Hello everyone

Some of you may recall that in the last hot spell my Yamaha plastic recorder got stuck, with the headjoint about a third of the way on to the body and at just past right-angles from where it should have been.

Well, I used it extensively on Saturday at the SRP playday and at the end of the playday I had a bit of bother to undo it, but managed eventually.

Having skived practice yesterday (don't tell Andante ) I went to assemble it this morning to practise, and it stuck again. The day hasn't even warmed up yet!

When I get it apart, I'll give it yet another go with washing-up liquid (as recommended by Saunders Recorders, and it's worked before), but I thought I've got to find some way of sorting this problem, at the very least for the remainder of this week.

Does anyone reckon there'd be much risk in my keeping it in the fridge? I know it sounds crackers, but it's the only cool spot in the house just now.

Alternative suggestions welcomed to enable me to have a working recorder on Friday afternoon, given that the weather forecast now suggests that Summer will last until the weekend.

Cheers

Katyjay

I think it'd probably be OK to keep a plastic recorder in the fridge *has visions of rows of descants and trebles in the chiller cabinet at Tesco's*, but I must say I've never tried it myself! Have you got a cellar?

I'm off to do my clarinet practice in a minute, before the heat gets unbearable....

No cellar, I'm afraid (less than 100m from the Thames, a cellar would have an ensuite swimming pool...)

Hi Katyjay

We had this problem with a Yamaha Treble, we could not get it apart, I resorted to putting so much washing up liquid in it that even after washing it out thoroughly several times it still tasted soapy! my daughter moaned and pulled her face about it for ages, I kept washing, she used her teachers recorder. Eventually it did wash off , but I had to keep letting her do a taste test to check it was gone.

I can't tell you how to stop it happening but do becareful not to do what I did lol.

No doubt you have used the usual recorder grease - is there any chance you have put too much on and it has dried up and "gunged"? This can lead to sticking, and I find that WD40 works wonders for removing old excess grease without damaging the recorder. I once used Cif very lightly on my bass when I had this problem and damaged the surface on the joints - the plastic these recorders are made of is surprisingly soft.

Actually I was warned NOT to use grease, and the purpose of the washing up liquid is, I understand, to remove every trace of it and its associated grot. Either way, washing up liquid loosens it beautifully for a while, but that didn't survive today's heat.

I would always use recorder grease to keep the joints from wearing against each other. A plastic recorder should be washed from time to time, partly to stop the greased joints getting dusty and the grease from becoming dry and gluey. Without grease the joints become very tight in hotter weather. Is it not time to invest in a new soprano recorder? You will not have problems with cork joints if you look after them, and wooden instruments can do so much more than plastic ones. I bought a £600 Yamaha tenor last week for less than £90 second hand and am delighted with it.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Just to correct a couple of points in your assumptions, Petrat

1. It's a treble, not a descant. My descant hasn't (so far) given me this trouble.

2. It's my workaday instrument. I have a couple of Moeck trebles as well, but find them a bit less comfortable to play, particularly for any extended period of time. I will probably take a Moeck as well as the Yamaha to the exam on Friday, but would rather have the Yamaha in working order.