POLL: shorty/fatty (York-like) Holton B-flat tuba with 19-inch bell...

[the elephant]

A lot of that film was shot near my house, actually. And the dance hall at the end was a place I have gigged many times. (It is not a "barn" as it appears, but quite swank.) One of the road scenes is a drive I make many times each month.

I love that movie as a film, but also because of how it immortalized where I live.

Shot one block from was the more regrettable "Miss Firecracker" (1989). Her house in the movie is about 500 yards from mine, literally just around the corner.

[Yorkboy]

A lot of that film was shot near my house, actually. And the dance hall at the end was a place I have gigged many times. (It is not a "barn" as it appears, but quite swank.) One of the road scenes is a drive I make many times each month.

I love that movie as a film, but also because of how it immortalized where I live.

Shot one block from was the more regrettable "Miss Firecracker" (1989). Her house in the movie is about 500 yards from mine, literally just around the corner.

That’s really

I get a kick out of the scene in the bank in Itta Bena...

[York-aholic]

If any of you would like to come down to blokeplace today and spray several acres of weeds, I could put the finishing touches (mechanical/soldering) on this instrument…

On my way...

[bloke]

I’m already way too indebted to you, and becoming more so, as time passes...
——-
Today is spray day, and – if not totally exhausted later - possibly main slide brace, six water keys, and valve stem trimming day, as well.
‘ funny how eight hours of Mississippi-ing is quite exhausting...
...but I did show a very good, experienced, and conscientious band director (and his young student) a few tricks about playing the tuba - whereby trumpet/horn/trombone techniques really do not transfer over.
——-
Quotes on picked up Mississippi repairs will need to wait for another day, but this instrument needs to reach some reasonable level of completion, as I MUST move on to customer work that is awaiting me.
———
FINAL COMMENTS, for this post:
The immediate response of the all-valves-down “double low” C improved tremendously - with this Holton tuba, when I discovered that a cork (that I had jammed into a fourth slide lower water key nipple) was leaking quite a bit.
Oh yeah, and this fat little tuba is quite a “hero“, when playing misc. low register Prokofiev excerpts...particularly now that the water key nipple leak is plugged...and I will be going back and checking all sections of all circuits for possible leaks.

If any of you would like to come down to blokeplace today and spray several acres of weeds, I could put the finishing touches (mechanical/soldering) on this instrument…

On my way...

[bloke]

I did NOT spray.

Being a̶n̶ ̶e̶n̶v̶i̶r̶o̶n̶m̶e̶n̶t̶a̶l̶ a̶c̶t̶i̶v̶i̶s̶t̶ not stupid, a cold front (with high winds) was approaching (now: rain), and neither did I want that stuff blown over on to trees and shrubs, nor did I want it to get washed away in the rain.

[bloke]

I barely elevated the rotor and barely repositioned its circuit…
Of course that meant taking it all apart and putting it all back together, but (goal accomplished) the valve cap is now more than Ångströms away from the bow underneath it (possibly, now, a millimeter).
Once everything was positioned properly and aligned, I braced the main slide - as that was tied in with all this, and was something on my punch list.
The list is getting shorter, as now all I have to do is stick on a whole bunch of water keys, grind an eighth of an inch off of each of the valve stems, and replace the clicky brass guides with delrin guides.
(This thing is a little powerhouse with really great tuning and slippery slurs - the “anti-BBb” tuba. I don’t believe I’ll be selling it anytime soon. Physically, it is an odd experience carrying it around, as it is so very small, yet not “lightweight”, at c. 24 lbs. ...but it also does not sound “lightweight”.)
After that punch list stuff, most everything that’s left us clean-up, and possibly putting a finish on it now or (99% more likely) later.
Oh yeah...Mrs. bloke is going to help me re-block/reupholster that cute little just-barely-big-enough new/old-old stock MTS molded case.
I believe the theme of this entire project has been, “How snugly can all of the components be packed in?”

[bort2.0]

24 lbs? That's quite a dense tuba. My large/thick-metal Willson (which led me to submission) was 25 lbs.

[matt g]

Those Willson horns weren’t the heaviest from what I remember playing on some copies but rather a bit poorly balanced.

The were front and top heavy, so always “falling away” from the chops. I’m pretty sure my 2165 weighs more than a 3050 does, but it parks itself pretty well in my lap.

[Doc]

I don’t believe I’ll be selling it anytime soon.

Should I start saving now? How many trips to Blokeplace are we away from a transaction? As you know, reasonable and non-binding estimates on dollars and timelines are fine with me.

[bloke]

Other than my sousaphone - for outdoor standup gigs, I really never had a work-a-day B-flat tuba.
There have been more than a few times that I wished I did. This one kicks ass. The only issues are whether or not gigs will ever come back, or whether we will be allowed to do anything-in-particular - ever again - without “permission“.
I have no issues with a really long tuba, as long as it plays like a short one.
All of that having been said (and it having been mentioned above), do you have any interest in my unique sousaphone?

[Doc]

All of that having been said (and it having been mentioned above), do you have any interest in my unique sousaphone?

It's not currently on my list, however, I never say no if the right price and right timing have potential for converging. Maybe an investigatory excursion to western TN is in order...

Doc (also waiting on gigs to pick up)

[bloke]

All of that having been said (and it having been mentioned above), do you have any interest in my unique sousaphone?

It's not currently on my list, however, I never say no if the right price and right timing have potential for converging. Maybe an investigatory excursion to western TN is in order...

Doc (also waiting on gigs to pick up)

4 pistons/casings are better-than-new, there is an upper #1 slide, translucent purple and green lacquer is chipping off the valveset, but (if stripped) underneath is a perfect NEW satin silver finish...

...so I could offer it at two or three price points:
- as is
- valveset lacquer stripped and put back (with translucent purple/green, again)
- valveset lacquer stripped, and satin silver polished up

[bloke]

OK...I guess the speed limit is 6 waterkeys per hour...



...and 4 shorten-stems-by-3mm per 20 minutes:


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...so which one - do you think - required the most skill / steadiest hand to install...??
' ever drilled a water key nipple vent hole from around a corner?
again: very tight quarters


Yorkboy, here's the picture you've been requesting...

[Yorkboy]

Very nice design - no margin for error there!

At the risk of being impudent, wouldn’t it have been easier to remove the crook, drill it, and replace it?

BTW, I like those waterkeys— (for the record, I don’t hate waterkeys - my issue is scrounging up enough used ones with their associated parts to make a functional setup)

[bloke]

At the risk of being impudent, wouldn’t it have been easier to remove the crook, drill it, and replace it?

I just punched the spot where the hole needed to be, drilled from an angle with a small drill bit, and then opened the hole up with a larger drill bit - warbling it around until I made a circular hole.

I didn’t want to have to risk messing up my first valve slide alignment...and nor did I particularly want to pull that crook out - just to drill a hole in it. ... This water key took no longer than did the others.

I was sort of obligated to install an H. N. White vintage water key on one of the slides, because there were some weird hole in the crook right where that crook’s original/previous larger water key’s diamond flange footprint had been…and that hole needed covering up.

[Yorkboy]

I didn’t want to have to risk messing up my first valve slide alignment...and nor did I particularly want to pull that crook out - just to drill a hole in it. ... This water key took no longer than did the others.

Makes perfect sense to me - nice work!

[bloke]

Official weigh-in - for any upcoming boughts: 23-1/2 lbs., which includes the mouthpiece.

Other than interior/exterior cleaning, installing synthetic guides, possible piston venting (boring stuff), a shine-and-shoot job (I'll add pictures - if that occurs), and (??) answering any questions, this project officially is COMPLETED.





bloke " I takes an 'I'm done with this' post to realize that I never installed a lower bell brace."

[Doc]

You can give us a short tutorial on venting piston valves, installing valve guides, and then one last look at the final product in the form it will exist for the foreseeable future.

Doc (noting that Joe doesn't have enough to do without posting excessive photos of his work process - a favorite pastime of his )

[bloke]

I did go back and install a "token" (small) lower bell brace.
The thing is solid as a rock - and didn't need it - but it is "customary"...so it's now there.



also...

The bell flare (very distressed, upon original receipt) wasn't quite round - down in the "throat" area...
"very-good", but not "bloke-good".
I had struggled with it a bit, before assembling the bugle. For S's and G's, I tried applying pressure (to the out-of-round areas in the throat) in the OPPOSITE ways that normally worked...It's much rounder, now...

[Yorkboy]

bloke " I takes an 'I'm done with this' post to realize that I never installed a lower bell brace."

Understandable, easily overlooked - that’s usually the last task I do when building a tuba (that and the mouthpipe brace).

When I accomplish that, then I can say “it’s done”!