Frozen Valves

Tubaing · Post by **Tubaing** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 8:24 pm

Wow! I just had my first experience with my valves freezing. I went out TUBACHRISTMAS Caroling (with my neighboor) on my 80 year old Conn Eb Sousaphone in 18 degree weather. After about 45 minuets, my 3rd valve was moving very slowly so I took it out to see if I had some water I needed to wipe somthing off and when I put it back in, it got stuck about half way. Then after a few seconds, all of the other valves froze. By this time, I was at someones door about to walk in to play a song or 2. I said I'll be back in a few minuets since my instrument just froze. So I ran home (maybe an eighth mile) grabbed by 100 year old York Eb Tuba, and ran back to the house. I was still trying to catch my breath when I played. Then I did about another 4-6 more houses. Then I walked home (about a seventh mile) When I walked in the door of my house, my 3rd valve froze.

What a fun day!

josh wagner · Post by **josh wagner** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 8:42 pm

During basketball band season our sousaphone valves always freeze, they like to leave them in a truck and when it comes time to start playing at a game our sousaphones are just begining to un thaw. But i have never had one freeze while i'm playing, thankfully. It is always fun to pull out the slides and have chunks of ice falling out makes for good laughs.

KevinMadden · Post by **KevinMadden** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 8:45 pm

Doing HS marching band in New England is usually an adventure in valve freezing. We started carrying little spray bottles of rubbing alcohol into the stands with us, the alcohol freezes colder than water and would thus help us keep playing. Don't know how many times I'd come to my horn after third quarter break to see ice completely covering the valve..ports and all!

Thomas Maurice Booth · Sun Dec 23, 2007 9:36 pm

I would highly recommend Binak valve oil to avoid freezing valves. The oil is designed to go to temperatures of 50 degrees below zero or lower. I began using it about 6 months months ago after using Hetman's for years. It is definently worth giving it a shot. Below is the link for the website.

TMB

http://www.binak.com/home/

The Jackson · Post by **The Jackson** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:11 pm

Down here, a "frozen" valve is one that just doesn't move, not one that is actually frozen

TubaRay · Post by **TubaRay** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:29 pm

Greg wrote:
Tubaing wrote:After about 45 minuets, my 3rd valve was moving very slowly so I took it out to see....
Forty five minuets!?!?!??!?! Can't you play any other type of dance movement? And heck, that's a lot of playing to do in one session!

Perhaps he's into a very old style of dancing--very much!

brianggilbert · Post by **brianggilbert** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:10 am

My freshman year in high school (and this is like 20+ yrs ago), we had a run of unseasonably cold nights in November as we were nearing state championships in marching band.

Someone on our staff issued the bright idea of mixing kerosene into our valve oils. I'm quite certain that we were breaking all kinds of chemistry laws with this new 'formulation', not to mention fire department and OSHA hazmat as well!

Nevertheless, I took it on myself to bring in a JUG of kerosene from our supply at home (remember all those free-standing heaters back in the day?). During 1st period band class I was in the back row of the band room playing mad scientist.

I spilled the jug all over the floor! All of it... Soaked into the carpet... Nice.

I'm still told that over 20 years later that room still had a distinct "fuel odor" that nobody can quite place!

Smoke em if ya got em....

TubaRay · Post by **TubaRay** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:20 am

brianggilbert wrote: I spilled the jug all over the floor! All of it... Soaked into the carpet... Nice.
I'm still told that over 20 years later that room still had a distinct "fuel odor" that nobody can quite place!
Smoke em if ya got em....

What a legacy!

jhedrick · Post by **jhedrick** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:23 pm

TubaRay wrote:
brianggilbert wrote: I spilled the jug all over the floor! All of it... Soaked into the carpet... Nice.
I'm still told that over 20 years later that room still had a distinct "fuel odor" that nobody can quite place!
Smoke em if ya got em....
What a legacy!

"I love the smell of Jet Fuel in the morning." (or something like that.) We used to mix JP8, a kerosene based jet fuel, with Diesel to keep if from turning to jelly during cold weather.

Conn 2J CC · Post by **Conn 2J CC** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 8:55 pm

I hope I'm remembering this correctly - When the 27th Lancers Drum and Bugle Corp marched in the opening ceremonies parade of the Lake Placid Olympics (1980?), they kept their valves moving in the freezing weather by mixing tequila into the valve oil they used on the horns. Apparently, it worked.

ai698 · Post by **ai698** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:53 pm

Conn 2J CC wrote:I hope I'm remembering this correctly - When the 27th Lancers Drum and Bugle Corp marched in the opening ceremonies parade of the Lake Placid Olympics (1980?), they kept their valves moving in the freezing weather by mixing tequila into the valve oil they used on the horns. Apparently, it worked.

Nope, they actually used anti-freeze. Tequila's good for before you play in the cold

brianggilbert · Post by **brianggilbert** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 12:09 am

As a drum corps performer with two groups in northern New Jersey back in the day, I can appreciate and (sort of) identify with the tequila remedy - especially when one of those corps is of the senior variety!

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 12:51 am

One time when I was really young and stupid (yeah, I know...now I'm just not so young) in middle school I did use a drop of real antifreeze on each valve in a Christmas parade. Fortunately, it all washed out afterwards to no ill effects to either the horn or to me.

Yes, alcohol will lower the freezing point, but once it dilutes, instant freeze & seize.

The "accepted" solution, as used by some military stationed in cold climates, is to use pure kerosene.

When I was in high school, we marched 4 souzys. One before school practice was so cold we all had frozen valves. But here's the kicker: mine froze open; the next guy with 1st down, the next with 2nd down, and I forget what happened to the 4th guy. We looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and kept on with what we could. After we got back inside, we told the director what happened. He said something along the lines of, "So that's what happened. I did still hear everything, but wondered why it was so much softer than usual." He was fine with it after that.

TubaRay · Post by **TubaRay** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 10:55 am

ai698 wrote:Nope, they actually used anti-freeze. Tequila's good for before you play in the cold

I would hope you don't mean the type of anti-freeze one would use in an automobile. This would be dangerous and perhaps capable of doing some physical damage to the instrument.

TubaRay · Post by **TubaRay** » Wed Dec 26, 2007 6:35 pm

HopHead wrote:Since we had the luxury of 20 tuba players, we let each tuba's valves freeze with a specific fingering and then played the songs like a bell choir only playing the notes that matched your fingerings. I still laugh when I think about that day.

Impressive!!!

MaryAnn · Post by **MaryAnn** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:34 pm

What occurred to me right away was to find some of those battery-heated socks for hunting or skiing. You wrap the socks around the valves, maybe tape them in place with some pretty bright red Christmas tape, tape the batteries somewhere reasonably convenient, and play away.

MA

iiipopes · Post by **iiipopes** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 1:13 pm

And don't forget that rubbing alcohol, isopropyl, is just as poisonous as antifreeze.

Tubaing · Post by **Tubaing** » Thu Dec 27, 2007 3:20 pm

Maybe we should all do what David Silverman did to keep the valves (and everything else) from freezing.

andrew the tuba player · Thu Dec 27, 2007 4:41 pm

Just a story. But, Last december, Our high school band was praciseing for our christmas parade. Everything froze. The trumpets and mellophone were first, then me and last, our trombonests slide froze ing third position. It was really funny. One of the trumpets 1st valve was half way down.

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