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...remind me of most tuba player videos on Facebook.

Facebook would have been better without them, and so would the reputations of those who posted them.

The repair “groups” on fb with “professionals” are kinda entertaining (well, not exactly…). Like the rest of society, they seem to be mostly people taking swipes at each other.

I don’t see many (any?) repair videos in my limited fb feed.

MiBrassFS wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 3:53 am The repair “groups” on fb with “professionals” are kinda entertaining (well, not exactly…). Like the rest of society, they seem to be mostly people taking swipes at each other.

I don’t see many (any?) repair videos in my limited fb feed.

Facebook doesn't see that as an interest of mine, so I guess what would be called their logarithm for me doesn't show me much of that stuff, but every once in awhile I stumble across it.

When I do see them, I see unnecessary tools being dragged out and a lot of mediocre results shown with a tremendous amount of pride.

I also see a good bit of unnecessary annealing. Yes, I have to do that more often than I'd like, but I limit it to when I just have to do it. Other times, I see people using a torch thinking they are annealing something and all they are doing is warming something up.

bloke wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 7:56 am…I see people using a torch thinking they are annealing something and all they are doing is warming something up.

As I read “annealing” in your post, I immediately thought “I’m gonna mention…” exactly what you went on to say above. “Annealing” seems to be some sort of magic word to people.

“I’m no expert, but I have friends who are and they rarely anneal stuff, so I follow their lead…”

I also avoid taking tuba bells (as well as bottom bows) off of tubas to straighten them out - unless I have to.

People need repairs. There's a lot of work. I don't need to create work within work.

I imagine there was a goal or point to this thread that I didn’t get or missed completely. It’s happened before and will likely happen again. Apologies if that is the case…

Like I mentioned before, not every repair is a restoration (nor does need to be). Dropping a bottom bow is a $300+ addition to a repair in my little book.

Tools are a ratio thing. If a fancy tool gives better results in less time, that’s a positive asset. If it messes stuff up and results in using up more time and requires the user (or the next guy…) to repair a repair, that a negative asset.

“I like tools. I have some weird tools. I pick them carefully, usually after trying someone else’s…”

It's just that when I often see what people do, the extra steps they take, the unneeded tools they use, and how proud they are, I raise my eyebrows and scroll on.

If you think I'm talking about anything you posted. No, I'm not.

In regards to tools, there are all sorts of tools that have been created to simplify jobs and to speed them up, but there's also a body of tools that have been created that seem to have no purpose other than to sell something to some people who have never done the speciific job before.

We've all seen those tools, and some of them are even in the major suppliers catalogs.

Nope, sorry about that. Not at all. Just commenting like, you know, how I do!

Lately, there have, indeed, been some really suspect tools put out for BIR!

bloke wrote: Sun Apr 13, 2025 8:01 pm ...remind me of most tuba player videos on Facebook.

Facebook would have been better without them, and so would the reputations of those who posted them.

I can't live without my "Expert Village" tuba player videos on YouTube though.

OK...I knocked this one out today...(Mostly, I mowed until it got too hot outside, but I did this one after lunch...Mrs. bloke had to help with the sledgehammer...but here's an example of what I'm attempting to express...??)

The facebook "instrument repair" typical video "over here at BillyBob's Music, LLC" shows some loud-talking guy straightening out beginner trumpets and trombones...

not horns, not F-attachment trombones, not euphoniums, not tubas, not anything worth anything...

...and they tend to go with "prescribed techniques" rather than for "results".

(again: annealing and facebook videos)
"OK, this bell is really smashed, so we're going to anneal it...See? I can't make these creases budge on this trombone bell !!!"

(while bloke - clicking away or scrolling away - is thinking, "push harder, dude"...or "Why do you think you need that trumpet bell-shaped piece of steel? You're scratching the hell out of that trumpet." ...etc.)

Anyway...
Here's one of those crappy Taiwanese tubas.
The bell was all folded over on itself, the rim was all zigzag and a minimum of two inches down from where it was originally, the bottom bow was smushed in, and - well - these 3/4ish-7/8ish thingies are THICK brass.

We had to take the bow off (I hated to, because there are three one-piece braces attached to it), but - well... - I didn't even un-solder/re-solder their little rib...I just worked around it. No it's not perfect, but it's better than 90% of all school bottom bows (yes?), and (again) Mrs. bloke had to do the 3-lb. sledge thing on it...just as with the other one.

Notice the "sidewalk polish job" on the inside of the bell flare...but its (no, not "restored", but) REPAIRED.
The outside third slide tube (next to the outside of the tuba) was bent downward and cross-brace-dented from the end of the double-thickness portion down to the bottom...I did NOT take that off the instrument either, but straightened it and the inside slide tube slides all the way to the end - easily.

again: I'm a RESULTS person...To hell with "prescribed methods" (and maybe - ?? - I'm a bit that way with playing the tuba...??)

Hey...These scholars are ONLY going to tear these right back up again...




' see those little braces that brace the inner bows to the bottom bow ferrules?
I freakin' HATE those annoying-@$$ braces. They waste my time...

I think I know who you’re referring to now. South of you. The guy with the hat.

I thought his stuff was a YouTube thing.

“I hope the AI log-o-rhythm is sleeping…”

Wow. Just had one of these "fed" to me on FB. That guy spends far too much time and money on his pointless vids of his very crappy work. It was hideous, and the presentation was such that it was as though he was screaming, "LET ME FIX YOUR STUFF! I'M THE BEST! IF YOU DON'T LOOK VERY HARD. AND IF YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR HORN!"

SV stinks. Never take your stuff to that shop, wherever it is. I did better patching work as a third-week apprentice than this guy. He must be self-taught and have never seen good repair work.

Yeah. Every once in awhile - when I get bored and start scrolling through reels - I encounter one of those...

... and they're not the only one, just fwiw.

Thanks, bloke, for putting these “instructive videos” on my radar! AI is watching and they’re now popping up more often… Pffft! (Heh, heh…)

His "warming" the metal was hilarious. Then he stood there trying to force it over the mandrel before trying to open it up some on a rod…

omfg…

I'm dying…

BAHAHAHA!!!

I always hire a jazz trio to play over in the corner of the workroom when heating up bells with a hobby torch to temperatures that don't do anything...and using gadgety tools that I would never buy.

If he went to a school, I bet I know which one…

If he apprenticed, it was with a woodwind "specialist"…

I bet he is self-taught using Erick Brand, but not the text. Only the line drawings.

bloke wrote: Sat May 03, 2025 9:20 am I always hire a jazz trio to play over in the corner of the workroom when heating up bells with a hobby torch to temperatures that don't do anything, I'm using gadgety tools that I would never buy.

I usually use a tuba-euph quartet for that because they are always available…

I set up a special savings account, and put all the money that I've made playing tuba euphonium/quartet jobs in it.
It's a pretty amazing account that pays 21% per annum.
I've had the account for 50 years.

So far, it has grown to $0.00

Sooooo, I went to school with Kenny (not for “repair…”).

He apprenticed with Kevin Powers, formerly of Custom Music and a place called Royal Music Center (was owned by Herb Couf…) which is where I think Kenny and Kevin worked together.

Kenny is a hell of a trumpet player and is supposed to be a pretty skilled repair guy. I really want to say this video was meant as “entertainment,” but I don’t know. He has a quirky sense of humor.

I completely see how this video would generate a “wtf” response…

His dent magnet video isn’t how I recommend using those tools either (I worked at the place that made those). I do that work differently than he demonstrated.

Kenny’s thing has become selling “Robinson’s Remedies” lip stuff (notice the logos and product placement in the videos…). He suffered from wicked bad cold sores and came up with a formula with a doctor of some sort to help himself. He’s supposed to be doing pretty well with it.