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fulerzoo wrote:Is it possible the valves do not leak in the depressed position but do leak in the up position?

It's POSSIBLE, but also easy to test out. Simply oil the valves, pull the tuning slide, plug up the side coming from the valves, and blow in the mouthpipe (with or without mouthpiece). Also works for any valve or valve combination depressed.

I think that pulling a slide without the valve pressed doesn't really prove anything at all, except that there MAY be a vacuum in the one place you don't really care (people spend big bucks to have that vented... )

Have you checked your valve alignment?

It's not hard. Get an angled dentist's mirror (you can get an acceptable one for next to nothing at your local cheap Chinese tool place) and a good strong source of light.

Remove your number 2 valve piston. Now, using your destist's mirror, place the mirror in the empty casing and inspect the ports on the 1 and 3 valves with the valves in both the open and depressed positions. Do you see nothing but the port in both positions, or do you see part of the piston also? It could well be that your valves have too much or too little spacing (cork or felt or both) on the top, so that the posts don't align correctly when the valve's not depressed.

Repeat for the No. 2 valve by replacing the second piston and removing the first.

Chuck(G) wrote:Have you checked your valve alignment?

It's not hard. Get an angled dentist's mirror (you can get an acceptable one for next to nothing at your local cheap Chinese tool place) and a good strong source of light.

Remove your number 2 valve piston. Now, using your destist's mirror, place the mirror in the empty casing and inspect the ports on the 1 and 3 valves with the valves in both the open and depressed positions. Do you see nothing but the port in both positions, or do you see part of the piston also? It could well be that your valves have too much or too little spacing (cork or felt or both) on the top, so that the posts don't align correctly when the valve's not depressed.

Repeat for the No. 2 valve by replacing the second piston and removing the first.

I was just about to suggest that. It sounds like the upstroke is not properly aligned. A flashlight or even a pen light will make life much easier to check the porting.

I wouldn't let fear of valve work stop you from sending it to Lee. He's going over one of my 24/25J Conns, which I thought would need some valve work. He checked them out and said the issues with that horn were due to the leadpipe and some dents, which were on the horn when I got it. So from my experience Lee won't do more than what is necessary unless you demand it. But, it may depend on the level of restoration you ask for. I wanted the horn fully functional, but not necessarily pristine, so I won't have to obsess about fingerprints or the first few dents, since I play in two community bands and my horn gets hauled somewhere at least twice a week.

If you think it's more subtle than that, you can try them with regular thin valve oil, see how they play and how intonation playing slurs does, then do the same thing with mineral oil applied to the valves to really seal them. If intonation, attack and slurring of the notes gets better (not faster - the thicker oil will slow down the valves) then maybe you're getting some wear.

I said mineral oil, because since it is pure but not organic based it will rinse off easily with a good sloshing of regular valve oil. I have a few drops added to my small bottle I refill out of my large bottle for my Besson, kind of a poor man's way of getting the viscosity of something like Hetman's classic.

DP wrote:Do they look like this?


if so, they leak

If you are serious, does that mean the valves on my horn leak? Mine look a tiny tiny tiny bit like that in spots (but not even close to that bad haha)..there is a tiny circle or two beside the holes...a nd a little bit of discolouration (my pistons are monel)

fulerzoo wrote:What does one do with old tuba that's just taking up space?

Sell it to someone or donate it to a cause who really could use it (even if just to raise money).

XtremeEuph wrote:If you are serious, does that mean the valves on my horn leak? Mine look a tiny tiny tiny bit like that in spots (but not even close to that bad haha)..there is a tiny circle or two beside the holes...a nd a little bit of discolouration (my pistons are monel)

Often, the brass of the casing will rub off onto Monel or stainless steel valves, leaving what looks like brass showing through worn plating. A proper cleaning will remove the brass deposits. So, first have your horn chem-cleaned, where they will give the valves a nice little dip in a bit of acid. Then, decide what they look like.

Rick "who thinks more regular oiling might prevent this in the future" Denney