Stuck PT 50+ mouthpiece

[The Big Ben]

Sawsall.

[MartyNeilan]

I once got a mouthpiece stuck in a bass trombone removable leadpipe, and due to the nature of the design the two mouthpiece pullers we had available would not work. I tried heating, cooling, etc and that did not help. I used a small wooden mallet, lightly tapping directly on the underside of the mouthpiece cup in the exact direction the mouthpiece needed to come out. Sure enough, within a minute or two, the seal was broken and the mouthpiece was loose, and neither was damaged.
The trick to this is to not tap too hard, tap as straight out as you can, and keep moving around the mouthpiece. Too heavy a hammer or too hard a strike, and you will probably bend your leadpipe. Be sure to have your hand or something else ready to catch the mouthpiece if it decides to come out all at once.

In my case, the stuck mouthpiece was caused by leaving the trombone on a stand overnight with the mouthpiece seated, and my saliva had formed a "glue" on it.

[bill]

Marty said:

I once got a mouthpiece stuck in a bass trombone removable lead pipe, and due to the nature of the design the two mouthpiece pullers we had available would not work. I tried heating, cooling, etc and that did not help. I used a small wooden mallet, lightly tapping directly on the underside of the mouthpiece cup in the exact direction the mouthpiece needed to come out. Sure enough, within a minute or two, the seal was broken and the mouthpiece was loose, and neither was damaged.
The trick to this is to not tap too hard, tap as straight out as you can, and keep moving around the mouthpiece. Too heavy a hammer or too hard a strike, and you will probably bend your lead pipe. Be sure to have your hand or something else ready to catch the mouthpiece if it decides to come out all at once.

I have had a similar experience but used a rawhide mallet. NEVER use a metal hammer or a hammer of more than about 4 to 6 ounces in the head weight. Gently tapping all around may also be necessary; if you can get the mouthpiece to move, even the slightest, it will come out. But, given your PT-50 mouthpiece, I have successfully removed one from a students horn with a mouthpiece puller. Wonder what was different?

[MartyNeilan]

Anyway, I found a rinky dink repair shop in town and they did it for free; but the mouthpiece isn't as pretty and the bobcat hurt the image and metal on part of the receiver

Sounds like you got your money's worth.


Make a mental note to never go back.

[TonyZ]

But for future reference...the repair guy (who did it for free) said NEVER EVER use a bobcat on a tuba mouthpiece

I agree!

[windshieldbug]

Sawsall.

Everyone needs a Sawzall. Everyone.

Just be sure to saw the tuba so you don't hurt the mouthpiece (as you already found out!)

[windshieldbug]

Remember to put a blanket or something over the line!

I think that you'll find the end hook is just about the perfect size to wrap around most tuba mouthpieces. It's finding the right size Hummer that's the hard part!

[MartyNeilan]

All that winch does is make your truck nose heavy. A professional grade "come-along" and a high lift jack will get you out of most anything. An ax helps too. Plus a vehicle that says JEEP on the front and not BUMMER.

Marty"who had the first two and not the third, and still got stuck once until the third arrived"

[windshieldbug]

Greg,

If you temporarily solder the hole in the mouthpiece shut, you can pound sand down the bell of the tuba until it works it way through the bows, valve section, and down the mouthpipe. Eventually, the sand will push the mouthpiece out of the receiver.

bloke, Repair Technician

Fluid dynamics. Either the stuck mouthpiece, or the weakest solder joint, whichever is easiest...