Seeking wisdom on bugle assembly

[Tubajug]

Greetings TubeNet,

The next step in my Eb project will be to assemble the bugle, which I should have back by the end of next week. I'm seeking your wisdom on how best to reassemble the bugle.

Do you start with the small branches and work out or big branches and work in? Pros and cons of either method? Personal preference? Anything to be on the lookout for along the way? Any other helpful tips (I remember bloke's advice from another thread about soldering the top bow to bell brace, for example) would be appreciated.

Thank you!

[roweenie]

I'll break the ice -

With larger horns (4 or 5 branches) I like to start with the top bow and work my way in. So many other parts of the horn are connected to the top bow, so it's good to have everything straight in reference to it.

As I add each branch, I dry fit the assembly onto the bottom bow and bell to check for plumb and alignment. When I get to the smallest branch, I tack the branch assembly onto the bottom bow and fiddle with the valveset and smallest branch until I get a fit that I'm happy with.

Smaller horns (2 or 3 branches) I'll sometimes start inside from the valveset, especially if it's a tight fit inside the small branch.