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Folks, I was helping my son with his Bach CR300 cornet when he thought something was loose. I thought it was just sloppy play in the valve guides. But it turned out to be the pearloid finger pad. It is loose. It hasn't come off. It is well seated in the valve button. But it does rotate freely. Before I take it to a tech and spend more $$ than I should: 1) is it fixable otherwise, or 2) is it new valve button time, or 3) just fuggedabowdit? Thanks.

Those pearls are held in by a lip around the top of the finger button. A conical tool is used to 'set' that lip so it holds the pearl tightly. I have such a tool to peen the edge but you might be able to get by using a socket to crimp the lip a bit.

That being said... I'll bet your local tech wouldn't charge anything for the fix.

Worst case... a new fingerbutton shouldn't cost more than maybe $7.

bloke wrote:...the (apparently annoying to your son) movement will cease.

Yes, when you have a child with Asperger's syndrome, the anal-retentiveness when something "just isn't right" can be worse than the TV detective "Monk," and lead to a complete meltdown. We've made it through this far, so the first order of business in the short term is to get him through this week. I'll see what I can do over spring break next week. My local tech fixed me up with another 1st valve slide with a saddle so he can switch to that instead of the plain one that when his left hand gets big enough to get around it, and is a Conn-Selmer dealer, so I know if the worst happens, a new button is not far off.

I think I'll make sure a new one is available before I take some of the watery version of superglue and take a toothpick and try to gently "seep" some in, and I have a good selection of sockets that I might find just the right one to put slight pressure around the rim, although I know if I'm not careful that can crack the pearloid.

Thanks, guys.

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Just a thought relative to how fun superglue can turn out....

What about trying clear nailpolish? Seems to me it might seep in and then set and possibly solve the problem, and the excess could be cleaned up with acetone/nail polish remover which probably wouldn't hurt anything else?

Just an idea,
Rob

New glasses?