Valve trombone stuck 2nd valve

[KMGP]

Greetings.

I am a newbie to the forum but an oldie to tromboning writing to relate an incident that may be of interest to others. A stuck 2nd piston in a valve trombone was caused by force having been applied against the 2nd valve tuning slide and cured by pushing the tuning slide in the direction opposite that of the damaging force. This scenario seems to be known to trumpeters but maybe not to trombonists.

I recently bought a used valve trombone via the internet. It arrived with a hopelessly stuck second valve but was otherwise in very good condition. The seller had advertised that all valves were free. There was no visible sign of damage. An internet search turned up an excellent video by Arthur Shillito describing the situation in a trumpet and its cure:



The valve section is cushioned by soft foam in a hard case. I found a fresh indentation in the velvet lining of the side of the case that lined up perfectly with the nub on the second valve tuning slide about a centimeter away. If the case were dropped on its side, the nub would be pushed against the side of the case with the inertia of the entire valve section. (I had neglected to ask the seller as I usually do to add packing to thoroughly protect the instrument inside the case.) Evidently the clearance between the piston and its cylinder is so close that even a minute distortion of the cylinder can lock up the valve. The second valve slide is prone to damage because it is angled out away from the valve bodies, at least in my instrument.