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Thread: Finger Buttons

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Central North Carolina
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    2,369
    I've gotten to the point where for things like this I don't use genuine "glues", but something that will typically remain more flexible and fill space. The suggestion of contact cement is a good one since this is how contact cement acts. Otherwise, I'll use a little dab of some silicone caulk.
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  2. Another vote for Superglue gel it worked for me.

  3. The double-sided tape surprises me!

    Seeing a lot of suggestions for superglue gel, so I think I'll give that a try

  4. #14
    I suppose it warrants mention that you should be sure to clean both surfaces that are about to be glued/taped. I would use a isopropyl alcohol, dry both surfaces, and then fasten them together.
    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
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  5. I had a friend who lost a finger button pearl on his King 2280. He replaced it with a dime, gluing it in. Irony: he later found the pearl, after the glue had set! But that does raise an interesting point: some of the tuba players attach coins to the rotary paddles for better grip. if the tops of the pearls are too smooth, maybe replacing them with coins is an option?

    I would only caution: if you do use super glue as the adhesive, then if your horn needs anything done by a tech, please tell the tech what has been super-glued. It is doubtful that a finger button would need heating up for any reason, but if it does, super glue disintegrates into toxic gas upon being heated, and can injure lungs.

    For that reason, I cannot recommend super glue for anything on a brass instrument, rather I discourage it due to the toxic concerns. Let's be blunt: the technical name for super glue is cyanoacrylate. That means it is a related chemical to cyanide, the poison.
    Last edited by iiipopes; 09-15-2016 at 09:48 AM.

  6. I wouldn't be surprised if these safety concerns are what stops decent glue being used in the first place!
    I'm sure you are right about the toxicity of the glue when heated, but I'm not aware of any repair procedure that requires the actual valve cap to be heated? Its a hypothetical possibility but death by superglued valve cap is probably somewhere behind being struck by lightning twice on consecutive days in terms of probability. Its a chance I'm prepared to take.

  7. Quote Originally Posted by booboo View Post
    I wouldn't be surprised if these safety concerns are what stops decent glue being used in the first place!
    I'm sure you are right about the toxicity of the glue when heated, but I'm not aware of any repair procedure that requires the actual valve cap to be heated? Its a hypothetical possibility but death by superglued valve cap is probably somewhere behind being struck by lightning twice on consecutive days in terms of probability. Its a chance I'm prepared to take.
    It wouldn't be your death. It would be serious injury to your tech from breathing cyanide fumes and the other chemicals that invade the alveoli if he had to heat the valve button without knowing the pearl was attached with superglue.

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