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Heya, im just wondering what to wrap my Tuba in to protect the Lacquer at some parts, especially round the front and on the hand grip. i play a top valve york preference. i have seen other Tubas with this black wrap but what do people use?

[Edit: You could use...] Leather. I don't know if anyone makes and sells these, but it seems like a pretty simple do-it-yourself project with the right materials and tools. (A piece of leather, grommets, and a shoelace should do it)

hmmm, I am sure one of the repair guys will chime in, but , I had been warned off of this-apparently, the chemicals used in tanning the leather can actually interact with the lacquer and brass and do more harm then good. I have since wrapped an inner bow with a synthetic bicycle handle bar wrap that seems to be getting it done without causing any problems . Natural cork wraps are also available from a bike shop but I dont know what the cork may have been treated with-

Huh! Never knew that! Learn something new every day!

Not sure if LESCO still makes guards for tuba, but they make their guards with three layers of material they call the, "Tripotec Layering System™". The outside is leather, below that a thin layer of plastic, then a soft material like velor which won't scratch the horn's finish. The plastic layer keeps moisture from your hand from penetrating through to the bottom layer. Here's a link:

Leather Specialties Co.

Naugahyde. Looks just like leather, but has a felt like backing to it.
Nice fake leather...yes, it can be done

um, er,... isn't the *lacquer* supposed to be the protection?

When it wears off...reapply!

sloan wrote:um, er,... isn't the *lacquer* supposed to be the protection?

When it wears off...reapply!

But that takes buffing and is a bit more of a hassle...

tubaguy9 wrote:

sloan wrote:um, er,... isn't the *lacquer* supposed to be the protection?

When it wears off...reapply!

But that takes buffing and is a bit more of a hassle...

Tell you what - when the lacquer wears out, re-apply the lacquer without buffing. If is looks
ugly *then* wrap some leather around it to hide it.

If you protect your lacquer with a leather sleeve...what will you use to protect the leather?

bloke wrote: stitch the Velcro strips on to the ends (or have a shoe shop do it for you).

Shoe Shop? do they still exist?

Where could one acquire the aforementioned Naugahyde?

Custom Music has a 2-piece kit that you can buy for about $50.00. Overpriced, but it's all done for you. Includes one piece for the lower bell portion and one for the 2nd loop of the top bow. I think it is primarily designed for a B&S set up, but I got it to work on a St. Pete CC. Talk to Jeff Rideout.

$50 ain't so bad.

Tennis racquet grip would work on the handrest. Horn players use it all the time as a handrest.

Bloke, as always, is ba||s on.

I've also seen nauga applied with rubber cement to little ill effect. Apply a little cement on both sides, allow to dry, then press it on (this is how woodwind corks are applied). You'll have only one shot to get it on right, but you can use less material this way.

But everything else I've seen, ESPECIALLY bicycle tape, does more damage than sweat. I almost get an evil grin at how much it costs me to repair that damage. Don't do it!

Or, you can do what I do. I use a breath of denatured alcohol to de-grease (or rubbing alcohol), and apply clear fingernail polish to the area penetrated by my sweat, with a little overlap. This is what I do for my own instruments, and no one ever want's me to do it for them or try it themselves. To each their own. But it works. I touch up once a year or so. No biggie.

J.c.S.

bloke wrote:

k001k47 wrote:Tennis racquet grip would work on the handrest. Horn players use it all the time as a handrest.

After a few years of being in place, when I remove various types of tape (seemingly regardless of the type of tape) from brass instruments, the instruments underneath the previously taped areas are nearly always heavily eaten away.

The grips I've seen use a little strip of tape at the end of the wrap to keep it in place. The backside of the grip doesn't seem to have any form of adhesive; I may - more than likely - be wrong though.

KiltieTuba wrote:What about wearing gloves and/or a long sleeve shirt?

This

J.c. Sherman wrote:Bloke, as always, is ba||s on.

I've also seen nauga applied with rubber cement to little ill effect. Apply a little cement on both sides, allow to dry, then press it on (this is how woodwind corks are applied). You'll have only one shot to get it on right, but you can use less material this way.

But everything else I've seen, ESPECIALLY bicycle tape, does more damage than sweat. I almost get an evil grin at how much it costs me to repair that damage. Don't do it!

Or, you can do what I do. I use a breath of denatured alcohol to de-grease (or rubbing alcohol), and apply clear fingernail polish to the area penetrated by my sweat, with a little overlap. This is what I do for my own instruments, and no one ever want's me to do it for them or try it themselves. To each their own. But it works. I touch up once a year or so. No biggie.

J.c.S.

Even cork bicycle tape? Profile makes one without adhesive with a cork back. I would have thought that cork would be ok.

I am thinking about it on my Conn 20J.

rodgeman wrote:

J.c. Sherman wrote:Bloke, as always, is ba||s on.

I've also seen nauga applied with rubber cement to little ill effect. Apply a little cement on both sides, allow to dry, then press it on (this is how woodwind corks are applied). You'll have only one shot to get it on right, but you can use less material this way.

But everything else I've seen, ESPECIALLY bicycle tape, does more damage than sweat. I almost get an evil grin at how much it costs me to repair that damage. Don't do it!

Or, you can do what I do. I use a breath of denatured alcohol to de-grease (or rubbing alcohol), and apply clear fingernail polish to the area penetrated by my sweat, with a little overlap. This is what I do for my own instruments, and no one ever want's me to do it for them or try it themselves. To each their own. But it works. I touch up once a year or so. No biggie.

J.c.S.

Even cork bicycle tape? Profile makes one without adhesive with a cork back. I would have thought that cork would be ok.

I am thinking about it on my Conn 20J.

How does the cork adhere to the metal?

It doesn't. You just tape the end over the bar tape.

Naugahyde? Wow! I haven't heard that in a looooong time! Poor Naugas -- do you have any idea how many Naugas have to be slaughtered just to get enough hyde for one sofa? (That's an adaptation from the original Naugahyde marketing, as a substitute for leather -- growing up, I had a friend whose folks owned a furniture store and he got all the cute marketing toys.)

Seriously, I don't recommend it. It doesn't breathe. When moisture gets trapped between the Naugahyde and the horn, it will be worse than if the horn had not been wrapped.