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Anyone have any suggestions on how to fix a bent valve stem? I looked in the archives, but I didn't find a post that was specifically about fixing a bent stem, so I thought I'd ask. Is this something I can fix myself, or should I take it elsewhere?

Thanks,
Aaron H.

This can happen when you whack a valve button while carrying a tuba through a doorway. It happened to me just as the band was about to make a grand entrance into a hotel ballroom full of people. The stem was bent just enough to snag on the way down. With about 30 seconds to go I got out my pocket knife, held it against the valve button and whacked it firmly with my hand, bending it back to approximately straight. The operation was a success, and no one ever knew. If the tuba had been very old I could have broken the stem off or even broken the top plate of the piston loose. The former is not too hard to fix, but the latter would have been bad news. If I had more time I would have unscrewed the bent stem, drilled and tapped a hole in a solid chunk of metal to receive it, screwed it in, and tapped it straight with a small hammer. It is also not difficult to fabricate a new stem from brass rod if you have access to a small lathe.
I made a couple out of stainless steel, but only with some difficulty.

Art Hovey wrote:This can happen when you whack a valve button while carrying a tuba through a doorway. It happened to me just as the band was about to make a grand entrance into a hotel ballroom full of people. The stem was bent just enough to snag on the way down.

I believe that this is what happened in my particular case. I remember it bumping into a doorway on my way downstairs a couple of days ago, and it has snagged since that moment.

The tuba in question is a Meinl-Weston 45SLP, and I'll take detailed pictures of the problem later today. The sticking valve has given me problems since I bought the horn, so it might be that the stem, (or other part of the valve,) has been out of the shape this whole time.

Thanks!
Aaron H.

bloke wrote:You might call Uri...

Doubt he is any good. Watch that crack-line in his nose.

Take it to a good repair person. You can really mess it up yourself and the repair bill shouldn't be too bad. Phil

Phil Dawson wrote:Take it to a good repair person. You can really mess it up yourself and the repair bill shouldn't be too bad.

But what would be the point of un-bending a Uri Geller spoon?