main tuning slide stick for PT6P

[csherman]

Hello all,

I've got a PT6P that I'm debating putting a main tuning slide stick on. I have two concerns though.
1. Where would this thing go? It seems like it would need to travel in between some tubing to make the trip from my left hand to the main tuning slide.

2. To get the slide mobile enough, I'm assuming I would need to get it lapped down a bit. Would this create a leak at the main tuning slide?!? That would suck greatly.

Any feed back is always helpful.

Cheers

[mark38655]

I've put a pull rod onto a couple of different tubas. I used a brass rod that I attached to the main slide by soldering on a lyre holder with screw. I had to grind down (file) the end of the rod so it was square and would fit into the lyre holder. On the other end I used a round shaped glass (or metal) drawer pull handle. (On one tuba, I soldered a Conn thumb ring to the top of the pull rod and soldered the other end directly to the slide.)

As to which tubes to run the brass rod between, I used trial and error and found the path of least resistance. On one tuba the rod is attached to one of the side tubes instead of the center brace. (It functions well enough, but not quite as well as if it were connected to the center brace.) On another tuba it is attached to the center on the brace that connects to each side tube of the slide.

I used a clear plastic tube to fit over part of the brass rod to keep it from clanking.

As for lapping the slide-- yes that will need to be done, and Vaseline seems to work well in lubing my tubas. Leakage is not a problem on either of my tubas.

[csherman]

Thanks for the response!

From the sounds of it, this sounds like a DIY project. What did you end up spending to add the rod? It sounds relatively inexpensive (provided one has a soldering gun). Being a college student, this question must be asked

[arpthark]

The closer-to-perfect the main slide alignment, the less material will need to be removed from the surfaces of the slide tubing.

If someone with some skill and attention to detail can get all four tubes parallel, coplanar, and completely aligned, little more than some LAVA soap suds mixed with valve oil will be necessary for final fitting of slide tubing surfaces.

Does aligning slides involve unsoldering/resoldering the tubing, or what? Always wondered, never asked.