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After a 23 year tuba hiatus, my Church has asked me to play in a wind ensemble. They were nice enough to supply me with a Karl Zeiss 4 rotor BBb tuba complete with steampunk clockwork springs. It looks close to the B&S 3101 but appears to be nickel(?) plated (no lacquer). They think they bought it in the '70s. With the help of rubber bands everything seems to work as it should.

Years ago to clean my horn I would connect a garden hose to the mouthpiece receiver and let the water run until "stuff" stopped coming out of the horn. I would then disassemble the pistons and slides, dry, then lube everything and reassemble.

I found this great article on oiling rotors but it doesn't answer all of my questions.
http://www.lyricbrass.com/spang/oilrotor.pdf

How fragile are the rotors? Can the rotors be damaged by passing water through them? If so, what about soaking the horn in a bathtub?

I have heard rotors are not customer serviceable. Should a mechanically inclined person (me) remove the rotors to clean the horn?

Also, the nickel finish is stained everywhere with dried water spots. I have tried warm soapy water and isopropyl alcohol with no effect. I am hesitant to try metal polish for fear of doing more harm then good. Any recommendations?

All comments are appreciated.

With a tuba toothpaste!

http://www.uni.edu/drfun/repair_video/r ... index.html

Jeff Funderburk's online repair videos. Good stuff, and you'll see it's not difficult at all.

Just use soft (wood or preferably rawhide) mallets to knock the valves out, or minimally a piece of dowel. Soak the rotors in vinegar for a bit. Do your hose routine like you used to, the rotors are at least as tough as pistons.

The only problem spot comes up when putting the back plate back on...IIRC Jeff shows how to do it well with a dowel with a hole drilled in it. I don't do it that way--I just get the plate aligned, put the cap on and tighten it as much as possible; tap the cap to release it, screw the cap on again as much as possible. This pushes the plate in with equal pressure too, although it's definitely not as easy or foolproof as Jeff's dowel method. Using the cap method, you have to check to be sure the alignment is still proper.

Go for it! I'm not at all mechanically inclined, really, and I do my own valve work regularly.

Biggs - I just told that joke to my daughter. I should have known better to word my question that way.

eupher61 - That response was exactly what I was looking for, thank you! That video should be required viewing for all brass players.

In an unrelated question. When did my "spit valve" become a "water key"? I don't remember anyone referring to it as a water key back when I was activity playing.

DuckCallDan wrote:When did my "spit valve" become a "water key"? I don't remember anyone referring to it as a water key back when I was activity playing.

They've always been called "water keys". back into the 1800's. You just spit into your tuba more than most people.

Perhaps people in the Victorian age were too proper to call it "spit".

Then again, it IS mostly water condensation from your breath acting on the inside of the brass.
Breath out with force on a mirror. What do you see, spit condensation? And when does it happen the most, in the cold, or when it's hot out? Case closed.

Now trumpets are different. They should call it a brain valve.

[quoteI just get the plate aligned, put the cap on and tighten it as much as possible; tap the cap to release it, screw the cap on again as much as possible.quote]

PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS !!

There is a good chance that you will strip the threads of the cap or/and the rotor casing. In any case they will get damaged over time by doing this. This is brass:a soft metal. Threads on pulling/pushing devices are made of steel for a good reason.

Mark

maybe it would cause a problem if the reseating procedure is done weekly. Doing it a couple times a year or so...I seriously doubt there will be much of a problem. I've done it for 24 years on this particular horn, there's absolutely no sign of wear on the threads on either the cap or the valve body.

The dowel, admittedly, is the better way to go, I freely admit it.