engineering challenge

[Silvan]

Somebody on the trumpet group came up with a nifty idea for a flugel prop. I'm fixin' to make him one, but I haven't quite solved all the engineering problems yet.

Basically this thing is a wooden foot attached to some kind of padded dongle to affix it to a suitable piece of tubing on the horn. On some instruments, this tubing will be part of the bell flare, and will have a gradual taper. On others, it will be part of a tuning slide. Ideally the design for this dongle should be able to accommodate all flavors of trumpet, cornet and flugel.

So two problems need solving. The "foot" I envision is some little turned, froofy looking bit of something (although the original design spec calls for a pencil here.) The "dongle" needs to be split into two pieces, and it should be possible to attach it securely without applying so much pressure that you crimp or otherwise mangle the tubing. The "foot" will be adjusted to sit on the floor through some combination of moving the dongle and extending or retracting the foot itself, until a suitable combination of factors is reached that won't interfere with any moving parts (spit valves, slides, etc.)

Hrm. I stared to draw a picture, but I can see that would be a black hole for time. I spent an hour doing a fancy looking gradientified pseudo 3D trumpet bell, and then realized I had the scale wrong. Nah. I'll take a pass on that. Use your imaginations.

[jo4hn]

Jeeez. I clicked on the "English translation" button and got an error message to the effect that "I don't speak musician, bunky". mahalo, jo4hn ;-)

[A Dubya]

If only there was mention of duct tape or a coconut, between the flugels, padded dongles, spit valves and fancy looking gradientified pseudo 3D trumpet bells, ......I'll see if I can cross reference transcripts from Red Greens Beaver Lodge, and some old Gilligan and Professor conversations......

We're here to help Silvan....anything for a fellow woodworker!!!!

Cheers!

aw

[Mike Reed]

Ditto. Wow. That's a rough message right there.

[Tom]

Sylvan, back from hiatus, wrote:>Somebody on the trumpet group came up with a nifty idea for a flugel prop.

The language is fairly specific, and except for the words "dongle" and "gradientified", I think I understand. Is all this in order to lay the instument aside in an easily retrieved position? (And all the spit drains quickly?) Dongle could be thin, felt-lined hinged wooden clamp with a lot of spring. A _lot_ of spring. Maybe use small diameter coarse-threaded wing nuts to minimize applied torque, too. Tom Work at your leisure!

[Silvan]

You don't speak computer dork or artist either, I guess. A "gradient" is a smooth transition from one color into another. You can use shades of gold phasing from dark to light in certain ways to produce a fake 3D brass effect.

(To see an example of this, look at the "soundfont" icon (ie the only picture) on this page:

)

As for the rest... Hrm...

Here is a picture of a flugelhorn standing on its bell:

bell is the /____\ thing it's standing on, see... Follow that up until you see a U shaped piece of tubing to the left. The thing I'm trying to cook up needs to attach to that somehow (made out of walnut with brass hardware, preferably) without interfering with the spit valve, and it should provide an extra support foot that reaches down to the floor, so the whole thing looks like

| / \ | / \ | / \ /___\ /__________________________\ [[[[[[[[[[[[[floor]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Ideally this thing should also work on trumpets and cornets. Different tubing diameters, smaller bells, and this U shaped thing on those other instruments is a part that moves in order to tune the instrument, so that action can't be interfered with.

[Australopithecus scobis]

Just put a stick on a board. Put the bell over the stick. Works for the displays of instruments at my favorite music stores. Too wobbly? Make a fitted cone instead of a straight stick.

[Robert Bonomi]

Based on the description(??) supplied, the _purpose_ of this gizmo escapes me.

Two possibilites: 1) something to hold the instrument in a 'convenient to pick up' place and position. 2) something to hold the instrument in a 'ready to be played' position (a la the hands-free neck-brace for a harmonica).

Obviously, the two problems require utterly _different_ solutions.

The 'classical' solution for #1 is something analogous to a mute, but with a wide-footprint tripod base on it, for lateral support. You just place the instrument (bell down) over the 'spike', and let it sit.

If you don't like that, look at how the gizmo for holding band-music (known formally as a lyre) would attach to the instrument. Arrange your gizmo to attach in the same way, at the same point. this automatically ensures that it is out of the way of any/all 'working components'. Heck, I'd _use_ an actual lyre as the basis for the construct, if going that route -- the dimensions, fit, location, etc. *are* standardized -- lotsa different people make that 'accessory' for use with any given instrument.

[Silvan]

Nevermind everybody, nevermind.