If the valve gets stuck, you can also use the pliers, can't you? Well... often with permanent consequences ;-) If you've spent a few years as an instrument maker in the repair business, you've seen just about everything. But there are always small and big "accidents" on the workbench that make you smile :-)
On this gold-plated Schagerl C trumpet, played by a professional musician from the Staatstheater Cottbus, the lever rod of the 2nd valve was broken and had to be repaired. I decided to remove the broken part. Then a guide was milled into the push rod, the defective part was rebuilt on the lathe and both parts were hard soldered to each other. Finally, the lever was optically refurbished and re-gilded. For a better understanding, I have documented the process with a small series of pictures.
As part of this repair, the trumpet also received an extensive cleaning in an ultrasonic bath, worn out bearings and guides were retracted and all worn areas were newly gold-plated.
