Gronitz PCK first valve slide problems

The bulk of the musical talk
Post Reply
RobSol87
lurker
lurker
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:22 am

Gronitz PCK first valve slide problems

Post by RobSol87 »

Good Afternoon Tubenetters!

I'm located in Jacksonville, FL and I'm having trouble with a first valve slide on my PCK not pulling freely. I've tried a myriad of slide lubricants, valve oils, and trombone slide lubricants to try and help and it would seem that I need to get the slide lathed. Does anyone know of someone within a few hours drive that would be able to help me with this issue? I've heard that there's someone in Orlando that would be able to help, I'm just not comfortable with anyone in Jacksonville or the immediate surrounding areas with this.

Thanks in advance,
Rob Solomon
DouglasJB
4 valves
4 valves
Posts: 585
Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2014 7:47 pm

Re: Gronitz PCK first valve slide problems

Post by DouglasJB »

How is the alignment?
User avatar
PaulMaybery
pro musician
pro musician
Posts: 736
Joined: Fri Jan 17, 2014 7:10 am
Location: Prior Lake, Minnesota

Re: Gronitz PCK first valve slide problems

Post by PaulMaybery »

Usually this is a combination of allignment and getting the slides lapped so they are a bit reduced in diameter and in the process polished smooth.
Then most slippery things can do their job.
The lapping is relatively simple but the alignment can be anything from reheating some joints and letting them snap back into place (if you're lucky) to having to actually move or readjust some of the braces. Often times, the crook does not match the width of the two slides. Even a couple of MM can cause it to bind. I had this on a brand new horn. The crook was removed, filled with pitch, slightly re-bent to the proper shape and then refitted. It now works perfect. A caveat about lapping. If too much is removed the slide will leak. Yes you might get it to move smoother, but at a serious loss to compression. Best bet is to find an experienced and highly skilled technician. They are like doctors, that is, some are much more skilled than others.
Wessex 5/4 CC "Wyvern"
Wessex 4/4 F "Berg"
Wessex Cimbasso F
Mack Euphonium
Mack Bass Trombone
Conn 5V Double Bell Euphonium (casually for sale to an interested party)
RobSol87
lurker
lurker
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:22 am

Re: Gronitz PCK first valve slide problems

Post by RobSol87 »

Thanks for the input everyone! I purchased the horn from Gronitz and not through a private seller so I'm comfortable saying the slide is almost certainly aligned properly. It's just not pulling as easily as I would like. The one person down in Orlando I've spoken with mentioned sand paper so I'm back to square one.
User avatar
bort
6 valves
6 valves
Posts: 11222
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2004 11:08 pm
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Re: Gronitz PCK first valve slide problems

Post by bort »

Who's top dog in tuba repair up in Atlanta?
Post Reply