\s Clinic
BASIC MAINTENANCE
FOR THE
ROTARY VALVE TUBA
BY JOHN J. SWAIN
ince the 1960s rotary-
S valve tubas have become
more and more the
norm, all but replacing piston-
valve tubas. Rotary valves re-
quire a different type of mainte-
nance and while some repairs
call for a trained repairman,
there are many ways a player can
maintain and repair his own in-
struments.
Dents
Almost all dents, particularly
bell dents, need to be removed
& qualified repairman. Bell
dents should be uncreased with a
mandrel and roller to avoid
weakening the metal more than
necessary. Weakened metal may
result in a loosening of the
garland, the extra ring of metal
attached to the edge of the bell,
causing rattles during perform-
ance.
Loose braces can also cause rat-
tles and damage if the tuba is
mishandled. Inspect the braces
periodically to be sure they are
strong; loose braces should be
fixed by a repairman.
Laquer wear
Significant wear can occur near
the thumb ring and on top of
the first valve slide. Instruments
should be checked periodically
and spot-lacquered when neces-
sary. Spot-lacquering is not par-
ticularly attractive, but it can
prevent metal erosion from con-
tact with the player's skin.
Depending on the condition of
the rest of the tuba, a repairman
may be able to make the spot-
lacquering less obvious. If you
decide to lacquer it yourself, clear
lacquer can be obtained from
Feree's Tools, Inc. (Battle Creek,
Michigan). The lacquer comes in
a spray can. The procedure for
spot-lacquering is as follows:
Remove scratches from the
area to be lacquered with 0000
(very fine) steel wool. (Brasso
may also be used, but it is slight-
ly less effective.) Clean with red
 rouge and a soft cloth, unless
Brasso has been used. Red rouge
is a very mild abrasive that
comes in a paste form. It is
available from jewelers. Thor-
oughly remove the residue using
a soft cloth and lacquer thinner.
Wash with warm soapy water
and rinse. Dry thoroughly. Mask
the area surrounding the spot
with masking tape and spray
with lacquer, using short strokes,
10 to 12 inches from the surface.

Regular cleaning
Tubas should be cleaned once
every six to eight weeks if used
regularly. A bathtub equipped
with a detachable shower hose is
ideal. Place a thick towel on the
bottom of the tub to prevent
scratches. Remove the shower
head from the hose and use the
open hose to run warm water
through the instrument, starting
at the leadpipe. Use a mild
detergent and a bottle brush to
clean all the slides and tubes,
and a trombone snake to clean
the leadpipe, which accumulates
the most residue. Rinse the in-
strument thoroughly with warm
water and lubricate the slides
and valves as necessary. Slide
grease or petroleum jelly may be
used on tuba slides, but be ad-
vised that petroleum jelly tends
to wear faster and needs to be
replaced more often.

Valve maintenance
The valves need not be re-
moved each time the instrument
is cleaned, but they should be
taken out perhaps twice a year
for cleaning, inspection, and
regulation. To remove the valve,
disconnect the arm and remove
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Phone the bottom valve cap. Unscrew

Mail to: Dr. W.J. Julian, 601 Westborough Rd., Knoxville, TN 37909 the collar-retaining screw two
turns and tap the retaining screw
gently with a rawhide mallet
36 THE INSTRUMENTALIST / JULY 1987
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(available at music stores - a
FOR YOUR FREE COPY chime mallet will do) to loosen
CALL TOLL-FREE: the bottom retaining plate,
which is pressure-fitted to the
800-526-4593 valve casing. Continue unscrew
In New Jersey, Alaska, Hawaii:
ing the retaining screw, tapping
201-232-6700
lightly every two turns until the
bottom retaining plate on the
valve is loosened, (If you unscrew

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National Educational Music Company, Ltd.
1181 Route 22 Box 1130 Mountainside, NJ 07092
the screw most of the way and
then tap the plate out, you may
bend the screw.) Hold your hand
under the retaining plate so that

C/WMINANDO

NASHVILLE, Tennessee
April 15-16
MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina it does not fall into the tubing.
April 22 - 23 Remove the collar retaining
screw and the collar, and push
WASHINGTON, DC the valve through the bottom of
April 29 - 30 the casing. The valve may be
D <^ loose enough to fall out on its
on CENTRAL FLORIDA own when you remove the screw,
May 6 - 7 so be careful. Keep each valve
0):= separate they all look the
CO
HERSHEY PARK, Pennsylvania same.
May 13 -14 The valve should be soaked in
a mild solution of ammonia and
NIAGARA FALLS, Canada water or in a solution of Quick-
May 20 - 21 Dip, which can be obtained from
Oxford Chemical (Box 80202,
CALL COLLECT: 717-245-2222 Atlanta, Georgia). This product
or Write: P.O. Box 36, Carlisle, PA 17013 was developed to clean the resi-
due from patterned silverware
and is used by some restaurants.

&cfjilfee I
CUSTOM-BUILT
INSTRUMENTS
AND MOUTHPIECES
TRUMPETS
IN Bt>, C, D, Et>, Et>/D, F, G,
EVF/G. 65 Models-Trumpets-
Cornets.
PICCOLO TRUMPETS
IN Bb/A, C
TUNING-BELL TRUMPETS
With Detachable Bells
Eliminates the tuning slide
improving intonation and
response. Additional bells
offer varied tone color.
MOUTHPIECES -
STANDARD AND SIGNATURE
Precision made for Trumpet,
Cornet, French Horn, Trom-
bone, Euphonium and Tuba.
Call or write
for dealer in your area:
SCHILKE MUSIC, INC.
529 So. Wabash Ave.
Chicago, III. 60605
312-922-0736
PLEASE SEND:
D Instrument Catalog
D Mouthpiece Catalog
N ne
Address
City/State .
| Zip
40 THE INSTRUMENTALIST / JULY 1987
(A restaurant manager may be
able to tell you where it can be
obtained locally.) Both chemical
solutions are toxic, so use rubber
gloves and work in a well-venti-
lated area. The inside of the
valve casing can be cleaned with
a rag soaked in the same solu-
tion. Do not use an abrasive
cleaner or pad, because either
will damage the finely machined
metal surface. Rinse when fin-
ished and coat the inside of the
valve casing with rotary valve
oil. Do the same with the valve
before you replace it.
Assemble each valve in reverse
order. Line up the mark on the
retaining plate with the mark on
the valve casing; you will need
the correct placement to check
valve alignment. It is also a good
idea to check the amount of lat-
eral play in the valve. If there is
a fair amount of side-to-side
movement, send the instrument
to a repair shop to correct the
damage caused by wear. Check
to make sure that all the screws
are snug, but do not overtighten
them.
Valve alignment
Corks were used for valve stops
on most of the older instruments,
but cork wears rapidly and today
is often replaced with neoprene.
It is sometimes difficult to get
neoprene, but a length of 1A inch
diameter rubber rope that is used
for holding screens in window
frames works well. It is quite in-
expensive and readily available at
window/screen repair shops, so
you need not worry if you de-
stroy a piece in the alignment
process.
To check and adjust proper
valve alignment, remove the bot-
tom valve cap and look at the
marks on the part of the valve
that protrudes through the inside
collar. These marks should be at
90 degrees to one another. There
should also be a single mark on
the inside collar. The lines on
the valve need to be aligned ex-
actly with the line on the retain-
ing plate, depending on whether
the valve is open or depressed.
The cork may need to be re-
placed or shaved slightly to bring
the marks into proper alignment.
Actuating mechanism
Valve noise is a severe problem
on older rotary-valve tubas.
While some of the noise may be
attributed to the valve stops,
much of the rattle comes from
the actuating mechanism. The
older model rotary-valve instru-
ments have a rather complicated
arm assembly that transfers mo-
tion from the spatulas to the
valves, and wear can occur at
any one of four places on the
mechanism. Periodically use a
light oil, such as sewing machine
oil, to lubricate the moving parts
of the linkage, the rod that holds
the spatulas in place, the screw
bushing under the collar on top
of the valve, and the screw
bushing at the point where the
arm is attached to the collar at
the valve. This should help
reduce the noise temporarily.
Some instruments have bushings
that can be replaced. A repair-
man might be able to tighten the
linkage sufficiently to eliminate
noise, but if he recommends new
linkages because of excessive
wear, it is significantly cheaper to
replace them yourself.
Springs and screws
Check the valve-actuating
springs periodically to be sure
that they are strong enough to
return the valves quickly. If the
valves seem quite sluggish, re-
place the springs; you can obtain
them at almost any instrument
repair shop. Various strengths
are available, and it may take
some experimentation to find the
action that works the best and is
the most comfortable for the
player. To replace the springs,
unscrew the nut on what is the
bottom of the spatula-retaining
rod if the instrument is in play-
ing position. Carefully remove
the retaining rod and replace the
springs one at a time. Clean and
lubricate the retaining rod with a
light oil, such as sewing machine
oil, before replacing it.
It is a good practice to check
all screws on the instrument at
least once per month. The four
screws that hold the arms to the
collars generally do not work
loose, but the larger round-head
screws that hold the collars in
place often do. If one of these
screws is lost, do not attempt to
replace it with a conventional
screw. It is best to order the
proper screw for the instrument
from a repair shop. Replacing the
screw with one not made for the
instrument will strip the screw
threads in the top of the valve. It
is also important to check the
water key screw and spring at
the same time you check the
other screws.
Replacing rotary valve linkage with
ball and socket
If your repairman recommends
new linkages to eliminate noise
from the actuating mechanism,
you can replace the linkage
yourself with a ball and socket
linkage. You will need a hack-
saw, a small file, an electric drill
with a #44 drill bit, and a 3/16"
socket or box/open end wrench.
The materials you will need can
be purchased from a hobby store;
they include a 3/32" threaded
rod, 1/8" o.d. aluminum tubing,
8 Du-Bro 2-56 threaded ball
links, and Goldberg 1/2" landing
gear straps (four needed for
converting string linkage only).
Actuator with joint removed
arm
file here
Drill a hole in the spatula arm
and attach a ball link. Notice
that the placement of the ball
link will affect the distance that
the spatula will travel and the
amount of pressure needed to
depress the valve, in inverse pro-
portions. Replace the spatula.
Position of drill hole on arm
drill
This is the recommended drill point for the
least amount of travel
Attach a ball link to the rotor
stop.
Rotor stop
Parts of the arm
-^ -J. ^o
aluminum threaded rod
/
socket
tubing
Snap the sockets into the ball
links on the arm and rotor stop.
Check the adjustment and ease
of movement. The valves should
move freely without binding. The
spatula arm may require bending
to one side to eliminate binding,
especially on string linkage con-
versions. Avoid bending the arm
more than is necessary because
bending weakens the metal.
Direction of arm adjustment
:-?V>
The total time for this project
is about one hour and the cost
will be somewhere around $10.
This is a small price to pay for a
quiet, efficient linkage, especially
if the old one was noisy and
troublesome. It is important to
remember that this conversion
should be a last resort because
the procedure cannot be re-

Rotary valve assembly ffl

actuator moveable joint
Unhook the linkage at the
rotor stop and remove the rod
holding the actuators in place.
Remove the actuators one at a
time and number them. Saw off
the linkage at the moveable
joint.
Proper cut on moveable joint
cut here
Discard the joint and the
S-shaped lever. The spatula and
arm will remain. File the side of
the arm where the joint was
removed to smooth the surface.
42 THE INSTRUMENTALIST / JULY 1987
If you are replacing a string
linkage, attach a landing gear
strap under the rotor stop retain-
ing screw as shown below. At-
tach the ball link to the hole in
the landing gear strap.
rotor stop
Rotor stop with gear strap attached
side top
(0
\ gear strap
Cut the threaded rod to
length. The length of the rod
will affect the height of the
spatulas in the rest (valve open)
position. Attach a nylon socket
to one end of the threaded rod.
Measure and cut a piece of
aluminum tubing and slip it over
the exposed threaded rod. At-
tach a nylon socket to the other
end of the rod. The aluminum
tubing must fit snugly to avoid
rattles.
versed. Make the conversion on-
ly if the assembly cannot be
quieted in any other way.
Completed ball and socket assembly
With practice and increased
confidence, you can make many
of the repairs and adjustments
that you would otherwise need a
)
repairman for. This can save you
time and money, plus give you
the satisfaction of doing the job
yourself. D
John ] . Swain is Associate Professor of
Music and Assistant Director of Bands
at California State University in Los
Angeles. He is active as a cufcist, per-
forming in recital and with Rising
Winds in Los Angeles.
Assistance with parts of this article and
with photographs was provided by
William Stafford, Instrument Techni-
cian at California State University in
Los Angeles.