...and sometimes things go well

[bloke]

I just blasted through a really beat up Yamaha large convertible tuba and a St Pete with a folded-shut mouthpipe tube.

The Yamaha required pulling the bow off.

The St Pete mouthpipe was folded because someone was carrying it by the large end of the mouth pipe where it connects to the first valve and that solder joint failed, so it folded up at the first big 90° curve up there. I sort of straightened it out, and then annealed the area and worked a greased dent ball around that curve until the mouthpipe was pretty and round and smooth again. Annealing doesn't burn up nickel plating, so I was able to buff it back out nicely and remount it... Yes. I took the mouthpipe completely off to repair it. It just seemed like there wasn't any other way.

They are both back together and ready to deliver... Less than four hours of (not fun, but beats having a job) work.

That particular school only needed these two instruments repaired, so there's another school checked off.

[arpthark]

When you’re working dent balls around curves and things like that, do you use a cable tool?

[bloke]

When you’re working dent balls around curves and things like that, do you use a cable tool?

Do you mean like one of those Roth things?
There used to be one of those around here about 45 years ago.

I would never use one of those on anything.
I call those "instrument ruiners".

[tubatodd]

@bloke you know the rules. Pictures or it didn't happen.

All kidding aside, I regard your repair skills as a work of art. It is always great to SEE the results of this talent.

[bloke]

@bloke you know the rules. Pictures or it didn't happen.

All kidding aside, I regard your repair skills as a work of art. It is always great to SEE the results of this talent.

The first person I ever worked for (unsolicited, offered me a day job though I had never done any repairs) - when I quit that teaching job at the big university, because there were so much freelance work back in Memphis...

.... was a late middle-aged alcoholic guy and his late middle-aged alcoholic buddy. He was known to be a really good repair person.. his buddy: not so much.

I was struggling with a sousaphone and I probably looked a little frustrated. He came over to me and said, you know this is really a pretty easy job. All you have to do all day is straighten out some really thin and really malleable metal... He was right, of course.

[arpthark]

When you’re working dent balls around curves and things like that, do you use a cable tool?

Do you mean like one of those Roth things?
There used to be one of those around here about 45 years ago.

I would never use one of those on anything.
I call those "instrument ruiners".

Was thinking of this thing, specifically:

https://www.ferreestoolsinc.com/product ... wL089oY6QM

[bloke]

Somewhat similar to a Roth vent tool except there's no rigid portion and it's not held in a vise. I would consider that a last resort tool and I really drag my feet using it on valuable instruments unless they were really wrecked.

I have a couple of things that have flexible braided steel Incorporated into them, but they don't have the ball attached to them. I don't think it's a good idea to attach the ball to the flexible braided steel. All it takes is a little bit of thinking ahead should be able to get a ball out without having a cable attached to it...

on the fly at edit:
Maybe that thing is okay, as long as the person using it considers the possible consequences of using it in particular ways.

... but - then again - I'm old school and younger people have better ideas.

[bloke]

These are not "restorations"...

These are un-smush-'em, "no-time-to-understand-'em; just rope-'em, throw, and brand-'em" summer repairs - vast numbers, only two Medicare peeps working on them, and most has to be back before July 15th...

no boast re: perfection:
If a boast, it's "damn good (and solid) for VERY fast"

Yamaha marching whachamathing:
I did NOT polish the areas where the silver is still there...That's not my yob.



St. Pete (that I UN-tore up last year, but they RE-tore it up this year)