Soldering a Tuba Bell-To-First-Branch Brace

[@davemiller7633]

To anyone reading this....Art is one of the best in this business and just about one of the nicest, most considerate and genuinely caring person you will meet in this world. His technical skills are second to none!

[@bruhsoundeffect8455]

I 2nd that lol, never met or talked with him, but with how he talks and acts and tries to show up and coming techs some skills of the trade just shows how much he cares and nice he is.

[@Clk4robotics]

Great job

[@WillowsGarden]

Very interesting Art. Great job. I’ve soldered copper and galvanized. Copper needs ruby fluid to solder. Thanks for sharing and your skills and knowledge. Hope you and your family have a blessed day!

[@lotsabirds]

Great Job!

[@xj9ox]

If you ever wanted to match cleaned brass or copper to a tarnished surface, you can apply a white vinegar and salt mixture to the area and let it dry, say overnight and then neutralise with your ammonia mixture. The longer that it takes to dry and the longer is sits, the thicker the tarnish will be. I find that wiping or washing the treated area area will remove some of the tarnish as it is still loose for a while. White vinegar and salt will produce a blue or greenish patina in places, but there are other mixtures that will produce different shades of tarnish. Just thought that I'd mention it in case it might be something you haven't tried.

[@1090yoyo]

Great job as always ! Given your pedagogical and technical skills, you shoud definitely consider teaching this craft :) Almost every old tuba or euph I've seen in my life had either an unsoldered bell, or a weak (and unsightly) solder blob trying so hold it together, putting a brace is probably the best option ! I'll probably copy this, particularly for marching instruments... However, I always struggle to have a nice flush fit with brace flanges... I use 4/10mm (16 tho) sheet brass (standard Zn37/Cu63 brass) properly annealed, I tack solder it then push them with a flange burnisher as well as I can, however the springiness of the metal makes a gap that always seems me to be too large... IDK how to improve it.

[@TheBrassandWoodwindShop]

Solder the part of the flange that is touching the instrument with just a little bit of solder. Then use the flange burnisher in that area. Repeat that process one or two more times and that should help. I hope this helps.

[@powerbatterychannel4315]

Hello, what kind of flux do you use? Is it ZnCl2? Or rosin dissolved in alcohol? Tnanks

[@TheBrassandWoodwindShop]

It is the acid flux that you can get from Allied or Ferree's Tools. I am not sure what kind of acid it is made from.

[@powerbatterychannel4315]

@@TheBrassandWoodwindShop So, if it's not HCl, it should be definitely ZnCl2, especially for brass instruments. Thanks a lot!

[@Tuca-Luthier.]

​@@powerbatterychannel4315 Boa tarde, sou do Brasil, poderia me ensinar a fazer este fluxo ou saber onde comprar, queria fluxo liquido Good afternoon, I'm from Brazil, could you teach me how to make this flow or know where to buy it, I wanted liquid flow