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I'm wanting to put together a bag consisting of some simple items that I would find helpful regarding general maintenance or simple repairs of a tuba (pistons and rotors). So far I have:

-Metal Punches
-Needle-nose pliers
-Hobby knife
-valve oil
-Wooden Dowel

Where can I get a rawhide hammer or any other necessary items?

Any suggestions for what you would find helpful?

Thanks.

Slide Grease (obvious)
A pair of regular pliers - if you ever encounter a tuba with stuck rotors, use the regular pliers to grab the rotor at its pivot point and gently twist. That little trick saved me many times in high school and it currently saves many of my middle/high school students ... especially after the summer when their concert horns have not been touched for 2+ months.

Scooby Tuba wrote:

CC wrote:Where can I get a Naugahyde hammer or any other necessary items?

I'm thinking you mean a rawhide mallet...

Ferree's Tools.

Duh...Yes, I meant rawhide.

Any leather working shop will have the rawhide mallet. I haven't seen a live Nauga in years. I thought they were extinct.

On the rawhide mallet, you could also try one of the larger Home Depots/ Lowes. Failing that, Woodcraft and other finer woodworking suppliers can do it for you via FedEx/ UPS. Google 'em ... they're out there.

On the dowels, perhaps an assortment of thicknesses might work best, since, with a softer metal such as brass, you'd want the WIDEST one that could still get the job done, to avoid dinging up the instrument whenever possible.

Basic maintenance should be able to be accomplished with minimal extras in tow ... why bring along a bunch of expensive stuff that might only get lost in the heat of the gig anyway? ....

i work with young players and have a device we know as a "boa" wrench or a whip wrench to loosen stuck valve caps and mouthpieces - it is a length of rubber on a handle and doesn't wreck the instrument. After using it on the instrument it is also effective on the offending player...

http://www.wwbw.com/Allied-Music-Supply ... 0088.music

I have used a small strap wrench (would be similar to the boa/whip wrench already mentioned) to loosen the back caps of rotary valves and piston valve caps. Also, a strong, longish rag to pull stuck slides. Elaborating on the screwdriver suggestion, make sure you have a smallish one that fits the adjustment screws found on the back of some rotary valves.

Eric "moving freely" L.

Unlike my guitar & bass playing gig box, which is a tackle box with the fold-out shelves that holds everything, and I have used everything at one point or another, I carry surprisingly little for my tuba gigs, just oil, grease, a hand towel to fold on my lap as well as wipe up any excess, clothes pins for outdoor gigs, and a pencil for marking music.

The only time I've needed any tools, so far, thank goodness, and "let that be a lesson to me," etc., is one gig about a month ago I accidently cross threaded the top valve cap on the second valve of the souzy getting it back on after oiling the valve. Not having a rawhide mallet to gently tap it to loosen it, I had to use the butt end of a wooden stick bass drum beater in a similar manner, gently tapping and turning with fingers only until it came loose and I could screw it on properly. All's well that ends well, I suppose.

But because of little mishaps like this one, after having gotten on the trailer and starting the gig in ten minutes, and gotta fix it and play now, I am very interested to see what others consider essential.