Week 13- Stuck and Bent Parts

For week 13 we focused on stuck parts.  It's always important to reinforce certain ideas when talking with band directors.  Often times a student will come up to a director before a concert and say, "My slide is stuck.  This won't move"  This usually happens because a teacher will go through a section and tune before the concert.  This makes me wonder...

You should know when your students instruments are in need of being greased or oiled because you should be teaching them to tune their instruments each time they play.  One thing some teachers may not know is that you should push slides in all the way before putting your instrument together each time.  This prevents galvanizing of the metals because you are constantly working the slide.  It will let you know when things are getting stuck, and you will probably teach you students how to tune properly as opposed to one time the hour before a concert...

We also talked about chem flushing brass instruments.  As a standard, instruments that are played regularly by professionals should be cleaned every six months.  This is enough time for buildup to occur within the instrument.  Depending on the acidity of the player's sweat and saliva, cleaning may need to occur more frequently.  Consistent cleaning and maintenance of the instrument can enhance the life of the metal and produce a cleaner sound.  Over the long run money will be saved, as minor repairs over time are much more effective than an overhaul after years of misuse.

It is important to inspect after cleaning an instrument.  There is a potential for an instrument to need another soak in the pickle.  Checking around nipple holes, inside ports and slide assemblies.  Scale can easily accumulate here and be very difficult to remove.  The more time you pickle a part, soldered parts will get a chalky look to them.  This is just lead oxide, which can be removed with a vinegar/water solution.

Finally, we focused on bell folds.  Folds just affect the rim.  Using a bell forming iron, a rubber mallet or other soft mallet can be used to 'rough out' the rim.  The thicker the rim, the higher the fold, generally.  After 'roughing out' the rim, I inspect the inside of the rim with my thumb, feeling for large inconsistencies.  Using other specialized or custom made burnishing tools, final repairs are made.