CORNU

[P. Clodius Secundus]

Rick,
I dug up a shot of the tuba as well. Not very good detail I'm afraid. There's also another cornu I made that I neglected to mention... It's my paenula brooch, special musician's model.

[Titus Publius Saturninus]

Randi Cannot thank you enough for taking the time and effort to lend your kind assistance this way. Love your pic you look VERA dangerous and narly there matey and it makes me wonder if you got the hot, the cold or the just right porrage. lol

Exactly what I was sort of pondering on that piecemeal technique and I really like what you have done. So did you braze these bits together or? Was even thinking about possibly cannibalizing perhaps old brass lamps. vases of correct shape but some are thick walled and may effect resonance quality not sure.

What I am really after at this point is in building one of those huge buccinae which resound like mastadons in heat. a very clear and stirring demonstration of this type of instrument was witnessed in the closing scene of the 3rd episode of HBOs " ROME" series. Believe it was called "An Owl in a Thornbush"however not really certain how much was the actual instrument and how much the orchestrial background. Very pretty and impressive instruments to be sure.


Another fellow member had refered me to a German website that sells the kits for $68- but even though can sing a few tunes in that tongue I cannot read much of it nor what $68- means exactly.

Randi again I thank you much and the looks like you have done peerless work on your horns. All The very best to you mate!

Cheers,

Rick

[P. Clodius Secundus]

Rick,
When tuned to B-flat like a "regulation" bugle the horn is 49"/124cm long. There are six segements. The bell, 12.5"/32cm of the original horn soldered to what I'll call the outer slider which is 0.65"/17mm outer diameter by 12"/30.5cm long. Inside that unsoldered is a 12"/30.5cm section of 0.625"/16mm tube as the inner slider. Soldered to the inner slider is a 0.60"/15mm section also 12"/30.5cm in length (do you sense a pattern here?). The last two sections, the end tube and the mouthpiece combined are 13"/33cm long. All joints overlap @ 1"/2.5mm. Fully extended the horn is @ 58"/147cm long. Now if I could only figure out what the finger loops attached to the horns on spiral #2b of Trajan's Column were for. They look too short to be lanyards or slings. Any guesses. Maybe the real ones had a sliding section or a mute and that's how they controlled it? Do you have the link for that $68 cornu/buccina kit? My german is rusty too. It's been 17 years since I was stationed there, but I'd like to check them out. If you really want to create your own "thunder-down-under" why not get a trombone or better yet a modern tuba bell and some really big tubing? The next horn I want ot try building is a celtic carnyx. There are some midi/wav files on line of a reconstruction being played. Man, what an eerie, haunting, sound.
Keep me posted on any such projects.
Regards,
Randi R.

[Titus Publius Saturninus]

Randi sir,
Thanks HEAPS and a half for your very concise and VERY much appreciated specs on that Cornu NOW I don't have to go crazy hunt'n all around looking for them!

Here below you'll find the URL for that German Site they seem to have heaps of other good Roman items as well.
Brother Legionaire Lucius Domitius Aurelianus / Patrik Pföstl
had been good enough to give it too me.

http://www.aus-omas-truhe.de/aot2/actio ... m_id-588/R ömer%20-%20Signalhorn%20cornu%20für%20Rom’s%20Legionen,%20ca.%20100%20AD.html

Brass instruments are VERY costly down here so may have to wait until the next annual Cheery Blossom Parade and when I see the Waikato junior high marching band coming I'll just bag the little sucker with the big horn, work him over a little VOILA! Free Tuba! Pretty cool aye? :lol:

Or perhaps evoke one of hannibal's pets to smash one in a local music store so I can get a hefty discount! :wink:

Thanks again for everything Randi it meant a lot to me. You have the finest of weekends sire.

Cheers!

Rick

[A_Volpe]

Actually, why not ask schools in your area for school-grade instruments that have reached the end of thier service, and ask to [buy] one from the school - use that for parts or some such?
(there ought to be a busted horn somewhere after some kid tried the 'ol Pete Townsend move?...Or...the "let's put some gunpowder in this here drumset, that'll be a larf" ?...Er, hope not!)

Over here in the U.S. there is the Salvation Army, where people can donate used clothes, furniture, just about anything, for the needy and...thrifty (since they're also called "Thrift Stores". Is there anything like that in NZ?

What about Pawn Shops?

Also look for scrap metal shops and junkyards, maybe they'll have some tubing and bits?

[Titus Publius Saturninus]

Salve! Andy and as always your post comes with much appreciation from this way.

Good idea schools etc. Everything is worth a go as one will never know until they try. If however I was in the position to fork out the sestartius for even a used horn I would probably be at least very close or better to being able to just buy a Cornu kit. Will call around though and again thanks.

We have a huge scrap metal yard here in Tauranga where I have obtained all my sword steel etc. Got a pretty nice sized brass kick plate for $15-. I have made horns before. Used to restore old Edison morning glorys and Victrolas with the horn speakers which were often missing.

I took some local gum and turned tappered form tools to make the horn configurations and usually a good silver solder will work for the inside seam. Then the flare I just cut as a large circle with a cutout in center with flanges cut in for insertion into main tube then that too gets silver soldered in. Has to be done VERY carefully or it looks just terrible.

We have pawn shops, second hands etc just like anyone else but some have tickets on there items higher in price than the new item from a music shop. In otherwords that route has not yet produced an economical solution. The stuff Just doesn't exist here like it does in the US and when it does it gets grabbed up and people pay top prices.

Thanks heaps again for all.

Cheers!

Rick