Can anyone help me? I cant move the mouthpiece on my D Sindt at all and so I can’t tune it to other instruments. It really seems jammed. I have Sindts Eb, Bb and C which all move fine.
You’re saying the head and body joints are frozen together? Put on a pair of thin rubber gloves and twist the two sections in opposite directions (one clockwise and one counter) in small continuous twists until it loosens. After you separate them, you’ll need to ensure it doesn’t happen again, so you can apply a very light layer of some vaseline or other substance (others will have suggestions). I cheat occasionally and hit just so lightly with 0000 ultra fine steel wool just to remove excess gunk dirt or whatever buildup there is (others will cringe at the thought of this maneuver, but it works for me without damage or excess loosening). If there’s some space (and usually the tuning would be with the head joint pulled out a bit) you can try a small dab of vaseline around about that space before twisting.
Best is to follow instructions from maker in any event and John probably has his own recommendation for such an occurrence.
Philo
Yeah, rubber gloves might do it. I had a stuck Burke Bflat. Mike’s advice also involved rubber. He advised to loop a few rubber bands tightly around each of the two parts and then twist gently. I guess the rubber bands just give you the necessary grip. It worked a treat for me.
I would be careful using vaseline. If anything, a very small amount of cork grease, but not too much. Grit and stuff can get in and wreak havoc, and you don’t want the slide so slippy that it moves while you’re playing. Do Sindts have o-rings? If so, maybe a replacement o-ring.
Good luck with it!
m.d.
You might try icing the body but not the head. The body will cool very quickly and it might contract enough to break free without too much strain.
Hi
I have a Sindt A and have had no trouble with the head joint. I make sure that I remove and clean with a cheap toothpaste about every 3 months this keeps the whistle clean without using abrasive substance. The is no O rings on the A model, just very fine machined tolerances .
Obviously you have a lemon whistle, the only solution is to unload it on a n00b like myself.
But seriously, contact Sindt and see what he says before you get too agressive with it.
Thanks guys for help. Rubber gloves worked! Enda
Metal on metal tuning slides should be moved once in a while. Just give them a little twist. If you leave them alone long enough, they can become sort of electrolytically welded together. In fact, my Sindt C is in such a state, alas…