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Thread: Putting my horn away

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Sacramento, CA area
    Posts
    309

    Question Putting my horn away

    I need to step away from playing for two to four months. I was wondering about how to store my horn. I know that there is some give and take, but roughly when do you store the horn disassembled (valves and slides pulled) rather than just lube everything up and store it intact?
    - Sara
    Baritone - 3 Valve, Compensating, JinBao JBBR1240

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
    Posts
    1,867
    So sorry to hear you have to step away. Hope you are back soon and things are well.

    For four months, I would clean the horn, let it thoroughly dry, grease the slides, oil the valves, and put it in its case. Store it in a room that is kept similar to your home, not in a freezing place or very hot place. I think it should be fine. It will miss you and your face, so don't let it suffer too long!
    John Morgan
    The U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) 1971-1976
    Adams E3 Custom Series Euphonium, 1956 B&H Imperial Euphonium,
    1973 F. E. Olds & Son Studio Model T-31 Baritone
    Adams TB1 Tenor Trombone, Yamaha YBL-822G Bass Trombone
    Year Round Except Summer:
    Kingdom of the Sun (KOS) Concert Band, Ocala, FL (Euphonium)
    KOS Brass Quintet (Trombone, Euphonium)
    Summer Only:
    Rapid City Municipal Band, Rapid City, SD (Euphonium)
    Rapid City New Horizons Band (Euphonium)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Central North Carolina
    Posts
    2,369
    I've done what John recommends in the past -- and it's the way I "store" my 1924 tuba between it's more or less semi-annual uses. And I did it to my Cerveny BBb rotary tuba for a period of years. However, for my Eb Wessex tuba -- which I haven't played in about a year and a half now, I went an extra step -- primarily because I KNEW that those tight piston valves would stick if I just left them sit for that long, lubed or not.

    In that case, I did everything that John recommends, and then cut four sections of PVC pipe, got end caps for them, and put the cleaned and dried pistons (fully assembled) into those for storage. That way I KNOW that when I go to get the horn out and play it I won't have stuck pistons I'll need to deal with -- and the pistons are fully protected so that nothing can accidentally affect them.
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853
    I had to put my horn up for 3 months about 10 yrs ago due to health reasons. I didn’t do any prep so when I got back to it my valves were stuck. Valve caps were hard to loosen too. Got everything freed eventuality.

    Next time I took a long break I cleaned the horn, completely let it dry, then greased the slides and put the valves in with NO oil. Can’t remember where I read that but that worked. As long as the valves and casings were dry there’s enough clearance that they won’t get stuck. Also all valve caps were left loose.
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by ghmerrill View Post
    . . . . and then cut four sections of PVC pipe, got end caps for them, and put the cleaned and dried pistons (fully assembled) into those for storage. That way I KNOW that when I go to get the horn out and play it I won't have stuck pistons I'll need to deal with -- and the pistons are fully protected so that nothing can accidentally affect them.
    Seems like a good idea. You might also want to consider including an oxygen absorber with the valve in the pvc pipe. They're used a lot with food storage and will suck the potentially damaging air right out of the pipe into the oxypack.
    Steve Petrangelo
    Lake Havasu Regional Orchestra (trombone/treasurer)

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Sacramento, CA area
    Posts
    309
    Good news on the musical front. I do need to get more done in the way of treatment. But I have been given the green light to resume playing. I am so glad about that. My next visit is when they dealing with the uncomfortable stuff, but life can go back to somewhat normal. I have missed the music.
    - Sara
    Baritone - 3 Valve, Compensating, JinBao JBBR1240

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Anderson, Indiana
    Posts
    270
    Quote Originally Posted by Sara Hood View Post
    I have been given the green light to resume playing. I am so glad about that. - Sara
    Great news! Hope that things continue to improve.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
    Posts
    1,867
    Glad to hear you are back with your horn. It missed you!!
    John Morgan
    The U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) 1971-1976
    Adams E3 Custom Series Euphonium, 1956 B&H Imperial Euphonium,
    1973 F. E. Olds & Son Studio Model T-31 Baritone
    Adams TB1 Tenor Trombone, Yamaha YBL-822G Bass Trombone
    Year Round Except Summer:
    Kingdom of the Sun (KOS) Concert Band, Ocala, FL (Euphonium)
    KOS Brass Quintet (Trombone, Euphonium)
    Summer Only:
    Rapid City Municipal Band, Rapid City, SD (Euphonium)
    Rapid City New Horizons Band (Euphonium)

  9. #9
    Yay, that's good!!
    "Never over complicate things. Accept "bad" days. Always enjoy yourself when playing, love the sound we can make on our instruments (because that's why we all started playing the Euph)"

    Euph: Yamaha 642II Neo - 千歌音
    Mouthpiece: K&G 4D, Denis Wick 5AL

    https://soundcloud.com/ashsparkle_chika
    https://www.youtube.com/user/AshTSparkle/

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