Do I Need To Replace My Valves?

[David Barnert]

Do I need to replace my valves?

 

About 1/3 of the pads on the inside face of my left reed pan and three or four of the ones on the right (it's a duet, so the ones on the left are longer) are curling away. Here's a picture of some of the ones on the left.

 

 

It's a Wheatstone that Steve Dickinson built about 20 years ago.

 

Do the valves need replacing? All of them or just the offenders? Is there a way to treat them so they'll lie flat without replacing them?

 

Thanks.

[Dana Johnson]

Do I need to replace my valves?

 

About 1/3 of the pads on the inside face of my left reed pan and three or four of the ones on the right (it's a duet, so the ones on the left are longer) are curling away. Here's a picture of some of the ones on the left.

 

 

It's a Wheatstone that Steve Dickinson built about 20 years ago.

 

Do the valves need replacing? All of them or just the offenders? Is there a way to treat them so they'll lie flat without replacing them?

 

Thanks.

Gee, has it been that long?( I remember that instrument well since US customs decided to hassell us over it for no good reason ) But down to business, Given the look of those valves, before I'd replace them, I would try lightly scraping over the back of the valves from root to tip either with a fingernail or simialr device. this slightly stretches the grain side on the back more than the underside and causes the valve to flatten out.

 

Valves can curl like that even seasonally as they dry and relax as they get damp. I think, but am not absolutely sure, that the curl is more indicative of shrinkage of the back surface rather than from simply being bent up for too long. I find valves that have lost their spring tend to stay straighter, but bend mostly at the point where they are glued.

 

If the valves were really high, I'd replace them, but yours aren't. I think you can still get more life out of them as they are. It also depends on how much they affect your playing. if you play softly, they will slow the response somewhat, but if you play with a bit more volume, they close so fast that you might barely notice a difference. The important thing is how they affect your playing. Try the scraping thing first to flaten the valves. then see if you notice a difference playing. If you don't then you can wait a long time to replace them, if you do notice a difference, then replace them as soon as scraping ceases to remain effective. Some valves due to the nature of the leather will curl like that in a few weeks even if they are new. Others will last many years and still seem like new. Getting really good valves is one of those black arts.

Dana

[Richard Morse]

Mine are in the same shape (not amazing as our boxes are virtually twins and we both play them a lot), and from time to time I've "refurbished" my offending valves - by putting a shim under them and stroking them with a small, crisp screwdriver.

 

The idea is that this abrades and stretches the outer surface and will result in the valves curling toward the reedpan - which makes it work better. For a while anyway . It's not a forever fix (days to months depending on the condition of the valves), and you can only do it a few times before the trick stops working. I think I've done mine 3 times now in the past 6 or 7 years, and can tell that the lowest valves really do need it again. I'm not sure how much refurbishing I'll get out of another round but will do it anyway next time I need to get in there.

 

OTOH, my box needs a lot more than some valve tweaks. I don't mind doing some minor tuning and tip setting, but next time I think I just hand it over the the guys. That way the whole box gets done right and will sound great for years.

 

BTW, I've heard of people removing the valves, curling them in their fingers (to make them more supple and reversing the curve tendency) and re-adhering them... which I consider a really poor procedure. Yes, this will make the valves work better (for awhile, like stroking them does), but the bad part about this operation is that it will affect the pitch of the reeds.

 

-- Rich --

[David Barnert]

Gee, has it been that long?( I remember that instrument well since US customs decided to hassell us over it for no good reason )

Hi, Dana. I didn't realize you were part of the excursion that brought my Hayden to the USA. No, it hasn't been 20 years. The instrument was in Brian Hayden's posession for it's first decade or so. The customs incident would have been in the spring of 1994.

 

Thanks to both Dana and Rich for the advice. I'll give it a try.