Posted by Lee Stofer on February 23, 2004 at 08:12:58:
In Reply to: Piston Valve Construction posted by Jay Bertolet on February 22, 2004 at 20:14:33:
Jay,
Your Nirschl is a fine instrument, and don't worry about what you saw in the piston casings. On any-priced tuba, the valve casings are machined brass tubes, and in the case of your Nirschl, they, along with the rest of the instrument, were silver plated. I encounter loose bits of plating on all sorts of tubas on a regular basis. That is just not unusual. There was some residual plating left on the inside of your piston casings, which looks white. This is just a couple of microns thick at most, and any loose portions will most likely flake off without you particularly noticing it. By the way, your Nirschl CC has monel pistons, which are a type of stainless steel, and are not plated. They are extremely durable, and with regular cleaning and Hetman valve oil they would last for a few hundred years.
Lee Stofer