Consumables for Wind Instruments - Brass and Piston Instruments

Hello everyone! My name is Makino, and I am in charge of wind instruments at Sound House. That is to say that It's just small instrumental parts, but even a small part can greatly affect your performance. I would like to introduce such important parts this time.

① Felt

Felt is mainly found inside the piston and on the valve caps. This felt acts as a cushion to prevent noise. However, as it repeatedly absorbs moisture and dries, it becomes thinner. What happens when it becomes thinner?...

Noise

Felt is included to prevent parts from hitting each other directly. However, when the felt becomes thin, the parts start to rub against each other, causing noise. Also, when the felt becomes hard, it loses its cushioning effect and noise can be heard.

Makes It Harder to Produce Sound

Since the felt is designed with the thickness of new felt, the holes will not align properly as it becomes thinner. If the position of the holes in the piston do not match, it will cause difficulty in producing sound or start hitting the piston.

↓ The felt is worn out and the height of the piston no longer matches.

You can replace the felt yourself. If you feel that the piston has recently started to make noise or that the sound is harder to hit, first check to see if the felt is worn out.

② Cork

Most brass instruments are equipped with a water key. Cork (or rubber in some instruments) is attached to them to prevent water from coming out of the pipes. However, cork also deteriorates as it repeatedly absorbs moisture and then dries out. When it deteriorates, moisture leaks out and causes breath leakage.

You can also replace the cork yourself. If you feel it is deteriorating before it leaks, you can absolutely replace it.

➂ Spring

The spring attached to the piston is what most likely comes to mind. Not surprisingly, the spring is also a consumable. In fact, it is difficult to tell whether they are deteriorating or not just judging from their appearance. If the spring becomes weak, the piston movement will naturally deteriorate. It may be surprising to find that replacing the spring improves the situation, so please check the spring as well.

Summary

There are many parts for wind instruments, and some of them cannot be introduced here. The above is a list of parts that can be replaced to some extent, but there are also parts that are difficult to replace unless you are a repairman. If you feel that the movement of your instrument is getting worse, please check at least once to see if any of these parts are worn out first.