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Letter 24003
Sticky Trumpet Valves
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I have a trumpet whose valves stick on too frequent a basis. I add
valve oil as needed but that's just a temporary fix. What product can
I use to remove rusty spots and any dirt that has accumulated on the
valves without scoring the valve itself?
Rick M
technical trainer - Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
December 27, 2008
Best answer is to get it to an instrument maker/repairer.
However, it's difficult to know what to say without knowing a lot
more about the way it was make.
If it has actual iron rust, it is probably steel with plating--the
exact metals involved could vary a lot.
Assuming that it is the external valve pieces (not the horn body
itself,) there are a a couple of things you could try other than a
repair shop.
First, the keys & valves could be sent out to be refinished,
including removal of the old plating, polishing and replating the
surface.
By yourself, the first thing would be to disassemble the valves and
clean them with solvent to remove all the old valve oil--depending
upon build up, this may solve the problem, but since you mention
rust, I'd assume that the plating is failing too--a situation which
will only get worse with time.
You could try the electrochemical process to reverse the oxidation
and return the iron to it's original place, check around the net for
archaeological artifact restoration., then physically remove the
pealing plate at the points of contact.
Overall, the cheapest course is to try cleaning, deal with surface
roughness at the contact points, and reassemble and oil it. This
might make it functional with minimal aesthetic issues.
A repair shop can restore it to like new--or just to functional....
Charles M. Barnard
- Menomonie, Wisconsin
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