TubeNet

All,

I was recently given a 1927ish Martin Sousaphone. This horn is pretty beat up, but it plays fairly well, and the valves and slides all work smooth. Unfortunately, I discovered a pretty bad leak yesterday on the bottom bow right at the forward tip of the brace wire. Is there any type of jury-rig repair I could use for this? I simply don't have the kind of money it would probably take to fix this leak at a repair shop. Any and all suggestions are very welcome. Thanks!

Tim

P.S. I'll post a picture as soon as I can get them off of my camera.

Duct tape? Worth a try.

Unless the hole is larger than a bullet hole... it's probably not causing much of a problem. You can simply cover it with a piece of duck tape if it's actually leaking.

I reccomend electrical tape over duct tape; it's durable enough to last, but less of a PITA to remove when you decide to have it fixed

The further away from the valve section the hole is, the less likely it is cause a problem. I agree with TubaTinker.

Furthermore, since the horn dates from 1927, it is very possible that the horn needs a valve job. It is very possible.

In my opinion, you should take it to a shop and have them solder a patch over the hole. It should be relatively inexpensive.