Consumables for Wind Instruments - Brass and Rotary Instruments

Hello everyone! My name is Makino, and I am in charge of wind instruments. In the last issue, I introduced consumables for piston instruments. This time, I would like to introduce consumables for rotary instruments.

① Rotary Stopper Rubber

The rotary stopper rubber is the rubber attached to where the arrow is pointing to in the photo.

The black rubber part is called the rotary stopper rubber.

This rubber acts as a cushion to prevent noise. Because it is made of rubber, it is more durable than felt, but it eventually breaks down. What happens when it crumbles?...

Noise

Rubber is used to prevent parts from hitting each other directly. However, as the rubber is crushed, its cushioning properties deteriorate and noise is produced. You may also know that rubber is sensitive to oil. The rotary stopper rubber also deteriorates when exposed to rotary oil and there are other factors that could cause this. By the time you notice it, the oil has deteriorated the rubber to the point where it is already falling apart...

Producing Sound Becomes Difficult

Since the rubber is designed with the thickness of new rubber, when it is crushed, the hole positions of the tubes do not align inside the rotary, causing it to be difficult to produce sound or play it.

When you take off the lid of the rotary, there are marks on the rotary to match the hole positions, so you can tell without having to disassemble the rotary.

↓ The marks are perfectly aligned because new rubber is used.

↓ It is hard to tell in the image, but you can see that the position is slightly off than in the image above.

You can replace a rotary stopper yourself.

② Cork

Like piston instruments, most rotary instruments are equipped with a water key. Cork (or rubber in some instruments) is attached to the water key to prevent water in the pipe from coming out. However, cork also deteriorates as it repeatedly absorbs moisture and dries out. Deterioration can cause water to leak out or breath leakage. You can replace a cork yourself. If you feel that it is deteriorating before it leaks, just go ahead and replace it.

Summary

Like piston instruments, rotary instruments have many parts. Also, some of them cannot be introduced here. This time, I have introduced parts that can be replaced to some extent. Unlike piston instruments, rotary instruments require a high level of skill to disassemble. If you feel that the movement of your instrument has become sluggish, please check to see if any parts are worn out first.