Stuck slides are caused by corrosion forming on the metal, usually when it's been sitting idle. It's the same stuff that forms on rotors when they haven't been oiled or if the horn's been sitting idle. Stuck slides have a huge amount of resistance to sliding out in the normal direction. The corrosion cements the inner and outer tubes to each other. I hate to suggest this because I know somebody is going to ruin a horn going overboard but, if you can give just a light lateral twisting action (just a tiny amount!)back and forth, it will crack the corrosion loose almost every time and the slide will pull right out. Works 90% of the time. Some people run a belt or something through the crook, attach the belt to a vise and yank it that way. That's a good way to RUIN something! If it's stuck that bad, it won't come out that way and you'll bend the crook and maybe the rest of the horn. Needless to say, if you have hammers and screwdrivers, use them to hit yourself on the head rather than on your horn! I see many horns that have been hammered. You'd think after the first hit, most people might say "oh, that certainly leaves a big dent", but apparently not. Alternate heating and quenching can eventually work on a horribly stuck slide. It usually takes a lot of alternating. If it's that bad, take it to a qualified repairman. On a really stuck one, I'll usually unsolder the crook from the slide legs, solder one end back in and use the crook as a lever to twist one tube at a time loose. Again the twisting action is better that trying to pull it straight out. This method takes patience, twist too hard and you turn your crook into a pretzel! For a cleaner that will take corrosion off the surface of the tubes without doing much damage, check out PennyBrite copper cleaner. Their website is www.ezbritebrands.com. They can tell you if there's a store near you that has it. Better for this purpose than any other polish I've tried. The longest it ever took me to get a slide apart was about 3 years, soaking in penetrating oil, heating, quenching, tapping with rawhide mallet, soldering scrap crooks in both ends and carefully twisting. That baby finally came loose with no damage and is still gracing a very nice New York Bach trumpet. Good luck with yours!
- Steve Mumford _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
