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Thread: Cloth stuck in tuning slide!

  1. #11

    Cloth stuck in tuning slide!

    Originally posted by: CKH

    It's in the actual tuning slide. I was cleaning them out individually with a snake. I took a t shirt and cut it up into strips and attached it to the snake with via a rubber band. I couldn't push it all the way through, so I pulled it out and the shirt part and rubber band is still in there.
    Yeah, rubber bands aren't strong enough. For next time: What works pretty well for pulling cloth is 20 or 30 lb fishing line attached with a good knot. What I do is tie the line around the middle of the cloth, not the end. I also use a small lead sinker on the other end to lead the line through the slide. There are some good snakes out there, but I still prefer fishing line and old t-shirts. It is even possible to clean all the ports of the 3rd valve on a compensating horn using this method.

    Don't be discouraged and stop cleaning your horn yourself, in the long run you will develop a good method, save lots of money, and keep the horn in good shape and sounding good.

    - Carroll
    Carroll Arbogast
    Piano Technician
    CMA Piano Care

  2. Cloth stuck in tuning slide!

    On a similar note, one of my bandmates today thought it would be a funny idea to throw a plastic water bottle cap into my horn. So now I have a cap stuck in my horn. I can still make a sound, but it definatly sounds stuffy. Do you think a simple trip to the local music shop would be able to fix this using a snake wire?


  3. #13

    Cloth stuck in tuning slide!

    Originally posted by: Euphinator On a similar note, one of my bandmates today thought it would be a funny idea to throw a plastic water bottle cap into my horn. So now I have a cap stuck in my horn. I can still make a sound, but it definatly sounds stuffy. Do you think a simple trip to the local music shop would be able to fix this using a snake wire?
    If the cap is somewhere between the bell and tuning slide, then I have some tips. If not, see a technician.

    This is similar to a time when I got a botton of valve oil stuck. It went down my bell and most of the way around the bottom curve. See if you can find some plastic tubing, like some folks use to siphon water out of an aquarium, or some other slightly stiff tubing. Take out your tuning slide and run the tube through until it hits the cap. Then "tap" on the cap and see if you can dislodge it.

    Or you could try a fast spray of water through the same path.

    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  4. Cloth stuck in tuning slide!

    If it goes into a shop, they'll run steel ball bearings into it to knock it out. They'll feed in the biggest size that will fit.

    It could be quick, or it could be expensive.

    I had a $100 golf ball last summer in a tuba.

    Whatever the cost is, pass it on to the idiot who threw the cap in.

  5. Cloth stuck in tuning slide!

    I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have gone past the tuning slide, it was an average white water bottle cap. So Dr. Werden, if i used something like a hose, and put it in the main tubing slide, it should shoot it out?


  6. Cloth stuck in tuning slide!

    It probably didn't make it to the ts. It's probably in the branch leading down to the TS, you may be able to spot it with a light and pop it out with a drumstick even. DO NOT DROP THE DRUMSTICK.

    Of course, if this exceeds your level of confidence in your ability at any moment, stop and call a tech.

  7. #17

    Cloth stuck in tuning slide!

    Originally posted by: Euphinator ...if i used something like a hose, and put it in the main tubing slide, it should shoot it out?
    Odds are, yes. It is lightweight, which means it may not be stuck very tightly, but a lot depends on the angle and the shape of the cap. At this point there is nothing to lose from trying things that won't harm the horn, and shooting water through is safe. Or as denNIS suggests, a lot wooden stick might do the trick as well if you can see the cap from the TS end. Just don't attempt anything that can make matters worse.

    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  8. Cloth stuck in tuning slide!

    My tuning slide had a slight curve about 6 inches into it, so the drumstick wouldn't work but I am happy to say that I wen't to the local music shop and for free they used a snake wire to dislodge the cap


  9. Cloth stuck in tuning slide!

    Did it actually make it to the tuning slide?

  10. Cloth stuck in tuning slide!

    No it got towards the 2nd bend (the top of the instrument) but did not go past it.


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