Unsticking stuck-stuck-stuck slides

[MartyNeilan]

I am going to try and get some Aerokroil from Ace Hardware tomorrow and see if that does the trick, combined with alternately torching and spraying with ice water.

They didn't have and couldn't order Aerokroil, so I picked up some pungent PBBlaster. I may not get to try it until this weekend.

[J.c. Sherman]

Ferree's sells some stuff called "Corrosion Cracker" (or something pretty close to that) for unstickifying stuck slides. It works surprisingly well for the very thing you're doing. It's probably some other product rebottled. Exactly what, I've never investigated...

Great stuff - use this, and a hell of a lot of patience. Let the penetrant do the work, then apply heat and gentle coercion. Remember, brass is soft

[duderubble]

I don't have much new to add, but +1 to a couple of things already here. I just got a 1920s euphonium with all four slides and the mouthpiece stuck but good. I sprayed with liquid wrench, let sit, tapped with something, put something wood in the crook that matched the radius (short piece of broom handle on the one and three valve slides) tapped firmly but not wildly on that, the shock of a tap is more effective than continuous pressure, then used a heat gun to heat only the outer slide (as much as that is possible), tapped again, sprayed more liquid wrench, let it sit, used the heat gun again, only on the outer portion, tapped, once they move a fraction with a tap you can pull them out. Worked eventually on all four and the mouthpiece. Of course YMMV

[Dan Schultz]

I have to add a final note here....

My profession is repairing music instruments. I've NEVER had a stuck slide that I couldn't fix. However... sometimes the 'fix' involved taking things apart rather than wrenching around on them until something gets wrecked. If you can't get a slide out with reasonable hand force.... take it to someone who does this for a living.

I've repaired LOTS of damage done by folks who mean well but just weren't educated in this sort of thing. Stick with what you ordinarily do for a living and swap your dollars for 'getting things done right'.

I'm not being mean here. .... just trying to be realistic. Having repairs done by a pro is often the cheapest way out.

[duderubble]

I do substance abuse education for a living. I'd be more than willing to talk to you about the evils of alcohol in exchange for some dent repair on that euphonium.

[J.c. Sherman]

I'll add...

My focus is on 19th century instruments, so I get faced with slides stuck for a century or more at times. Please don't pull by the slide crook with anything hard; brass is soft and your odds are high of a) accomplishing nothing and b) denting and/or splaying the slide crook. I'm not opposed to a little tugging with cloth, but that's it.

Bloke's right as well - if you can apply some twisting English (as a tech, sometimes that means pulling a socket flange brace away from the tube to allow more movement), then that's the way to go. But always be gentle. I've even had a slide soak for 4 months, with weekly heating, Corrosion Cracker, and sitting until they broke free. Patience is key, but you can get even the most stubborn slide loose this way. The aforementioned slide was from about 1880.

Final note - I've found that some dented slides can be easily released by rolling and tapping from the outside on a slide mandrel, rather than pushing up from the inside. The rolling often breaks up some corrosion as well.

[iiipopes]

I'll add...

Patience is key....

WORD.

[Dean E]

First, unsolder the crook.

Then use a lathe to turn down a mandrel from a piece of brass (preferably hex) bar stock to about .003 inches diameter less than the inside of the inner slide.

Wire brush out one of the the inner slides and apply flux. Sweat the brass mandrel to the inside of an inner slide. After soaking a long time, with lots of corrosion-removing oils, carefully secure the slide. Rotate the bar stock with a breaker bar and socket--or vice grips--or a pipe wrench.

Your brass mandrel may be drilled and tapped to accept a slide hammer.

Be careful because at some point the solder joints to the valve knuckles could break loose, or the knuckles could bend or break.

If you feel that something is going to get ruined, stop.

Unsolder both of the slides from their valve knuckles. Turn down a second mandrel and solder it to the inside of the outer tube. Clamp one of the mandrels into a bench vice and gently apply a rotational force to the other mandrel.

Have a cool one.

[Dan Schultz]

..... Rotate the bar stock with a breaker bar and socket--or vice grips--or a pipe wrench. ....

YIKES!

[J.c. Sherman]

..... Rotate the bar stock with a breaker bar and socket--or vice grips--or a pipe wrench. ....

YIKES!

Indeed!!!

[Dean E]

..... Rotate the bar stock with a breaker bar and socket--or vice grips--or a pipe wrench. ....

YIKES!

Indeed!!!

Don't forget these babies in case you need more torque.

[ghmerrill]

Don't forget these babies in case you need more torque.

Honestly that breaker bar looks kind of puny. I can't recommend anything smaller than 3/4" drive for serious work. I know that's what it takes to get my tractor wheels off and do maintenance on the mower. And they're not even corroded much. Also, you'll want at least a 4' piece of pipe to slip over the breaker bar to get the torque you really need. I use 2" water pipe, but am not dogmatic about that.

Finally, don't overlook innovative applications of hydraulic jacks.

[Ken Herrick]

I am surprised how little mention is made of the high risk of damaging valve casings with all this jerking and twisting being recommended. If some penetrant hasn't done the job fairly soon I MUCH prefer to minimise the risk of doing more harm than good by removing the offending tubing from the valve body. Replacing a slide or two is certainly quicker, cheaper and easier than having to refit - or even replace a valve section.

[MartyNeilan]

PBBlaster has thus far proven useless. I will probably have to wind up pulling off the slide tubes and see where I can go from there. It may just be easier to put on a front action .687-.689 piston, and flip the horn; that is my longterm plan anyway.