Posted by The Kids on February 24, 2004 at 07:47:38:
My daddy came home over the weekend with this dingy looking shell of a tuba with a smile on his face. I said "daddy"?
He said "yes".
"What is that", I exclaimed with suprise and awe.
Daddy responded, "It's a tuba body".
My sister walked into the living room and said "what kind of tuba"?
Daddy said "A Bohland and Fuchs".
Mommy said "Don't be saying things like that in front of the kids".
I thought it sounded funny, but I didn't laugh, because mommy had one of those looks on her face. I asked daddy, "What are you going to do with it"?
Daddy pointed at this wrecked looking horn that was on his tuba stand. "I am going to take the valve cluster out of that tuba, and put it on this one".
"No"
"Yes"
"NO"
"Yes"
"How are you going to do that", sister finally said.
Daddy said "I will end up taking the Bohland apart one section at at time, polishuing it, and resoldering it together until I get to the last section before the tuning slide. Then I will solder the miraphone valve section to the Bohland body.
Sooooooooooooooo,
Daddy started unsoldering the horn. Mommy looked straight at daddy and said, "You are going to have to take that outside. I will not have the living room smell like fire and solder".
Daddy muttered something about Bohland and Fuchs again, and took it to the back porch.
As daddy would burn the horn and take parts off, you could hear the echo of the voice as he would touch a hot point. I guess the only words I could understand was OUCH!!!!!!!!
This went on for two days. Part of a horn in one hand and brasso in the other. A large mountain of old T-shirts and rags mounted as grunge turned into silver.
Finally, daddy got the horn together, and here I am holding it.
For those who are into numbers, Its a 22 inch bell, and the miraphone 186 common .780ish valve section. 38 inches tall.