Originally Posted by
Roger
1. Is it just the attachment to the tuning slide that I detach? I want to be able to clean the slide and inside the legs.
Generally yes. On a German Besson, this involves removing the belly plate and unsnapping the trigger push rod from the tuning slide. Very quickly done. On most other brands including earlier British Bessons, you need to remove anything obstructing access to slide removal, and then unscrew the trigger pushrod from the tuning slide. On later Sterlings (mine included) the trigger pushrod has a thumb screw which can be loosened, allowing one end of the pushrod to be detached from the other. This allows you to remove the tuning slide from the horn with part of the pushrod still attached. My horn also has a slide stop screw whose thumb nuts need to be removed (like a trumpet third valve slide).
Originally Posted by
Roger
2. Is removing the tuning slide all I need to do in order to give my horn a cleaning bath (of course including all other slides and valves)?
Yes! Generally I leave the trigger mechanism attached to the carcass of the horn when I give it a bath. Removing the trigger arm, pivot mechanism, and springs is not for the faint of heart.
Originally Posted by
Roger
3. If someday I want to revert to a non triggered tuning slide, do I remove the entire mechanism or just dismantle the linkage? I do have a spare standard tuning slide for my horn if I choose go that route. I'd love to find a video of the trigger mechanism being dismantled, cleaned, lubed and reattached, but it doesn't seem one exists. Anyone interested in making one? Thanks for any help you can give.
Dismantle the linkage and make sure your spare tuning slide fits snugly enough not to slip and slide while playing. If you want to remove the trigger itself, have a technician do it. I do not recommend removing the trigger mechanism (including the paddle, pivot screw, spring, and any other hard to reach parts.) The spring is under a lot of tension to insure your slide will return to the "sharp" position, and putting all of the mechanism back together can be fraught with opportunities to scratch the finish, break the pivot screw(s), or otherwise do nasty things. I prefer to clean the horn, dry it completely, air dry the pivot area if necessary, and then lube the pivot with oil (I use Hetman #6 ocassionally diluted with valve oil) rather than trying to use grease on the pivot. Most of the rest of the joints will be "Heim" joints, a type o ball joint that can be oiled externally.
Last edited by daruby; 07-14-2020 at 06:40 PM.
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