How to Replace the Cork in a Trombone Water Key

Written By: Esther Unti

Comments: 1

How to Replace the Cork in a Trombone Water Key

Difficulty

Easy

Steps

Time Required

10 - 15 minutes

Introduction

A leaky water key can make playing difficult and a horn sound strange. Instrument repair professionals can fix leaky water keys, but often times all a water key needs is a new cork—an easy fix you can do at home. Water key corks are inexpensive and available at most music stores and online, but a wine cork cut to the right size will work in a pinch.

Tools

Parts

Step 1

Obtain a replacement water key cork.
If you’re in a rush and don’t have a replacement cork, you can make a temporary one out of a wine bottle cork.

Step 2

Remove the old cork.
Insert a sharp tool, such as one tine of a pair of tweezers or needle-nose forceps, between the cork and the metal edge.
Pry up the cork using the metal edge for leverage.
Repeat this at several points around the cork until the cork comes free.

Step 3

If you have a replacement cork, skip to Step 10.
If you’re using a wine bottle cork to make a replacement cork, place the cork on its side and measure 3 mm from the cork edge. Mark this point.

Step 4

Using a serrated knife (such as a steak knife), cut the cork horizontally along your mark.
Cutting corks can be tricky. Make sure to keep fingers out of your knife's way.

Step 5

Using a ruler, measure the diameter of the water key slot you removed the cork from in Step 2.
Measure from inside edge to inside edge.

Step 6

Place the 3mm slice you cut from the wine cork flat on a surface.
Mark a point in the center.

Step 7

Using a ruler, measure half the diameter from Step 5 above and below the center mark.

Step 8

Rotate the ruler 90 degrees and repeat Step 7.
Your cork slice should now have four marks equidistant from the center mark.
Draw a circle connecting the four marks around the center.

Step 9

Using your knife, cut out this circle.
It helps to slice edges off at angles, one at a time.
This might take a few tries, so if you end up with a non-round circle cut out, repeat Steps 3-9 with the remaining wine cork.

Step 10

Dry fit the new cork in the water key slot to make sure it is the right size.
If your cork is too big, you'll need to cut it a little smaller.
If your cork is a little uneven, don't worry. Its job is to seal the water hole, which is much smaller than the cork itself.

Step 11

With a hot glue gun, put a drop of glue in the water key slot and place the new cork on top.
Press firmly on the cork for a few seconds.

Conclusion

If your water key still leaks after replacing the cork, it may need to be bent back into place or may need a new spring. See an instrument repair professional or another online guide for help with this.

Author

Esther Unti

Member since: 24/02/15

266 Reputation

One comment

Let me suggest that there is an easier way to a permanent solution for leaky corks - remove the water automatically by installing a JoyKey. No more leaking corks, no moving parts, no sptings or having to manually deal with water.

For more information:

www.thejoykey.com and http://thejoykey.com/wp-content/uploads/...

andrew - 10/02/19