Cleaning the lower octave vent

2196 Views 11 Replies 6 Participants Last post by datsaxman, Oct 30, 2020

saxmsy

Discussion Starter · Oct 30, 2020

Do I need to remove the octave key first in order to clean the lower octave vent (tone hole) on the body? I have the G2 G#2 issue on my Selmer SAII Alto and this looks like a pretty common issue for Selmer horn due to the smaller size of octave vent opening. Before sending my horn to technician to drill out the vent hole, I want to clean the vent first to see if any improvement. After searching the topic on the forum, I learn that I should use pipe cleaner to clean the vent but I find it almost impossible to reach the octave vent hole from outside. Therefore I am wondering if I need to remove the key first in order to access the vent hole? I am very reluctant to do so because of my shallow experience. Any suggestion? Thanks!

Save

1 - 4 of 12 Posts

saxmsy

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 30, 2020

turf3 said:
Yes, you might need to, depending on how much the pad raises up. Some just barely rise up enough to clear the vent, so it might be very difficult to stick something down into the vent.

Try this, though - with the neck not installed, press the octave key and the "G" key (ring finger, left hand) - lower vent pad should rise, maybe - but then, wtih your other hand try GENTLY to raise the pad up higher. Depending on the details of the mechanism, it may be that you can GENTLY lift the pad higher than it goes on its own.

The key word here is GENTLY!!!!

Thanks! I will probably leave it to technician as this is really hard to me😂 . My pad barely lift up and I cannot manage to lift it further up gently.

Save

saxmsy

Discussion Starter · #4 · Oct 30, 2020

Just wondering, Is it possible to clean the vent from inside of the body tube? It is pretty easy to access the other end of the vent pipe which is located inside the tube. Theoretically I should be able to use a L shape pipe cleaner to run thorough the vent pipe from inside, right? I just tried it but it is strange that the cleaner didn't move any further. Any one has experience on this?

Save

saxmsy

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 30, 2020

saxoclese said:
I have had some success by inserting a cotton pipe cleaner into the tube inside the body and then while holding the octave pad cup up grabbing the part that extends through the hole with a pair of tweezers.

Thanks! It sounds to me that it really some skills and I'd better not to mess it up.

Save

1 - 4 of 12 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month