Wrapping a bell

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 1:53 pm

It never hurts to try. I have it on both my instruments for that very reason, and it does very well. I used 5/16 od - 3/16 id clear that was $.14/foot at my local home store, so for a souzy bell it was all of $1.05 including local sales tax. It also has the advantages of making a good rim protector and is invisible from a few feet away.

You might want the 1/4 od - 1/8 id for your trombone bell, depending on how thick the rim wire is.

Just use an exacto knife or a jig like Sam Gnagny uses to split it lengthwise, and it goes right on.

How much to get? Remember your geometry: c = d X pi.

So for a 9 inch bass bone bell, 9 X @3.1416 means get three feet, rounded up to the nearest foot, to give yourself a few inches of leeway.

MartyNeilan · Post by **MartyNeilan** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 2:00 pm

Plastic tubing bell rim made a big difference on the Weimar - its cheeep and worth a try.
I thought my 1062R was just a little on the bright / light side, but adding a counterweight seemed to put the edge threshhold just where it needed to be. Of course you could always get the absolutely heaviest gauge Edwards yellow bell ever made and have it soldered on the horn - that was the trend a few years ago which now seems to be dying out (fortunately.)

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 5:58 pm

iiipopes wrote:Just use an exacto knife or a jig like Sam Gnagny uses to split it lengthwise, and it goes right on.

What kind of jig might that be?

big_blue_tubist · Post by **big_blue_tubist** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 6:25 pm

Probably this kind...

http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail44.html

Naptown Tuba · Post by **Naptown Tuba** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 6:53 pm

big_blue_tubist wrote:Probably this kind...

http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail44.html

For a moment, I thought that might have been Strong "Bob"

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 8:14 pm

Chuck(G) wrote:
iiipopes wrote:Just use an exacto knife or a jig like Sam Gnagny uses to split it lengthwise, and it goes right on.
What kind of jig might that be?

Sam takes a small block of wood, drills a hole in it just a little larger than the tubing, then mounts a utility knife blade on the block with just the tip sticking into the hole. He then pushes the tubing in and it splits it as it comes out. Then you can pull the end coming out with gentle steady force to complete the cut. It does have the advantage of effectively shielding the blade so there are no slips!

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Fri Jul 27, 2007 10:44 pm

iiipopes wrote:Sam takes a small block of wood, drills a hole in it just a little larger than the tubing, then mounts a utility knife blade on the block with just the tip sticking into the hole. He then pushes the tubing in and it splits it as it comes out. Then you can pull the end coming out with gentle steady force to complete the cut. It does have the advantage of effectively shielding the blade so there are no slips!

You mean, like some guy suggested about 7 years ago?

http://www.chisham.com/tips/bbs/dec2000 ... 40360.html

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 12:49 am

Chuck(G) wrote:
iiipopes wrote:Sam takes a small block of wood, drills a hole in it just a little larger than the tubing, then mounts a utility knife blade on the block with just the tip sticking into the hole. He then pushes the tubing in and it splits it as it comes out. Then you can pull the end coming out with gentle steady force to complete the cut. It does have the advantage of effectively shielding the blade so there are no slips!
You mean, like some guy suggested about 7 years ago?

http://www.chisham.com/tips/bbs/dec2000 ... 40360.html

Darn! I thought I invented that approach!

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 3:35 am

Short term, use some clear packaging tape to join the ends. It'll be rugged enough for a few uses.. If you're using the clear vinyl tubing, you should also be able to melt the ends together; the same for PVC drip-line irrigation hose (very cheap and available in black or brown at your local garden supply or hardware store).

There are also vinyl repair kits for waterbeds and the like that might work.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 9:42 am

Once the tension equalized in the tubing and it quit "shrinking," I didn't do anything. I just let it sit. The "seam" is on the backside where it's not noticable, and I don't worry about it. It stays put.

Dan Schultz · Post by **Dan Schultz** » Sat Jul 28, 2007 12:22 pm

iiipopes wrote:Once the tension equalized in the tubing and it quit "shrinking," I didn't do anything. I just let it sit. The "seam" is on the backside where it's not noticable, and I don't worry about it. It stays put.

Ditto. Don't worry about it. If it really gets to you, you can join the ends by melting them a bit and squishing them together. Then... trim the excess with a razor blade. You can also use Super-Glue if you cut the ends nice and square.

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Sun Jul 29, 2007 8:01 am

Next step in huge: try a Wick 3. Even deeper funnel cup, larger throat, small tuba fitting so it will fit your bass bone receiver.