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It looks like I might have a somewhat amusing before/after repair job coming in fairly soon...

...so (unlike per usual) I might actually take a few "before" pics, this time.

bloke "Is is 'cheating' to throw part of an instrument in the scrap brass drum, and replace that part?"

bloke wrote: ↑Sun Feb 02, 2025 10:09 pmbloke "Is is 'cheating' to throw part of an instrument in the scrap brass drum, and replace that part?"

Not if the replacement part is better than you can make the old part… in a reasonable amount of time! But, ya gotta show us both parts, so we can, ya know, judge you…

Pictures of the old part - which is a large part - show that it's held together in about 8 or 10 places with lead.
' looking forward to Judgment Day... I think it's going to be pretty close to Payday.

bloke wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2025 5:57 am…it's held together in about 8 or 10 places with lead.

Well, now we GOTTA see that!

k...Check out all this jazz:

bloke wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2025 11:01 am k...Check out all this jazz:

Norm Epley had a tuba with some horrible stuff on it like this, and he actually cut a bunch of circular holes around the cracks and braced them all with a crosspiece brace. Unorthodox but the horn played well.

Looked like Swiss cheese, so maybe Hirsbrunner inspired…???

They want you to FIX that? OMG.

arpthark wrote:Norm Epley had a tuba with some horrible stuff on it like this, and he actually cut a bunch of circular holes around the cracks and braced them all with a crosspiece brace. Unorthodox but the horn played well.

Overwhelmingly likely, I shall choose another path.

bloke wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2025 12:24 pm

arpthark wrote:Norm Epley had a tuba with some horrible stuff on it like this, and he actually cut a bunch of circular holes around the cracks and braced them all with a crosspiece brace. Unorthodox but the horn played well.

Overwhelmingly likely, I shall choose another path.

For reference:

@bloke I tried to think up some funny thing say about that bell, but, yep, the recycler should probably get that one or it could be used to make patches or something.

The one above with holes cut in it… I imagine there might be some sort of story behind it.

arpthark wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2025 12:28 pm

bloke wrote: ↑Mon Feb 03, 2025 12:24 pm

arpthark wrote:Norm Epley had a tuba with some horrible stuff on it like this, and he actually cut a bunch of circular holes around the cracks and braced them all with a crosspiece brace. Unorthodox but the horn played well.

Overwhelmingly likely, I shall choose another path.

For reference:

I suppose every tuba will find an owner… But why one would do that instead of just a different bell, I don’t quite understand…

They appear to be evenly spaced.

Please note: I offer no criticism.

He seems like a super guy and I’m pretty sure he’s on TF. Maybe he’ll share the story of this tuba.

The even spacing is what caught my eye and interest, too.

Maybe I’m misremembering the reason for the holes. I thought it had something to do with the bell being damaged beyond repair. I’ll text him. Norm is the most outside the box/creative problem solving frankentuba maker I’ve ever seen, and a fantastic dude.

Re bloke's bell: please be careful with the lead, whatever you do about it.
Re Norm's bell: there may be a rationale. Remember that some cymbals, especially pairs of hi-hats, have purposeful holes that modify the tone, especially when a high-hat is closed, to address "choking," and other reasons: tonal modification, service as a practice cymbal, etc. How the holes on Norm's bell may affect resonance of notes and management of terminal nodes: that is what bears investigation.
Check these out, especially scrolling down the page: https://www.sweetwater.com/c1021--Effec ... lsrc=aw.ds

I don't throw away old brass, if this consoles the worriers.

Every once in awhile, I have enough for the recycling guy, and he picks it up and takes it to a place that processes it. I don't take it to the dump with the rest of my trash.

Also, those of us who repair instruments work with lead every day. In spite of what some Facebook "Rebels Without a Cause" likely wish, I'm not dead yet.

As far as lead in plumbing is concerned, a significant portion of America's water suppliers actually add lime as a softener, and this coats the interior of copper pipes in homes pretty quickly, which would cover up lead solder in a short amount of time - were it still used, and old houses with lead-soldered pipes are surely well-coated by now, as lime naturally occurs in many water supplies where it's not added. The ancient Roman water system utilized lead pipes, and those have been found to be coated with lime on their interiors.