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Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 3:26 pm
by tubaben
I am working on an old Conn 3 valve front action tuba. Normally I wouldn't give a second thought about cosmetics, but the lacquer is particularly bad on this one. If you were in the market for one, would you rather have it stripped to the raw brass or leave the really bad lacquer? There's no way I'm spending time refinishing it.
Ben
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 3:40 pm
by nycbone
**********
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 4:13 pm
by Tubajug
Ugly brass! Nah, I like raw brass.
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 5:11 pm
by jeopardymaster
I'd strip it.
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 8:04 pm
by Pat S
Ugly lacquer!
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 8:09 pm
by Untersatz
RAW BRASS ANY DAY!
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 8:28 pm
by Dan Schultz
hrender wrote:Raw brass.
+100
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 8:35 pm
by vapourboy
I wish more brass players (non tubists) appreciated the beauty of raw brass. I tire of the question "why isn't your horn shiny like the others?" from people who don't really want to hear my long-winded answers.
rawbrass+1
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2014 9:26 pm
by TexTuba
TubaTinker wrote:hrender wrote:Raw brass.
+100
-101
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 9:40 am
by bort
Ugly lacquer = comb-over
Raw brass = shaved head
Do the right thing.
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 9:47 am
by chronolith
bort wrote:Ugly lacquer = comb-over
Raw brass = shaved head
Do the right thing.
Man, this website needs "like" buttons.
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 9:54 am
by windshieldbug
bloke wrote:...but what about (per above) ultra-ratty lacquer combined with solder footprints which have never been polished away?
Why would you have soldiers walk on your horns? Acupressure?
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 12:08 pm
by nycbone
**********
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 1:38 pm
by bort
I've also heard raw brass described as more "polite" (less shine/glare/reflection, etc.)
Question -- is stripping lacquer really a DIY job? Seems like there would be a LOT of hard to reach places without disassembling the whole thing.
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 1:51 pm
by bort
Right... but is it bad if it gets on the valve casings, linkage, etc.?
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 2:14 pm
by bigbob
TubaMusikMann wrote:RAW BRASS ANY DAY!
I AGREE!! BB
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 2:34 pm
by eupher61
I dunno. .. The jelly in my navel could probably eat plutonium....
Um...
The only reason I don't like raw brass is my dermal reaction to the metal. It ain't easy being green. But, I've never stripped a horn either. I ve had some touch up lacquer put on but I truly don't care. If it's bare enough to cause a reaction, I put clear Contac paper on it.
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 4:19 pm
by toobagrowl
Like others have said -- ugly lacquer can be touched up. Raw brass makes my hands smell
I do have a raw brass tuba and I'd lacquer/shallac it if I could get an even polish on it. But the patina is just too deep in some areas to make it look decent in lacquer, so I "put up" with the raw brass. Prefer lacquer though -- even "ugly" lacquer.
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 9:59 pm
by bigtubby
bort wrote:Ugly lacquer = comb-over
Raw brass = shaved head
Do the right thing.
Perfect!
Part of my raw brass brigade:
Re: Raw brass or very ugly lacquer?
Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 10:39 pm
by bort
Question -- when a damaged bell is rolled out, do the marks show in the raw brass? Or are bell repair marks visible because of the lacquer damage?
I want my Rudy to be nice and shiny to match the rest of the tuba, but curious what repair marks would show if left in raw brass.