Flipping a 5th valve -- how difficult?

[bort]

I'm trying to think of some ways to improve the 5th valve linkage on my Willson. I had a local repairman make a better paddle for the valve (not shown in the below picture), which helped a bit, but I think it's more of a workaround than a solution.

I'm trying to look at other tubas that have a similar configuration of tubing:

-- leadpipe enters the side of the 5th valve
-- stop arm is on the back of the horn
-- 3rd valve tubing is on the front of the horn

This setup of tubing is similar to what you see on some Meinl-Weston rotary tubas, where the thumb ring is below the 3rd valve tubing. However on those, the 5th valve has the stop arm on the *front* of the tuba.

How hard would it be to flip the 5th valve, so that I could possibly run the linkage from the front, in a similar way to a Meinl-Weston tuba? (Roughly following the path shown on the sketch below.)

I think the tricky part will be whether there's enough clearance for everything between the tubing, and what goes above/below/through the available space... since it wasn't designed for this configuration. That, I'm not sure about right now... (tuba is in the closet and I'm watching a sick kid today so I can't get it out at the moment). Will pull it out this weekend and check that out.

Just curious if flipping the valve is at all a decent idea to consider, or just too complicated to pursue.

Thanks for your input!

[arpthark]

Just curious - was this tuba originally a 4+1 set up?

[bort]

I don't think so, because the 5th valve tubing seems like it would get in the way of the paddle assembly. It's had a few previous rounds of linkage work done to it in the past, but I don't think it's ever been a LH 5th valve.

[bort]

If the valve was flipped, is there room behind it to remove the rotor?

Good question. I think there is, but will have to check.

[tclements]

Are you talking about putting the lever on the LH, or turning the valve around so it LOOKS like the others? A LH lever would be pretty easy. Flip the valve? Why would you want to do that?

[bort]

Main idea -- put the stop at on top like the other valves, in the hope of making a better circuit of linkage for the valve.

The existing non-original fifth linkage failed, and turns out it was actually not entirely clearing the tubing as it should have (but maybe just after it broke).

Thanks.for the PM... Still considering a LH fifth, but will probably do RH again and see if the new parts will resolve things.

As soon as Willi writes back, I will order the parts.