Bottom valve caps are stuck
I was gifted with an older Bach trumpet in general good condition, except the bottom valve caps are all stuck. Would anyone know how to unstuck them, short of sending for repair? I thought of getting a soft mallet & dipping the caps in hot water. Haven't done it yet.
Many thanks.
4 replies
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Well.... I've gotten them off before being super gentle with some hand tools and a strip of leather to protect the finish, but frankly if you're asking this question I think you should take it to a shop and let an expert at it. It's probably time to take it in for a deep clean anyway if parts are stuck, and they'll get those off as part of that service.
If you have a shop in town, you really should just take it there. It's super easy to bend a valve casing out of alignment (which is expensive), hot water will strip older lacquer finishes (I removed what was left of the lacquer from an old Olds using only hot water), and most chemicals will do the same (not all, but I'm not going to test them on my horn).
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I agree with ! You've got to be really careful especially when interacting with the valve casing - since even the smallest dent in those will render the valve mechanism useless and be a much more costly repair!
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That’s three of us. Don’t risk ruining your instrument! Get it to a good repairman who knows brass instruments.
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Howdy ED,
Take it to a repair shop and have it serviced and cleaned.
I had a Bach with the same problem. I used grove joint pliers with cloth to protect the lacquer and it worked.
Here is a video of how some pros approach the problem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAL8XUsjrtI
You can do it yourself, but be careful.