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Have been really busy with end of summer chores. Projects. 1st marching band competition of the season tomorrow. My middle son is in the pit. Of course I'm on the pit crew.....

So... to keep it on the down-low and simple.... I did some "dumpster diving" and picked up some valve crooks and tubing to make a slide....

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These are what I found that looked like they would work.

The tube is from what looked to be a possibly Yamaha large euphonium or really small tuba. Not sure, didn't look for names and models just measured parts. The crook is from a small king tuba. Funny, the crook measured really close, but the attached slides were way too big. The tube is the outer slide from the yamaha and measures exactly what the inside slides I have are. But the curve radius of the crook is about .100" smaller than the one I'm trying to copy.

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I took these to work, unsoldered and cleaned them up.

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Here's the result. The crook isn't going to work out. Maybe temporary. But I'll have to keep searching...

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Your search is over.

- Replace the fixed cross-brace with a three-piece adjustable brace.
- Build your slide parallel and coplanar, using the width of that slide bow.
- Remove (un-solder) the mouthpipe and un-solder the receiver brace.
- Adjust the left outside slide tube in the picture (using calipers and eyeballing coplanar) over to the right (with the newly-made slide inserted, and taking care to not distort the slide's own parallel/coplanar), fit the adjustable brace to that width, and install it.
- Reinstall the mouthpipe, but subtly scooched around to the right, and reinstall the receiver brace in a slightly different location (again, barely farther around the bell).

Duplicate post.

Grumpikins wrote: ↑Fri Sep 08, 2023 6:41 pm Here's the result. The crook isn't going to work out. Maybe temporary. But I'll have to keep searching...

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Thanks for the update and well done. I’d be tempted to revisit the dumpster again and, with renewed eyes, see what other gems there were there.

It may be that you end up something similar to blokes suggestion with one of the slides, but the more parts of sort of the right size you have the better things should go and a slightly too large (radius and even bore) crook might give similar options too. One crazy thought is to cut a spare scrap bow in half and, after reworking the halves, rejoin them to the desired width. Even if the joint is good - a challenge in itself - the radius will be imperfect but having a bow at all is a big step forward.

Don’t forget to include a water key in your build.

Looking forward to hearing more.

Bloke.
I have considered moving the lead pipe as you said and may do that. There is evidence that the lead pipe had been replaced before and the slide tubes are just visibly out of parallel.

If I really like this horn after I get it playing I may disassemble it further for better cleaning and repair.


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I have decided to remove the tube that goes between the slide and the valve block. This appears to require the least amount of soldering and modification to use the slide crook I have to work with. I'll sand about an 1/8 inch off the tube where it attaches to the valve block. Make a new brace to attach it to the bell section.

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Front view.

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At first I found that plan confusing, but then I looked at the original photos of the tuba (those in the original post).

Good luck with the change. It may be that once unsoldered no metal needs to be trimmed away.

Parts mocked up, no solder. Almost there. The space between the legs is slightly wider at the top like a V. And the lever of the water key is too close to the bell. So, either shorten it or bend it?

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Great progress .

The inner and outer tubes on slides should be parallel, but maybe being slightly wide at the top will be tolerable? Hopefully others will advise.

Either move the water key further around the bend towards the valve section (as is traditional and works better in use) or consider using an amado water key that’s also sited more traditionally. To my surprise - I don’t know why I’d not noted this before - not all traditional water keys have the same curve on them, tighter curves for narrower crooks. Your traditional key looks like it’s intended for use on a much wider crook (not the valve slide sized crook that you’re using) so could it be exchanged for the right size / shape? I suspect that you need something with a ‘medium’ rather than ‘wide’ curve.

For the traditional position see:
https://www.bandsupplies.co.uk/products ... gKSy_D_BwE
viewtopic.php?t=6979
Edit, added: viewtopic.php?t=7549

I’d need to check but at a first guess the drain hole is about 20 degrees (around the bend towards the valve) from the vertical - so roughly the angle that the slide(s) would be held at during both playing and water key actuation.


For Amado see: https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/product ... -water-key

Water key curve: https://www.windplus.net/supplies/brass ... -keys.html

The key that you have might be bendable (away from the bell), and then trimmed to avoid a foul, but my instinct is that it’s too likely to break and / or badly distort - but if you do bend it then do it around a piece of bar rather than a sharp edge (‘cause that reduces the chances of breakage). Maybe, as a make it work alternative, it could be cut down and a suitable finger plate - or an off setting bridge plate plus cut off piece - soldered to its (free) side. ‘Obviously’ what ever you do must not interfere with or change how the spring seats on and interacts with the lever.

That crook (and key) are unaltered as they came off a top action Bbb tuba. I personally only use water keys as a vent for pulling the slide. Not necessary in this application as it's the main tuning slide off the lead pipe. The other original slides on this tuba do not have water keys. I may just remove it.

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Grumpikins wrote: ↑Wed Sep 20, 2023 7:29 am That crook (and key) are unaltered as they came off a top action Bbb tuba. I personally only use water keys as a vent for pulling the slide. Not necessary in this application as it's the main tuning slide off the lead pipe. The other original slides on this tuba do not have water keys. I may just remove it.

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You could just buy an Amado/Pollard water key or similar and install it there so you wouldn't have to patch the existing hole.

Grumpikins wrote: ↑Wed Sep 20, 2023 7:29 am That crook (and key) are unaltered as they came off a top action Bbb tuba. I personally only use water keys as a vent for pulling the slide. Not necessary in this application as it's the main tuning slide off the lead pipe. The other original slides on this tuba do not have water keys. I may just remove it.

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That the crook and key came off of something else is interesting, but I suggest that it doesn’t mean particularly much in relation to your use. You have choices and it’ll be interesting to see what you do … and them maybe how you alter things again after a bit of use.

Bump .

Just wondering how this project is going, it’s been interesting.

It's on pause for a bit. Marching band competition season is in full swing with my kids and I have some house projects that need to get done before the snow flies.

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@Grumpikins, can't you just flip the slide so that the "handle" of the water key is facing the valve block? Seems like it should work since the hole is at the bottom. Or am I missing something obvious?

ETA: I think what I'm missing is that it would also interfere with the first valve slide...

Anyhow, I'd probably just bend it out a smidge.

Grumpikins wrote: ↑Mon Oct 02, 2023 12:27 pm It's on pause for a bit. Marching band competition season is in full swing with my kids and I have some house projects that need to get done before the snow flies.

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Thanks for the update, that general situation is all too familiar to me. Perhaps you’ll get five minutes here and there to do bits on the Tuba, but if not then it’ll have to wait. When you were salvaging bits off of the other instrument (Yamaha Euphonium?) did you ‘rescue’ anything else?