Re: Re: Re: tuba cutting


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Posted by Matt Walters on June 16, 2000 at 08:07:48:

In Reply to: Re: Re: tuba cutting posted by Erik van Wensen on June 16, 2000 at 07:07:36:

Biggest problem? The tubing for all 4 valves has to be shortened. Some people just us a hacksaw and that is just what it looks like when they are through. If you are going to properly cut each tube on a lathe, that menas a lot of unsoldering, resoldering the slide and outer tubes into a paralled assembly which is then soldered back up to the casing. After you have the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd shortened slide assemblies on the casing, you have to decide if you will ever want a 5th valve on your horn. Before you plum in your shorter 4th valve tubing, you have to think about leaving room for the 5th valve. If you make a decision that you won't ever want a 5th valve, then the job just got a lot easier. Believe me!
Now that you have a valve set in CC, you need to cut 24" off the tuba. Warning, a main tuning slide with 1" of pull is not sufficient. Resolder the body that has been shortened to CC. Do you retaper the branches or just shove one tube in another and glob solder? As a hobbiest, you actually get a choice.
Now, solder the valve set to the body of the tuba. Reasonably straight is preferred. Then solder in the 4th valve tubing to get the slides where you want them. Don't want a top pull 4th valve slide? It will not be worth as much when you try to resale it but not having to worry about getting a slide up where it can be reached makes it easier. Non of my customers would accept me building them such a horn.
Put on a leadpipe and there, the horn is cut to CC.
This does not include overhaul of the parts, nor experimentation with retapering the branches to help the intonation. I changed the taper 5 times on just the 5th branch, of my York CC to get the kind of results I wantee. If it is an old horn with worn out valves, you should have thought about a valve job while you have the valve section off the horn.
That is the Readers Digest version for you.
Matt
Hours of buffing and ragging to give you a product that at least looks good in raw brass.


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