About Cleaning A Rotary Tuba.....

[Dan Schultz]

I've seen three sets of clocksprings here in the last couple of months were the springs were destroyed by moisture getting inside the clockspring housings.

There have been a few discussions about how to clean a tuba but I don't recall any mention taking the paddle assembly off the horn first. I ALWAYS take the paddle assembly off rotary horns before cleaning them. Here's why:

There are very few ferrous parts on a tuba. However the springs inside the clockspring housings, the shaft that goes through the lever arms, the pivot pins that attach the links to the stop arms, and the hinge pins in the 'S' links WILL rust if exposed to water.

Lack of proper lubrication and RUST are the most common cause of linkage problems.

[Sandlapper]

Dan, is that also the case with the non clockwork rotary tubas as well?

Thanks,

John

[Dan Schultz]

Dan, is that also the case with the non clockwork rotary tubas as well?

Thanks,

John

All of the pins inside the hinge tubes on 'S' linkages and also the shaft through the lever arms are made of steel and prone to rust when exposed to water. If oil is kept worked into all of the moving parts... those parts might survive a bath. However... not many folks pay much attention to oiling those parts on a regular basis.

If I'm going to submerge a horn in water solutions and acids... I think it's just too easy a task to remove those assemblies rather than to take a chance.