I have a lovely Harper D whistle that is no longer tunable: the head joint and body are stuck! There's no discernable injury to the whistle: it was safely in the cabinet drawer, but when I pulled it out recently--it was immoveable.
These whistles are an aluminium alloy. I've tried hot water on the head joint. Does anybody have any other suggestions, or an address for Steve Harper?
Thanks.
Judith
Stuck whistle!
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dulcie22
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Stuck whistle!
Judith
Member of the Hurdy Gurdy Drone Conspiracy and Whistle Terrorism Collective
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Wanderer
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100 characters? Geeze. - Location: Tyler, TX
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Re: Stuck whistle!
I had this happen to a Copleand I loaned out.dulcie22 wrote:I have a lovely Harper D whistle that is no longer tunable: the head joint and body are stuck! There's no discernable injury to the whistle: it was safely in the cabinet drawer, but when I pulled it out recently--it was immoveable.
These whistles are an aluminium alloy. I've tried hot water on the head joint. Does anybody have any other suggestions, or an address for Steve Harper?
Thanks.
Judith
I bought two rubber jar openers, and made a glass of cold water. I alternated putting the head under hot tap water for a few seconds, plunging the body in the cold water, and then gripping both with the jar openers and turning. It took about 3 times before they came unstuck.
Stuck whistle
The Copeland web site says:
"To free a frozen tuning slide without damaging the whistle. Place the whistle head joint in hot water (about 150 degrees F. is recommended) for a couple seconds to expand the tube and hopefully loosen up the gunk that's causing it to stick. Gently attempt to move the slide - firmly grab the body close to the slide, and here's the most important tip: use a combination twisting and pulling motion at the same time. A simple rotating motion, or attempting to pull the slide straight out, will not work. Use rubber bands or a rubberized jar opener if you need to get a better grip ... Warning! Never use a vise or pliers to grip the whistle."
For my own stuck whistle,I did this but used the yellow latex kitchen gloves to get a grip while also keeping my hands fom getting burned by hot water. You can buy a pair for $2 in the supemarket. I think this is better than the rubber bands if you have them on hand.
The Copleand link is:
http://www.copelandwoodwinds.com/instruments.asp#care
Brian
"To free a frozen tuning slide without damaging the whistle. Place the whistle head joint in hot water (about 150 degrees F. is recommended) for a couple seconds to expand the tube and hopefully loosen up the gunk that's causing it to stick. Gently attempt to move the slide - firmly grab the body close to the slide, and here's the most important tip: use a combination twisting and pulling motion at the same time. A simple rotating motion, or attempting to pull the slide straight out, will not work. Use rubber bands or a rubberized jar opener if you need to get a better grip ... Warning! Never use a vise or pliers to grip the whistle."
For my own stuck whistle,I did this but used the yellow latex kitchen gloves to get a grip while also keeping my hands fom getting burned by hot water. You can buy a pair for $2 in the supemarket. I think this is better than the rubber bands if you have them on hand.
The Copleand link is:
http://www.copelandwoodwinds.com/instruments.asp#care
Brian
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Finn MacCool
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the same problem for lack of a solution.-
Chiffed
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Another tip:
If it feels like you're using too much force, then you probably are.
Most towns have a band instrument repair shop, and they'll unstick slides for a small fee right in front of you. If they're certified, then they're insured, and they'll replace it if they break it.
Of the thousands of tenons and slides I unstuck as a band teacher, I broke 2. One was a euphonium slide that I bent (big repair bill, out of my pocket) and the other was a flute headjoint: the lip plate ripped right off an old Armstrong, subsequently bought by me. Pro repair shops are good.
If it feels like you're using too much force, then you probably are.
Most towns have a band instrument repair shop, and they'll unstick slides for a small fee right in front of you. If they're certified, then they're insured, and they'll replace it if they break it.
Of the thousands of tenons and slides I unstuck as a band teacher, I broke 2. One was a euphonium slide that I bent (big repair bill, out of my pocket) and the other was a flute headjoint: the lip plate ripped right off an old Armstrong, subsequently bought by me. Pro repair shops are good.
Happily tooting when my dogs let me.
My thinking exactly. The cold/hot water is a good idea, as well, but WD40 is a wonderful thing. It's clear, doesn't make a mess, is fairly nontoxic, and it penetrates well.regor wrote:Anyone ever tried WD40 ? Works on nut and bolts? Might need thorough cleaning afterward, but if it was me I'd tried before applying brutal force...
I recently unstuck an aluminum window frame that was suffering from a severe case of salt-air corrosion. It popped open and cleaned up right nice, as did a chrome faucet handle that had actually been crunching.
Give it a good spray with the little tube attachment, and if it doesn't come apart right away, let it sit a while and try again. After you've unstuck it, polish up the slide and dry off the WD40. If it's too slick still, just give it a wash in some dish detergent.