Tweaking my Gen. C
Tweaking my Gen. C
K, I bought a Gen. C a couple of weeks ago and after the fact found a little hunk string of plastic floating around the fipple that doesn't belong so I tried the whole hot water to help me get the fipple off trick. After an hour of submerging my whistle, waiting, attempting to pull the two pieces apart and repeating the process (occasionally reheating the water) I've given up using that approach. Any other thoughts on how to go about this?
- happyturkeyman
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Funny this should come up, I did the same thing for the second time just today. I would soak it in water, place the lip of the fipple skirt part on the sharp corner of my counter and pulled down with all my weight. It just DOESN'T budge! I'm considering some sort of industrial solvent... I really don't think it would get down deep enough to the glue though.
Any ideas would be appreciated my me, too.
Any ideas would be appreciated my me, too.
We can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine.
We can leave your friends behind
Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine.
- happyturkeyman
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I had my water up to boiling. You can't get hotter than boiling. The good thing is that it did not warp. The bad thing is that it still did not come off.amar wrote:of all the gens, the fipple of the C is the hardest to loosen. what you have to do is heat up the water even more, gradualy, until the fipple loosens. be carefull, if too hot you'll destroy the fipple...be patient, it will work.
We can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine.
We can leave your friends behind
Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine.
- happyturkeyman
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Well, I would microwave a cup of water, take it out boiling and immediately stick the end in for about a minute at a time, although it only stayed boiling for about the first five or ten seconds it had to have been pretty close the rest of the time...
We can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine.
We can leave your friends behind
Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine.
- vomitbunny
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- Pat Cannady
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Ya know...I wouldn't immerse the entire head. Just heat the metal tube portion of the instrument immediately below the fipple with HOT running water for 5-10 minutes. Then twist like hell it should come off. I was able to budge a fairly stubborn C in this manner. Just be patient and apply a little strength, I'm no body builder but I could manage it.
OH.. try the blue tac thing, too, it really makes a world of difference for some Generation and Generation-style instruments.
OH.. try the blue tac thing, too, it really makes a world of difference for some Generation and Generation-style instruments.
- Bloomfield
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Work with alternating hot and cold water, that helps for the Cs. When you do get the head off, you'll have to sandpaper the inside of the head or the tube to make it fit again. Then you need cork grease, wax, or plumbers tape to prevent leaks.
Gen Cs respond very well to windway reduction. Highly recommended.
Gen Cs respond very well to windway reduction. Highly recommended.
/Bloomfield
I finally gave up on the idea of tweaking Gen C's and Bb's because the only way I could get the fipples off was with a blowtorch. It kinda ruined the atmosphere with all the dripping hot plastic. Now I just play a Humphrey C and it comes to me in the mail sounding great, no tweaking necessary.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which is least known--Montaigne
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light
--Plato
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light
--Plato
- happyturkeyman
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I have used fireworks to get rid of that darn flapy seam thing on a blade once. The whistle actually turned out pretty good.amar wrote:oh yeah, i remember, the blow-torch method! most preposterous tweak i'd ever heard of...
We can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine.
We can leave your friends behind
Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine.