I just received a Copeland Low D. It is 7-8 years old and has NOT been played more than a couple of times.
The tuning slide is stuck.
I have a couple of ideas on how to remedy this, but wanted to address the:
ORACLE OF C&F
for more ideas.
I think I will also send a note to Copeland for their input.
Other than that, all it needs is a good cleaning and polishing. It looks like it has had some sort of liquid (water?) splashed on it as there are spots as well as the normal brass patina (no blue, just darkened). If it were not for the spots I would likely just leave it as is, but want to give it a new chance to age.
Stephen,
My tuning slide was stuck solid on my low d brand new. The instructions were to run it under hot water and twist, but don’t use any metal grips. (Brass is soft!) My son and I grabbed either end and twisted until our hands hurt (a few times) w/ no success. Eventually, I sent the whistle back for a different repair (a dent) and it was loosened at the shop. I think there is similar advice on the Copeland website. Good luck.
Tony
First of all is it stuck completely closed or is it stuck somewhat open (about 1/4 inch, the usual for proper tuning)? It’s a bit easier when stuck in an open position. If open, apply some vaseline or chap stick (Both recommended by Copeland) to the exposed slide area, then twist in opposite directions with either hand as instructed whilst pulling apart simultaneously (ie, left hand twisting clockwise and pulling down and right hand twisting counter clockwise and pulling up or vice versa). Once the tubes catch just a bit of that vaseline and you get the slightest movement, you know it will then come apart. Then, I’d suggest wiping the slide down with some ultra fine (0000) steel wool and applying a small amount of evenly and thinly applied vaseline when placing back together; I also don’t understand why you’d ever put the tubes all the way back together, as they are almost invariably tuned properly and shipped by Copeland with the slide out about 1/4 inch.
If the slide is not at all exposed, then use the hot water method, accompanied by some light tapping all the way round at the point where the tubes meet on a solid but soft and non-marring surface (an old trick that always works when removing stuck lids on jars). If that doesn’t do it and you can’t get enough purchase and room to get some vaseline in and start it open, send it to the shop.
BTW, have no fear of 0000 steel wool. If you’re not a patina person, you can use it to wipe down the entire whistle to get a nice like new sheen followed by a jeweler’s cloth wipe. Must be 0000 and will not damage. The vaseline is also fine on the slide - do not use gobs of it and do not get any in the mouthpiece.
Invest in a good rubber-strap wrench! Some are just great, and will be handy for other tasks.
They were originally made to make loose shower hoses, usually chrome-plated outside, but raw brass inside. These do get badly seized, but you don’t want to ruin the external finish with hard tools. It’s exactly the same problem as getting loose a whistle tuning assembly.
A set of two wrenches in different sizes is even handier.
There is a fix, but you’re probably best to leave it to the pros, unless you happen to have a rawhide mallet handy and you’ve got some skills… honestly.
If you can’t get it apart by hand, send it back to Mike and Jim - it’s not worth the risk of really buggering it up (techinical term. )
Hello all,
This is the most common way that we free slides beyond the things mentioned above, which do however, work most of the time.
When a slide is not moved for a long time, or even pushed all the way in and possibly bottomed out, it can be really tough to move. I recommend using hot water and soap to wash the whistle and try to get some lube (soapy water) into the slide. The fit is close and sometimes it just does not seep in. either way it will not hurt. Rinse and dry the whistle well.
Then using a 24" length of wooden dowel rod, about 3/8" or 1/2" in diameter (this should just fit into the bottom of the whistle), place the rod into the whistle until it is against the bottom of the Delrin plug. Turn the whistle upside-down, gripping the whistle by the barrel. Make sure to have the head joint and barrell in your grip so the head does not go flying. Then I brace my wrist against the inside of my left knee, being right handed. The idea here is to absorb the impact in the hand and leg.
Then I tap the end of the wooden rod gently with a rawhide mallet to try and move the head joint out. Main thing here is to take care that you don’t slip and miss the rod, hitting the whistle bottom.
If all this sounds too complicated or not clear, our offer to free the slide stands for just the cost of postage to our shop.
This is not for the squeamish or clutzy types.
I’ll see if I can take a photo of the striking pose to help out.
I hope this helps!
Jim
Copeland Woodwinds
PS One good reason to send it back for us to fix, is that in some instances, the barrel is damaged and slightly oval rather that round. In that case we can easily restore the slide to the correct shape.
Ya, lubricant, good stuff that. Considering that Vaseline (or similar) is suggested for keeping a slick fit, could I be so bold as to assume that this might also do the trick for the lube when liquified and wicked into the slide joint?
Or some other penetrating solution such as WD-40 in very small quantities?
I have a dead-blow hammer at home that I could use as a tapper.
)