cutting Fat Bastard down to size (OK. I'm probably -??- done posting to this thread.)

[bloke]

Remaking the three slides to fit the (now: longest outside tube replaced and really nicely-aligned) 4th circuit is not stressful, but it is tedious and boring.
boring: because I already know what the results will be, and I'm going through the procedures to get to the results in super-slow motion.

So far, I have the lower (of the three) 4th circuit slides done:

@DonO. Notice the patina on the nickel-brass slide tubing...(per your thread) I have no plans to remove it. The pair of tubes and entire slide) slides like glass, and with NO expanding, sanding, buffing, and not even oil (though I'm going to put some lamp oil on it).


Also, note that I reused the signature "Miraphone" water key nipple, but had to fashion it to fit on the tight curve of the slide bow:


...so I have the upper slide and the center slide left to redo:

[bloke]

Here are the redone upper slide (longer and 80:20 brass slide bow) and the center loop slide (new water key).

There's a minor glitch in the outside tubing of the upper slide (between where the center and upper slides met), so I was not able to lengthen the upper slide...but the pair of 9" inside tubes are ready to go, if I get around to replacing that slightly-flawed outside tube.

This is fine for now, and (honesty) I had no reason to lengthen the upper slide. The two longer slide bows (top and bottom) allow the center loop slide to be pulled out much less.

[bloke]

I've decided to go ahead and order a replacement outside slide tube (the 11" one) since it seems to have a flaw in it (either previous owner unrealized mishap, or possibly an assembly error...??)

Once I replace that tube, I'm going to go ahead and enhance the upper slide with the two 9-inch legs, PLUS put a bore spacer (several inches "bore gap") in the LONG 17-inch outside slide tube. (Who knows...?? Maybe a bore spacer would encourage the low range to respond even better - already: "just fine").

With the LONGER top and bottom slide bows, the CENTER slide pull (for "low F" and "low range" tuning) is now only roughly a bit over an inch (thus: less larger outside slide tubing exposed on the inside which - again - might...?? encourage even better low range response.)

@the elephant
again...Sometime, I'd like to revisit your Holton (with all your improvements) and (though this thing feels fairly foreign, at first) hand this thing over to you for a test-blow. Every once in a while, I'm as far south as Greenwood... Maybe (??) we could hold an executive committee meeting at Big Daddy's Soul Food in Tchula... (If I had enough room in the back of the liquilectrical-fueled (plain ol') Toyota Matrix, I could also pack the B-flat Holton, and you could also bring the Kurath.)

bloke "3D trumps 2D any ol' day."

[bloke]

LOL...
re: the stop rod on the #1 slide

When I'm really giving the tuba some moderately heavy gas (ex: forte-plus on 1-3 C just below the staff), since the slide is pulled out to near full extension, and the hanging-free end of the stop rod is inside the pass-through post, I'm getting some harmonic vibration from the instrument to the stop rod and vibrating against the hole in the post.

The first thing I'm going to try (as this has worked before with the same exact thing) will be to coat the threaded rod with Plasti-Dip.

OTOH...now that it's WARMER, and the house (with no heat turned on) is sitting in the c. 73° F. temperature range, the tuning characteristics of the tuba have changed slightly - with 4th valve C no longer being particularly flat...so (simply) playing C with 4th valve (at least, for the spring/summer/early fall) will address the issue for a good while.

Also...
The remarkably well-aligned LOWER #4 slide was getting "blown out" - when moving one of the other slides. I don't move any 4th valve slides when playing, but - just to insure that it doesn't fall out - I went ahead and subtly expanded those inside slide tubes. I usually don't like expanding perfectly-formed tubes with crude tools such as tubing expanders, but - in this case - the job turned out quite nice, and (sighting down each of the tubes) they don't don an "expanded" appearance at all...I'm referring to THIS slide (shown in a previous post)...

[bloke]

As I studied with Eric Von Schteric, der lauteste tubist der welt (1960's MAD Magazine reference), sometimes - when the #1 slide is out pretty far...and I'm playing sorta loud...and the tuba is vibrating somewhat - this 3mm rod was vibrating against the receiving post...

...so I removed the two stop nuts and O-ring, installed shrink tubing, trilled out the receiving post larger, and put it back together.

now: no "zzzzzzzzzz" noise.

[bloke]

[bloke]

Other than just a little bit more work on the 4th circuit (and shining up and putting replacement lacquer on some parts), this thread and these upgrades are just about done...

A link to this concert video was bumped on facebook today...
Even though the music was "easy", I'm remember how I was struggling with several little issues (which are no longer issues) when doing these two rehearsals and this show, 3-1/2 months ago...

[bloke]

This thing is making me giggle - on the gig.
I'm playing fourth partial 2-3 in tune without having to lip the S.O.B. f

B major - now - sho' is niiiice.

[bloke]

I found some sturdy (1/32" thick) 1/4" O.D. nickel silver tubing to make the left-hand's wrist cradle to attach to the spring-action slide (shown in the previous post). I'll probably use some new-style (brass) 1/4" King socket flanges to mount it to the upper tangent curve of the slide bow:

(REMINDER: When my left hand fingers remain placed on the #1 slide, my left hand wrist will be pushing this slide down for 4th partial 2-3 F-sharp...rather than having to move my hand.)

Studying the shape of the underside of my wrist, I don't believe I'll be bending the tubing that contacts that surface, as the underside of my wrist - basically - defines a straight line and a geometric plane.

https://knifemaking.com/products/metal- ... 5036046472

Maybe most of you are stronger players than me, but when I start "cracking" attacks is when I try to begin pitches in tune YET with the circuit the wrong length (even by as little as an inch). I really don't believe that I can "hear the grass grow", but (maybe...) I'm a bit better at hearing the next pitch(es) than I think I am...(??) Admittedly I'm (well...) damn good at creating "iron octaves" with bass trombone players...as long as it's damn-good bass trombonists. A really great trumpet player told me that his accuracy suffers when playing naturally out-of-tune trumpets, because he forgets to (go ahead and) attack the pitches out of tune (those whereby there is no tubing length correction solution) and THEN (immediately) correct the pitch (via "lipping").

[bloke]

The LAST stuff that I plan to do to this instrument...

[1] left-hand #3 spring action slide wrist cradle, and

[2] replace a #4 circuit approx. foot-long defective outside slide tube with a new one, and extend the pull range of the upper #4 slide


...the parts are on the way for BOTH.
(I've sorta grown weary of messing with this thing, would like to consider it "done", and - simply - PLAY it.)

[1] some 1/32" wall 1/4" O.D. nickel-silver tubing (which should fit into two round-flange King socket flanges - soldered to the #3 slide bow

[2] (simply) the nickel-silver Miraphone outside slide tube (already supplied with the oem Miraphone trim ends) and (due to a previous miscommunication) a genuine Miraphone #3 water key nipple (ie. with nickel silver round flange)

=======================================

Once I'm done nerding out this tuba (actually, making it easily/completely capable of being played precisely in tune with very little "favoring"), I can go ahead and polish up the altered/replace parts, and shoot some clear on them.

...I still can't stop cooling out over being able to play a bottom-of-staff 2-3 F-sharp without having to "lip" it. ...I've always viewed this (or the comparable A-flat played on most C tubas) as a pitch which pisses off really fine/conscientious bass trombonists...

...My F tuba is so flexible ("slot-less"...??) that playing the comparable C-sharp really shouldn't be considered to be "lipping".

[bloke]

I got my 1/4" o.d. nickel silver tubing (for the left-wrist-pushing-down thing on the #3 slide on the back of the instrument - the slide that's now spring-loaded).


It's plenty sturdy, though semi-thin-walled...so it's about as lightweight as I could manage.

Adding two flanges and the amount of tubing required (to reach up to my left wrist) should add roughly an ounce to the weight of the #3 slide, so we'll see if the return spring is still strong enough.

[bloke]

OK...The #3 slide gadget (with the unusual #3 circuitry) is now all rigged up.

I can keep my left hand fingers on the #1 slide the entire time, while being able to tune the (2-3 valve combination) 4th partial F-sharp at the bottom of the staff (which is flatter than the other three 2-3 valve combination pitches).

At the risk of being scoffed for name-dropping...
Since the only other time Øystein Baadsvik and I had ever bumped into each other before was in the basement of the Jacobs School of Music at IU - at a big international tuba shindig Miraphone display quite a few years ago - he and I were briefly chatting (after his amazing recital) last night, and - after offering him all the deserved compliments - I mentioned that we had bumped into each other long ago (Miraphone display) which was the first time I had played a model 98, and that I was so very impressed with it. Of course, I knew he wouldn't remember that, but we sort of discussed how we (particularly he) are expected to (him: acrobatics & tuning / the rest of us: just tuning, if we're lucky ) play these huge marching instruments as if we're Heifetz...and I was just completing "re-wiring" most of the circuitry on this 98 to (attempt to) achieve something sorta close to "digital/auto-tune" intonation - yet when performing live. He mentioned (rather than raising the 4th partial F-sharp UP to pitch) simply lowering the 2nd partial F-sharp - by playing it with the 1-5 combination. (OK, so I already knew - even after shortening the model 98 #1 circuit - that the 1-5 combination is too flat for low F-sharp, so I nodded, and changed the subject back to his amazing recital.)

He put on an incredible show, REALLY connected with the patrons, and I was so gratified that it was very well-attended.

There is audio (included with this video of the #3 slide gadget in use) - if you're interested, but you have to find the clicky-thingie to hear it:
Yes...There IS spring noise, but the phone was right next to the spring, and the phone's mic just LOVES high-frequency noise.
I'm not claiming that it's inaudible, but it's not nearly as loud as in the video...



This may (??) look like a pretty simple device...simple machine...simple geometry...but (OK...) some of y'all make something like this go (along with shaping those egg-shaped brace flanges, while lining up their sockets perfectly parallel and coplanar "just because" and - after all that picky crap - getting the damn thing to ACTUALLY work - and all within a hour's time. yikes...Am I morphing into a "tech"...!?!?

[bloke]

I'm going to see if cast/mold compression springs reduce noise.

These are color coded to compression percentage and strength.

I'm going to try medium, strong, and extra strong.

If all of those are too strong, I'll try medium soft and soft.

The stronger ones are capable of being compressed more.

These spring are constructed of spiral FLAT metal, which (I'm thinking/hoping) might discourage them from "bunching", and - thus - might (??) be less noisy - when riding up and down the rod.

As the rod is 3mm in diameter, I'm buying some that are 8mm o.d. x 4mm i.d. and the uncompressed length of the extended space on the rod.

In the three strengths (same diameters), I'm ordering them all in 45mm length. I'm needing them to compress down to c. 25mm.



bloke "a cheap way to learn something"

[Doc]

When you have perfected this to bloke standards, I’m coming to blokeplace and have the patented blokespring slide return system installed on my first valve slide. I’ll bring cash and any Texas-specific care package items you and Debbie might want.

[Three Valves]

Call the patent office!

I’ve just witnessed the birth of the bloke-o-slide.

[bloke]

One of the FEW things left (in the reconfig of all but the #2 circuit) is replacing two (now: only one) outside slide tube in the #4 loop (some minor inexplicable damage to both) and - at the same time elongating the UPPER #4 slide tubes (at the expense of the middle/intermediate #4 slide tubes' length).

That tube is enroute from Germany.

I REALLY would like to be DONE messing with this tuba (other than polishing and shooting all the REdone stuff).

I'm going back and bumping the threads I just un-bumped, as this is not particularly interesting...
ie. "bloke is impatient...so what...?? " (etc.)

[cjk]

One of the FEW things left (in the reconfig of all but the #2 circuit) is replacing two (now: only one) outside slide tube in the #4 loop (some minor inexplicable damage to both) and - at the same time elongating the UPPER #4 slide tubes (at the expense of the middle/intermediate #4 slide tubes' length).

That tube is enroute from Germany.

I REALLY would like to be DONE messing with this tuba (other than polishing and shooting all the REdone stuff).

I'm going back and bumping the threads I just un-bumped, as this is not particularly interesting...
ie. "bloke is impatient...so what...?? " (etc.)

So when are you going to redo the #2 circuit??

[bloke]

Yeah, I can't think of anything to do to mess up that circuit.
... well, I do have to pull out the second slide quite far, so maybe I should try to find one of those old Czech-style slide bows that are circular...??

[bloke]

When (one of the very last things on the list) I precision-aligned the sort-of "self-contained" (all off to one side, sort of like the "new-style" King) 4th circuit, I discovered a damaged spot on this tube (where and upper slide met a lower slide and a brace is also located (notice burned lacquer).

The brace is one of those "originally adjustable but brazed together" newer-models Miraphone "socket" braces, seemed to be too short (I had to fill the flange with lead solder), and - again - the outside tube was also damaged right there at the brace (assembly pressure...?? a later previous owner boo-boo...??)

Anyway, I've been waiting for a replacement outside (double-ended) tube (just received today), some replacement matching socket brace parts, and a genuine Miraphone water key nipple (with the big round nickel flange). Even though I replaced all the water keys with B&S style (though brass, instead of nickel - as Miraphone uses brass) water keys, and kept the genuine Miraphone "cool" water key nipples. I ADDED an additional water key (the oddball #3 circuit on the back of the instrument) and I now have a proper nipple (received in this shipment) for that added water key.

bloke "as anal as Wade, but with other preferences/tastes/priorities"

yeah...text obviously should have been "replaced"

[bloke]

I got that last replacement outside slide tube installed, and the top #4 slide moves like glass, so I'm happy. All three of the #4 circuit slides are good, aligned, and free of flaws.
bottom slide - well aligned and snug (I'll only move it often enough to prevent it from seizing.)
median slide - well aligned, and slides more easily than the bottom slide (I'll do any tuning with this slide.)
top slide - again, floats like glass (If ...?? I ever fool around with any on-the-fly 4th circuit stuff, it would obviously be with this slide.)

The last thing to do is to sand/buff down some very long (replacement for the two medium-long ones) upper inside slide tubes (which are currently raw-formed and too snug) for the same #4 circuit, so I can pull the top slide way out. To make room for these extra-long tubes, I'll shorten one of the median slide tubes (and I'll still have plenty of tuning range). I have no reason to do this, but I just want to have this capability, and maybe someday I'll think of a purpose for it. ... I'm actually not kidding.

This tuba body is made of such thin brass - and my shop is so messy - that I installed this tube inside my house on a table with cardboard under the tuba.