idea to wrap a towel around the bell to avoid an unwanted dent. It's important that the plug you solder in have a flat bottom so the rod cannot get off to the side and damage the tubes.

One other method for slides in general--when heating and oiling, if you get the slide pretty hot, but before solder melting time, quench the tube with a wet rag. It helps to draw the penetrating oil in and the contraction may help loosen the tubes. A rag works better for me than a spray bottle.

I like PB Blaster in a needle oiler. Kroil (sold by Kraus and Ferree's under their own labels) is also good. Time is your friend and I rarely have to unsolder anything if I can take a week or so to heat and oil.

bob

admin
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Joined: March.10.05
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Posted: August.19.05 at 9:16am \| IP Logged

<<Take a steel rod (brass will work but tends to mushroom at the ends) that will fit through the mouthpiece receiver and protrude above the receiver several inches. Holding the leadpipe below the receiver, hit the rod with a hammer (easy, now) to drive out the tube. This puts no stress on the braces. >>

Never thought of doing that! Thanks for the tip, Bob!

Another thing you might try is to put the horn in the freezer for an hour or two. Take it out and immediately heat and oil the outside tube of the slide that is stuck. Sometimes the expanding of the contracted, cold metal is enough to break up the gunk and allow the penetrating oil to flow down in and do its job.

Mickey

RobertWhite
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Joined: January.19.05
Location: USA
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3

Posted: September.22.07 at 12:03pm \| IP Logged

Try this...fill a container with enough cold water to completely submerge the stuck slide. Heat the slide as much as possible without unsoldering it, then plunge it into the water. The magic is in the steam that is forced into the slide. Empty out as much water as possible and repeat the process. After three or four plunges try and gently drive the slide out with slide pliers and hammer. If not loose yet, repeat process. Trust me, I have had some rediculously frozen slides and this method has always worked. Of course, spot laquering will more than likely be required on brass, but I have never had to do anything to silver but polish it back to normal.
I hope this helps.

Bob

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