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HEY! YOU!

YEAH, YOU, YOU WILLSON-TUBA-OWNING THUMB RING HATER!

So you removed it. I need it. Sell it to me.

TODAY!

SELL IT TO ME TODAY!

I MUST HAVE IT!

SELL IT TO ME!

Reply with offers for original Willson- or Kurath-made massive, ridiculous, teething-ring-like hunks of manly nickel silver, only, please…

EDIT: I am only looking for the full-circle version of these big rings. THANKS!

SOMEBODY SELL ME YOUR UNLOVED
WILLSON OR KURATH THUMB RING!

NOW!

DO IT NOW!

I've wanted a vintage cerveny ring for years

I understand the love of the big rings


Could one be made?

I could do that, but it is a PITA and it would not look nearly so nice. It is a lead-filled NS tube bent over a mandrel in a spiral, then slit down one side, creating a bunch of separate loops that have offset ends (from the spiral). They are then bent to be almost joined at the ends, and then the lead is melted out. They are placed on the mandrel again and tapped closed. A hole is drilled through and a threaded post is inserted. All of that is brazed over to make it very strong. Then the joint and post's contact points with the tube are filed or sanded until smooth.

If I could locate the correct OD NS tubing I might make a batch of these. But I would probably have to waste one tube for practice. I have the right size of tool steel rod to use as a mending mandrel.

Willson rings have an excellent added step that I would incorporate into any rings I might make. He cuts the tube bottom flat and brazes it to a nickel silver disc. The threaded post is brazed into the disc. This is probably a good bit stronger.

Maybe I need to make and sell these? I would have to have the female sockets machined for me, though.

What a PITA…

SOMEONE SELL ME YOUR WILLSON THUMB RING!

These two pics are of @Sousaswag's Willson thumb ring. Mine, shown above, did not have this baseplate disc. I simply patched the huge hold left when I shaved off the flat base of my ring, drilled out a tapping hole for a threaded .25" rod, screwed the rod in, and brazed both ends. (I did not get Sousaswag's permission to use these photos, but I am pretty sure he won't care.)

Trying to find a photo of my old Willson thumb ring... 95% sure I stuck it in the gig bag before selling the tuba, but I'll check my parts box when I get home later.

Although, I think it was thick, but the type that's not a full circle, maybe like 320 degrees and then the two ends are stuck to the tuba.

I have easy to find photos of the new li kages and new (tiny!) thumb ring, but not the original one.

I need the full ring only. It has to be removable or "action figure posable"…

I did not know they made the jumbos like Cerveny rings. Thanks, though. I will update the original post.

Dan (Seattle) has made hollow really BAR's for a few people.

I managed - once - to make one out of 9/32" solid brass...It wasn't easy...I would probably fail if I tried to make one of solid nickel-brass.

Wade, always feel free to use my photos. I 100% do not care. That's why I post so many!

Have you contacted Willson directly? That's where mine came from. You'll pay for it, but I think that would be your best bet, UNLESS the one that I bought for my 3200 is not what you needed. I think I paid somewhere in the realm of... $200?

Best of luck, sir!

David

Thanks, sir!

I think I may make one if I can locate the same OD/thickness n.s. tubing. I have made these before. (I posted the steps above.) It is not difficult, but it is a hassle that I had hoped to avoid. Plus, I have never had to bend one using such thick and large tubing. The only way to do it so it looks nice and is actually *round* is to make a "wrapping jig" to coil the filled tube around the mandrel. Then you can make half a dozen or so of them in one production run.

Maybe I'll make a dozen and put them up for sale? There is a local "old fart" machinist who has ground me a few custom mandrels in the past. I might hire him to make me one for this. The jig is easy, probably only requiring a trip to Ace Hardware.

Hmm…

Cut off the top of a wide tuba mouthpiece....large thumb ring...

No, I want the real thing. Thanks, though. I have a box with some 35 thumb rings and I have the ability to hack off a mouthpiece rim. But that is not what I want. That is why I am here advertising for one and not chopping up an old Bach.