TubeNet

Hey all,
I have a Thor that has issues with sticking valves, especially 2 and 3. There's plenty of oil, the guides are clean, and the springs are in place. However, these valves "catch" on the way up when i need to release them, especially after a long note. Thoughts?

dante jones wrote:Thoughts?

First thought: Clean them with lots of soap and hot water. Use stiff brushes and get in all the nooks and crannies of the valve and the casing.

Second thought: There could be tension in the horn causing the casing to bind slightly. This isn't a DIY repair, this isn't even a run of the mill music store repair. Take the horn to a good brass tech.


Has the horn been dropped? Is it a new horn, or have you hd this horn a while and this is a new problem?

the horn has been dropped a couple years ago, but it has gone through good and bad periods of functioning. It has been an issue since i first bought it in 2011.

German quality is still catching up to the rest of the world. I only buy the best Chinese made tubas so I don't have to worry about functionality problems down the road.

Check the valve stem alignment. Take the valve buttons off and see if the stems are catching on the valve cap. That happened with my horn because I knocked the stems into my leg picking it up. Easy fix was just to nudge them back into place with a fairly hard handle. I used the handle of a plastic sharpener. Blunt end, just a couple taps and the stem was back in place and no more catching.