How do I remove a stuck mouthpiece from a press fit leadpipe?

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Bjorn
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Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2025 10:16 am

How do I remove a stuck mouthpiece from a press fit leadpipe?

Post by Bjorn »

I tried to remove it with my bobcat mouthpiece puller, but it seems like the space between the bottom of the cup and the top of the leadpipe is to short. Please help:)
hornbuilder
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Re: How do I remove a stuck mouthpiece from a press fit leadpipe?

Post by hornbuilder »

Use a rawhide or plastic mallet to tap the ring on the top of the lead pipe. Lots of little light taps around the circumference of the ring. The vibration will loosen the shank
Matthew Walker
Owner/Craftsman, M&W Custom Trombones, LLC, Jackson, Wisconsin.
Former Bass Trombonist, Opera Australia, 1991-2006
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Doug Elliott
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Re: How do I remove a stuck mouthpiece from a press fit leadpipe?

Post by Doug Elliott »

Yes, that's also how you remove ball joints on a car's suspension, which are also a taper fit that gets extremely stuck after decades on the road.
I would alternate between tapping around the ring (hitting toward the shank) and holding the leadpipe while tapping the mouthpiece away from it in the direction to remove it. Eventually the vibration will make it let go.
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Posaunus
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Re: How do I remove a stuck mouthpiece from a press fit leadpipe?

Post by Posaunus »

Doug Elliott wrote: Sat Nov 08, 2025 10:36 am Yes, that's also how you remove ball joints on a car's suspension, which are also a taper fit that gets extremely stuck after decades on the road.
I would alternate between tapping around the ring (hitting toward the shank) and holding the leadpipe while tapping the mouthpiece away from it in the direction to remove it. Eventually the vibration will make it let go.
Would it help to use some sort of a lubricant (silicone, WD-40, ...) as well as tapping?
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Doug Elliott
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Re: How do I remove a stuck mouthpiece from a press fit leadpipe?

Post by Doug Elliott »

Probably wouldn't make any difference
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