Remove a Cleaning Swab from a Soprano Saxophone
Using a cleaning swab for a soprano sax seems easy: you hold it upside down, drop the weight through the horn, and pull the swab through after it, right? Wrong. You've probably discovered that often, after pulling the swab two-thirds of the way through the horn, it has become firmly lodged inside. Not to worry, though! You'll have it out of there in no time.
Contents
Steps
- See how far up inside the instrument the swab is lodged. If it's not in very far, you may be able to reach in with a couple of fingers (or a child's very small hands) and pluck it out.
- If the swab is too far up the horn to reach, take a long, slender object, such as a long pencil or knitting needle, and stick it into the narrow end of the horn (remove the mouthpiece first). Poke the swab as far down as you can. Make sure that you're actually moving the swab, and not just pushing the pencil alongside it.
- Once you've pushed the swab as far out as you can, turn the horn upside-down and stick the pencil into the bell. Try to extract it completely by pinning the edge of the swab to the inside of the horn and sliding it out.
- If step three doesn't work, roll up a ball of duct tape, sticky side facing out, and stick it to the end of the pencil. Then re-insert the pencil, press the duct tape against the swab, and remove the swab from the saxophone.
- A better way to do it : stick the narrow end (the string attached to a weight) into the narrow end of the saxophone. this way if it sticks , you can always pull it in the opposite direction...
Tips
- It's best to invest in Pad Savers, fluffy stick-like things that you stick in your instrument while you're not playing it. They are much easier to take care of and do a great job of absorbing moisture. Consult your local music store for more information.
Warnings
- While attempting to remove the swab, be sure that you do not accidentally poke it further up the bell and get it even more stuck.
