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I snatched this Carl Fischer (King?) up with a low BIN price, drove to NJ to pick it up (effectively negating any savings) only to find it in slightly worse shape than expected. But it's such a cool old tuba, I think I'll go through with the project anyway, and the 2-20 valve section is almost a perfect match! Two questions though:
1. How do we safely get rid of that green scale? It's not just tarnish, it's more like lichens!
2. Best place to mate the two parts together? Right after the valves (keeping as much of the bugle as possible), right before the main tuning slide (keeping the old main slide) or right after the main tuning slide? Bore matches up pretty well at all three points. Any real preference, from those in the know?

The Carl Fischer horn is in BBb right? I see enough bugle for BBb. Is there a loop in the 3rd valve tubing that I don’t see because of the lighting?

Neat tuba and neat project idea.

York-aholic wrote: Mon Sep 22, 2025 5:34 am Is there a loop in the 3rd valve tubing that I don’t see...

Yes! There is a bit of false tubing in front, as the real tube is doubled up behind it.

That is wild! I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. False ‘shoulder’ tube on many Eb sousaphones, false ‘hand rest’ tube on Yamaha yfb 822 and some (?) Yamaha upright valve tubas…

But to ‘hide’ the extra loop on a BBb third valve circuit? Definitely interesting.

That definitely had me confused. BBb bugle with what looked like Eb valve cluster. What an interesting horn.

Again, no experience to help with your project, sorry.

Thank you though for showing this feature off.

York-aholic wrote: Mon Sep 22, 2025 5:34 am The Carl Fischer horn is in BBb right? I see enough bugle for BBb. Is there a loop in the 3rd valve tubing that I don’t see because of the lighting?

Neat tuba and neat project idea.

I’d sometimes found it hard to distinguish between pictures of an Eb and BBb Tuba, but eventually realised that a solid clue is the (clearly greater) length of the first valve slide.