Venting Piston Valves


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Posted by Rick Denney on August 25, 2000 at 16:47:02:

I am considering venting the pistons on the York. The valves are tight, having been replated and reworked recently, and I get a lot of popping as I move the first-valve slide around. Also, I prefer to empty water by pulling slides, and holding the valves down while pulling slides is no mean feat with this instrument.

I vented the valves on my 621F using a non-standard method. I used a Dremel tool with a reinforced cutoff wheel, and made a lengthwise slot about a millimeter wide and about three-quarters the diameter of the port. I chose this method because it seemed vastly less risky than using a drill. I think if I was going to drill a hole, I'd use a hand brace instead of a power drill. I would routinely use a pin vise and drill rotary vent holes by hand, but those are tiny holes by comparison. The Dremel method was quick and seemed relatively risk-free.

The method seems to have worked well on the Yamaha, but I had a backup in case of failure: Yamaha spare parts are available.

So, I have a couple of questions:

1.) In the archives, someone said that venting the valves changed the sound and playing characteristics of their instrument. I did not find this to be the case on the F, but I ask the question just in case. What has been everyone's experience here?

2.) I wonder if I could beg the indulgence of one of our repair pros, and get them to tell me why my method of creating a slot instead of a hole is a bad thing.

Rick "Holes in his head" Denney


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