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In the interest of not hijacking the current tuba stand thread, I have a question regarding my DEG tuba stand. The "cup" of the stand has some type of adhesive-backed foam that is now breaking apart. It will not last much longer like this. It has occurred to me that I might brush/spray a few coats of this:

http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip

Is there a reason that won't work? Any other suggestions for what I might use?

DEG sells those stick-on cushions for about $3 each. But... they also have a minimum order that pretty much says you need to buy four of 'em to make it worthwhile.

big_blue_tubist wrote:...I have a question regarding my DEG tuba stand. The "cup" of the stand has some type of adhesive-backed foam that is now breaking apart. It will not last much longer like this. ...Any other suggestions for what I might use?

A few years back I experienced the same: the adhesive-backed foam was breaking up after a lot of use, and it needed replacement ASAP.

I wrote to the manufacturer, described what was taking place. My email inquiry received a response very quickly, and a few days later they sent a number of replacements via express mail, along with a note asking in the future to let them know if additional replacements were needed. (That initial set of replacements has lasted me several years.)

There was no charge to me for the replacements.

Perhaps contacting the manufacturer directly would yield a similar result.

When mine wears out I intend to replace it with 1/8" automotive gasket cork. Just build up layers with contact cement and file it to size. You could leave a groove in the bottom to fit the bottom bow's "guard wire" and improve the stability.

I already replaced the stripped out shaft knob with bicycle seat cam-lock bolt. Quicker and easier to adjust.

Just sayin'

MH

Uncle Markie wrote: I already replaced the stripped out shaft knob with bicycle seat cam-lock bolt. Quicker and easier to adjust.

Excellent idea, thanks for posting it. Mine isn't stripped, but it is a chore to crank that knob so many times. I'm getting this part when I go into town tonight.

TubaTinker wrote:DEG sells those stick-on cushions for about $3 each. But... they also have a minimum order that pretty much says you need to buy four of 'em to make it worthwhile.

Can you give contact information for them? Google has failed me.

Many years ago I called DEG asking about replacements and they asked for my address and sent me two - free of charge.

Mike Milnarik

I found their web page with contact information at last. (They need a little search engine optimization...)

http://dynastyband.com/about" target="_blank

Same issue here. The bottom of the tuba chews up the foam rubber on the DEG stand really fast. And since my tuba playing son is kind of small with a big tuba, he has to use the stand all the time.

At first, peeled the wrecked foam rubber off, and then glued on a solid sheet of rubber (1/8" neoprene, sold at the hardware store as "gasket material"). That worked really well for a while, doesn't get torn apart, gives some cushioning. Problem is that not even epoxy sticks to rubber, so it kept coming off, and I reglued it two or three times. A bit of a pain, but works.

Recently, we had to fix another DEG tuba stand (that's owned by the school), and I gave up and simply ordered the replacement pads for both stands. Our local music store can special order them directly from DEG, takes about a week to get here, and there is no minimum order. If they wear out, I'll just peel them off and stick new ones on; at a few dollars apiece, that's better than messing with glue.

The bolts that DEG uses for the tightening are also junk, and strip. I got replacements from McMaster. They are slightly unusual in being metric, you have to order plastic knobs with a 8mm x 30mm long thread.

Baltimore Brass also sells a tuba stand, which is WAY more sturdy, both the foam rubber pad (which lasted a whole school year at school), and the legs (which don't bend). It's only shortcoming is the height adjustment screw, which is a bit flimsy (but works if you tighten the heck out of it). If someone is buying a new playing stand, I would recommend the Baltimore Brass over the DEG.

EDIT to add: DEG sells a padded bag for their stand. It's not very expensive (I think about $20); my music store was able to special order it. It allows putting the stand into the bell of the tuba, and transport them both together (because otherwise the stand doesn't fit into either a gig bag or a hard case). And best of all: The Baltimore Brass stand fits in the DEG bag!

TubaTinker wrote:DEG sells those stick-on cushions for about $3 each. But... they also have a minimum order that pretty much says you need to buy four of 'em to make it worthwhile.

Four at a time? That's about a year's worth.

Rick "who'd buy them by the dozen if still using that stand" Denney

big_blue_tubist wrote:In the interest of not hijacking the current tuba stand thread, I have a question regarding my DEG tuba stand. The "cup" of the stand has some type of adhesive-backed foam that is now breaking apart. It will not last much longer like this. It has occurred to me that I might brush/spray a few coats of this:

http://www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/Plasti_Dip

Is there a reason that won't work? Any other suggestions for what I might use?

Plasti-Dip won't last. It cracks and peels off without too much stress. I've used it to replace the handle cushions on pliers, etc., and it never lasted very well.

If you insist on keeping a poor design going, then I would use a real foam adhesive such as 3M Fast 74 or SuperTrim spray adhesive. If you use a rubber product (such as Neoprene), then use contact cement. The problem is the foam quality they use. The 3M adhesive should be available in an auto parts store.

The foam on the plastic saddles used by Baltimore Brass for their stands seems to be stronger stuff. All foam will break down eventually, though.

K&M uses a hard rubber material, but I found it too hard too grabby, which required very precise aim to get the tuba into the cradle and not perched on the edge.

Rick "whose issues with the DEG stand went beyond the foam" Denney

Uncle Markie wrote: I already replaced the stripped out shaft knob with bicycle seat cam-lock bolt. Quicker and easier to adjust.

This was a great idea!