Vinyl tubing around the bell rim

jlbreyer · Post by **jlbreyer** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 3:28 pm

After reading about the practice and seeing the tubing on one of my band mates tubas, I bought some 1/4 inch vinyl tubing. split it (pretty straight), and popped it onto my bell rim. The problem I have now is that it keeps coming loose at the ends of the tubing. How does one fasten the ends together?
jlb

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 3:46 pm

Either a hard plastic clip or melt the two ends together.

DBCooper · Post by **DBCooper** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 5:10 pm

jlbreyer wrote:The problem I have now is that it keeps coming loose at the ends of the tubing

Just glue it on. No muss, no fuss!

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Mon Aug 28, 2006 5:28 pm

Vinyl tubing has a natural curl to it from being wound on a spool. The niftiest way I've found to split tubing is to drill a hole just a little larger than the tubing through a piece of pine or other soft wood. Imbed a single-edged razor blade into the wood so it intersects one side of the hole. Then, just draw the tubing through the hole. If you split the tubing on the inside of the way it was rolled onto the spool, it will conform to the tuba rim naturally. Also, when you cut the tubing to length, do not stretch it around the rim. Just push it on and trim it perhaps 1/8" or so too long. It'll stay put.

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:20 am

harold wrote:I recommend Duct Tape.

That, or WD-40!

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 1:12 am

And bailing wire, a well chewed piece of gum, and an adhesive bandage

thedeep42 · Post by **thedeep42** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 1:26 am

depending on your tuba... you can BUY those. I know it's no fun. While I was visiting tucci, he gave me one for my pt-15. It was cheap, made to fit, very solid, and is hard as heck to get off (kind of the point). Others I've run into stretch and slip around. This one isn't going anywhere without heating it up first. It's a lifesaver on concrete or other abrasive floors. buying kind of defeats the do-it-yourselfness i suppose. the other dumb thing, I have no idea what they're called to look up. its just....'out there' for your information. some people say the plastic deadens the sound a bit? not to me, but any comments?

tubeast · Post by **tubeast** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 2:15 am

Seems to me those will dampen some of that "Bell ringing" that seems to annoy people.
Other than that, I didnÂ´t hear any sound difference upon buying one for MY horn...
Melton in Geretsried keep neatly made ones on stock, IÂ´m sure tuba places "near" (Ha Ha) you will be able to provide those.

Z-Tuba Dude · Post by **Z-Tuba Dude** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:42 am

I have found that some horns' sounds are effected by the presence of a plastic ring, and some are not.
On balance, I think that more horns ARE effected, than not.

Lars Trawen · Post by **Lars Trawen** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 10:56 am

My new tuba (MW 200) was supplied with a vinyl tubing that fell off in a few weeks. Knowing that vinyl has a natural tendency to lose its tension while loaded (creeping), I made a new ring using a nylon tube. The ends are not welded nor glued together. The ring is still there after ten years without any problems. Nylon tubes are used in pneumatic systems, using compressed air. They are available in many colors and dimensions. If yellow the ring should be invisible. Highly recommended before vinyl.

MikeMason · Post by **MikeMason** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:24 pm

i bought a yfb 822 from Tubatodd of this board.it had tubing that i think he installed.it was actually stitched together with some kind of thread.worked just fine.

Lee Stofer · Post by **Lee Stofer** » Wed Aug 30, 2006 12:11 am

I've witnessed Rudi, Jr. make a ring at the factory, and they melt the ends together. I have not had success trying to neatly melt the ends of vinyl tubing, but cyanoacrylic (Super Glue, etc.) will do a good job, provided that you cut the vinyl a little short and stretch it together, then keep the tension off the joint until the glue has set sufficiently to hold, normally within 60-90 seconds.

When I make a ring for tubas, I use vinyl tubing, 3/16" ID and 5/16" OD, available from most any home improvement or hardware store, and cut the tubing lengthwise with a sharp razor blade.

The bell rings will save the finish of the bell rim, and in some cases help prevent unwanted bell resonances, particularly in sousaphones.

jlbreyer · Post by **jlbreyer** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 12:54 am

OK. Thanks for the advice. I got some 3/16" tubing and made a jig with a razor blade in a 5/16" drilled hole an slit the tubing on the inside of the curl. I left the tubing long an overlapped it.
Only a couple of days, so far, but it seems better.
Thanks, again.
jlb