Posted by Dan Schultz on February 13, 2003 at 22:07:37:
Some of you may remember me asking for advise about my difficulties centering anything below a 'D'? Well, I solved the problem this evening. You're not gonna beleive this one!
I put a small dent in the backside of the bottom bow of my Miraphone 183-4 Eb and I got out my handy-dandy magnet and dent balls out. I know the professional repair guys don't like these things but you're gonna love this one! I was using a 2" ball... got the dent out just fine, and was working on some other small dents near the furrule on the small side of the bottom bow. As I got to the top of the furrule, the ball stopped moving so I figured the ball just wouldn't pass the small end of the furrule. I put things away and blew the horn. It was totally stopped up! Of course, the first thing I checked is to see if the 2" ball was back in it's container. It was. I passed the magnet past the furrule and it was mildly attracted to something inside the horn. I took out the main tuning slide and ran a piece of vinyl tubing up to the obstruction. and forced the tubing through. Out rattled a TubaChristmas 1985 button!
The button measures 2.188" diameter.... just right to hang in the furrule. It was hanging in the furrule like a stove-pipe damper until I bumped it with the 2" ball... then it sealed off inside the tube. Who would have thought it! By-the-way... all that stuffiness went away completely!