(Straighten, Parallel and Level)
Part 4
Inside Slide
Sighting down the outside length of the inside tubes aids
at detecting imperfections such as dents, creases or warping. Inside tube
damage is not as common as that to the outside tubing but it is very important
that it be addressed. No matter how straight the outside assembly
is, the slide, as a whole, will not work at its best if one of the inside
tubes remains distorted.
On this instrument, one of the inside tubes was damaged
to such an extent that it required unsoldering from the cork-barrel in
order for the proper repairs to be made.
The inside tubes can at times be very stubborn.
Mandrels, burnishers, mallets and so on are used but the skill of the repair
technician is what really gets the job done.
Now that the inside tube is straight, the cork-barrel
is mounted onto its respective tube. It is important that the tube be centered
or the screw lock will catch on the end of the outside tube in addition
to causing problems with the inside tube's proper alignment.
For this process we use a set of three spacers that center the cork-barrel on the inside tube. Using the outside tube to evenly wedge in the brass spacers, the cork-barrel is made to center perfectly on the inside slide tube.
Cork Barrel Spacers, Ferree's Tools Part No. G35
Once the inside assembly is fitted together, and appropriate
adjustments made, it is carefully soldered together. Then it is ready to
be polished, cleaned and prepaired for spot lacquering.
Part 1 - Evaluation and Preparation for Repair
Part 2 - Cleaning and Dent Removal
Part 3 - Assembly and Soldering