plastic

[Doc]

I think I read that you can now 3D print using carbon fiber...

wow...That's really cool that you can do that, Brian.

It’s Jason , but I’ve only printed with PLA (I don’t even know what that stands for but is what beginning ‘users’ of 3D printers use).

I was just pointing out that would be one way to make valves out of carbon fiber. I’m not saying it’s a good idea…

Damn it, Carl!

[bloke]

The most amazing rotary valves that I ever tried were those hollow valves that were only offered for a very short time… Possibly by the Czech people… Maybe 25 or 30 years ago.
I’m thinking they built them by cutting out a center shaft, a top surface, and a bottom surface on the lathe from one piece of brass, and then brazing curved sheet metal around the assembly between those two plates, and finally inserting more sheet metal which served as the porting.
They weighed nothing, and flew like the wind.

[matt g]

I bought a plastic trumpet for something to play along with my oldest daughter years back to help her get started.

It had a reasonable sound, but the intonation was not good. Eventually one of the braces did break, under occasional and adult use. When I needed to buy a trumpet (I started her on an Olds cornet), I skipped right over plastic stuff and was able to find good used (like a YTR-235) student model trumpets at the same price as new plastic ones.

(Aside: Being an “educated consumer”, I also bought her a kick-butt Benge 3x-plus copy at Dillon Music years back for less than a new not-so-great student horn. Just now, for this Christmas, I’m surprising her with a brand new YTR-8335LAII, which I have to say has build quality that surpasses anything I remember coming out of Elkhart when I was paying attention…)

[iiipopes]

I have done all the above on trumpet/cornet:

When my son was in school, I bypassed the usual trash, both plastic and brass, and found my son a student line Bach cornet, the one using the Bundy tooling, from a parent whose child did not follow through. Yes, this was about fifteen years ago, so adjust prices accordingly, but the horn, the case, shipping, fixing a dent in the lead pipe, finding a mouthpiece he liked, and a spare first valve slide with a thumb ring for when he finally grew into it, were all less than $200. Bloke, you may remember you sent me a new valve button to replace one where the plastic insert broke. Thanks again after all these years.

Since then, just for novelty, I did purchase a P-trumpet that was on closeout just for grins and satisfy the curiosity. A friend of mine who plays lead trumpet in my party band tried it out so I could hear what it really sounded like. Of course, the tone was not as good as my KIng or his Monet. But the intonation was not that bad. Once a year I still have to play an outdoor trumpet gig in December. If the weather is not too bad, all is good. But if the temperatures drop, I can see playing it to save the hands, and of course the plastic mouthpiece for the embouchure.

I have not tried the plastic tubas you see on Ebay, but I think we have all at least tooted, if not marched with, a 'glass souzy (or, in modern reality a plastic - er - resin bell).