TromboneChat

So, I have a Selmer Bolero that has a small leak at the bottom of the slide where the slide bow connects. This has already been repaired once before by filling it in with solder.
Would it be practical to have ferrules added, like most trombone manufacturers do at the factory? As far as I know, King and Selmer were the only ones not to.
It is a .508 or .509 bore. Will finding ferrules that fit be difficult? Is there a downside, besides the added weight?

Is the leak at the “cup” of the slide crook? (Where the slide tube is received by the crook). If yes, I would suggest that the joint is simply failed and should just be disassembled, properly cleaned and reassembled.

If nothing is damaged (no cracks or pin holes) the parts you have can work just as well as a ferrules. In fact the King/Selmer style crooks eliminate failure points at/around the crook by having half as many joints that can fail.

^this... disassemble, clean, possibly slightly tweak the fit of the joint, resolder properly. "Filling in" an existing void with new solder never really works; the void is covered in oxidation, buffing compound and lacquer, and if you're using so little heat and flux as to not reflow the whole joint, there's basically no adhesion.

Of course, it could also be leaking because the crook or outers are rotting out around that point, in which case parts need replacing or patching. The patch might take the form of a ferrule/sleeve, but a real ferrule for this area might need to be turned especially. You'd cut off the expanded cups - which the Bolero has on the outers in the opposite of the King system - but the outer OD and crook OD are unlikely to match. If they do, the ferrule can be cylindrical, but the crook walls are likely to be thicker than the outers, requiring an internally stepped ferrule.

Thanks for the replies. After reading both, and thinking it over, what you're both saying makes sense.
I doubt the crack would even show up in a picture, but upon further examining the crack is in the slide tube right where it expands to go over the crook. There is no sign of rot, and the crack is barely visible. I only noticed it while giving it a cleaning and water was slowly dripping out.
So, I'm hoping that Freddie at Dillon's can remove the crook, clean up the old solder, and re-attach it while filling in the leak.

The only issue with adding ferrules COULD be making the horn just a tiny bit slide heavy.
If the crack is right at the end of the expanded section, your tech could file that off and install with ferrules similar to most other slides.
Better to avoid trying to "fill" in the crack, usually never works or holds.

Thanks, Eric.

Mamaposaune wrote: ↑Fri Oct 04, 2024 8:27 am Thanks, Eric.

You're most welcome!!