Asking for help: tuning slide of my Burke whistle is blocked

[claudine]

I bought that Burke aluminum whistle a few years ago and hadn't played it for a while. Now I discovered that the tuning slide is blocked, doesn't move anymore. Any ideas what I can do?

[Palimpsest]

I bought that Burke aluminum whistle a few years ago and hadn't played it for a while. Now I discovered that the tuning slide is blocked, doesn't move anymore. Any ideas what I can do?

I had a Chieftain with exactly the same problem, Phil Hardy at Kerry Whistles sorted it for me no problem, he cut off the offending slide and replaced the whole thing, this time with a corked slide to preclude and future problems.

May be worth an email to Burke to see if they can do similar

[MTGuru]

Hi Claudine ... Sounds like your rubber O-ring is stuck. It can happen if you don't move the slide for a long time. Try wearing a pair of latex gloves for a better grip. Grab the head joint in one hand and the collar (not the body!) in the other hand, then gently twist left and right while pulling up (or pushing down).

Pull the head completely out, and check the O-ring inside the bore. If it is broken or torn, you'll have to replace it. Otherwise, lubricate the slide with cork grease or equivalent, then re-insert it to the line (patience, this can be tricky) and work it up and down a bit until the motion is smooth.

Of course, Michael B. can fix it. But with luck, you can do it yourself!

[pipersgrip]

You could hold it under some warm water. My instruments get real tight in the winter, and real loose in the summer. I know holding my metal whistles under warm water helps loosen it up.

[MTGuru]

I know holding my metal whistles under warm water helps loosen it up.

Maybe. That works for metal-to-metal contact. But in this case, if the soft O-ring is fused to the slide, then heating the collar won't necessarily help. You have to break the O-ring seal, which requires some physical force and a very good grip on the slippery aluminum.

In fact, since the O-ring sits in an indented groove, heating the collar may actually make things worse. You need some lateral pressure on the O-ring to break the seal. Heating (expanding) the collar may cause the stuck O-ring to rotate in its groove, and be more likely to tear.

[pipersgrip]

I know holding my metal whistles under warm water helps loosen it up.

Maybe. That works for metal-to-metal contact. But in this case, if the soft O-ring is fused to the slide, then heating the collar won't necessarily help. You have to break the O-ring seal, which requires some physical force and a very good grip on the slippery aluminum.

In fact, since the O-ring sits in an indented groove, heating the collar may actually make things worse. You need some lateral pressure on the O-ring to break the seal. Heating (expanding) the collar may cause the stuck O-ring to rotate in its groove, and be more likely to tear.

oops I missed the O-ring part.

[Scott McCallister]

in the absence of latex gloves, you can also achieve an excellent grip for twisting/pulling with a few handfuls of rubberbands... works a treat!

[Wanderer]

those plastic things to help you open jars can get you some good grip too

[tin-titan]

I own two small strap wrenches that I have used for a number of things like open the lids of very small bottles of paint that get dried shut and are near impossible to open any other way. Those probably would work on a stuck
tuning slide.

[claudine]

thanks for your advice. it worked, the tune sliding is working again