Mirafone thumb ring and nut

[prodigal]

Hi, Does anyone have a Mirafone thumb ring and nut for sale. A kid broke the one off the school 186 BBb! I'll have to remove the broken screw then replace it.

Kids these days

[tubatodd]

@bloke didn't you have one of these posted on Facebook not too long ago? Not sure if you still have it.

[bloke]

I was down to one, but it's committed to an 86 that someone brought up here from Florida to be slicked out.
Typically, I don't act as a parts house. It cost a lot to ship from Miraphone, so I try to buy what I think I'll need to use here in my shop, other than particular things that they are offering as closeouts (typically, Christian will tell me that he has found something long discontinued, and asks me if I am interested in them, etc.) that I think people might be able to use. Otherwise, there are a couple of Miraphone parts jobbers in the United States that charge even people such as myself more than twice what Miraphone charges for parts, so I tend to hold on to what I have.

That European whatchamacallit website sells them (Miraphone-looking adjustable thumb rings)..Thomann.
...?? ...or is it spelled with four or five n's...??
If everything's there (nothing missing) but just busted, I'm thinking it's a 4mm thread. The broken off screw can easily be extracted from the flange with the threaded nut, and a 4mm screw can be silver braised onto the bottom of the ring again with a 4mm plain old nut (or knurled nut) acting as the lock nut..

I feel confident that eBay and McMaster both have a 4 mm brass screw as well as a 4 mm knurled nut.

As far as posting one for sale on facebook, I just don't believe that was me.

[arpthark]

I recently bought one from the Horn Guys for like $50.

[prodigal]

I think it is 4mm. Mine broke one Sunday afternoon in college, and my Dad and I drilled a new thread through it and epoxied a screw through the ring. A little locktite blue and all was saved.

The problem is that the ring is missing! If they would have held on to it, we'd be fine.

I'll keep my eyes peeled.

I've often dreamed about buying a warehouse and opening a musical instrument junkyard.

[bloke]

knurled nut is $5 here:

https://hornguys.com/products/miraphone-tuba-parts

Maybe they would mail it for c. $5 (USPS Ground Saver)...??

[prodigal]

YAY: I found the thumb ring. Now I just need to extract the broken screw and drill through the ring for a new 4mm screw. I'm guessing its a standard thread? I have some fine thread screws for the sights on some Finnish boom sticks.

[prodigal]

bloke:

Could I silver solder the broken brass screw back onto the thumb ring? That's not what I did with my 1999 S-186 CC back in the day, but I also had my uncle the plumber from across the street (also a trombonist) to help.

[bloke]

bloke:

Could I silver solder the broken brass screw back onto the thumb ring? That's not what I did with my 1999 S-186 CC back in the day, but I also had my uncle the plumber from across the street (also a trombonist) to help.

I didn't understand what was exactly wrong...

If the female threaded stand is partially torn from the teardrop shaped nickel flange that solders to the bell, what I might be tempted to do would be to use a dent hammer on the back side of that flange, line the metal all back up, and (after removing the lead solder from the back) silver braze the crack back together with the flange suspended between two vice jaws and hanging upside down.

And I'm probably still not advising you on what you really need done... No pictures... I don't believe I would have glued the finger ring back to the male threads. I'm pretty sure I would have silver soldered that...

[prodigal]

I can't post picture yet, but here is what I'm doing.

I removed the broken screw from the female threaded stand. I took this and the knurled lock nut on a field trip to Tractor Supply on the way back home last night. The thread for the screw is M5-.80. I bought a pack of 16mm pan head phillips machine screws and will chuck the thumb ring in the drill press here at school and bore out a 5mm hole where it was brazed on. Insert machine screw through new hole in thumb ring (Locktite red if needed, or epoxy if needed) Put locknut on machine screw and screw it back into Mirafone 186 BBb. And I might use a little locktite blue just to keep stuff in place....

This is what we did for my TE-186 CC when this happened to me about 20 years ago.

[opus37]

I have one if you want it. How about $30 including shipping.