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View Full Version : A better way to block of mac valves



captslappy
02-09-2006, 10:18 PM
As most of you know some of the ports aren't used on the Mac valve banks. Examples are things like Dook's ears, the eyes which are spring loaded and the occasional other movement. Also sometimes an entire movement isn't used like on the props bank which has 2 extra movements that don't get used.

Typically when a valve is blocked off a plug is screwed in where the air nozzel would go. But sometimes it is necassary to add plugs to your valves. Given that these things were screwed in 20 years ago and they were done pretty tight it is often difficult to be able to get them to budge.

Looneybird 78 recently asked me to get him some plugs for some movements he needed to block off. They aren't expensive but unless you have the strength of Hercules it is just really hard to get the piece orginally screwed in out.

I am not using the bass drum foot movement or hihat foot on my Dook for now mainly because the bass drum pedal and original hi-hat are missing. I'm using other off the shelf drum stands for now. Rather than block off the movement on the bank itself, I unscrewed the airline barb on the quick disconnect and screwed in a plug there. It works every bit as good and is 100 times easier to deal with. The quick disconnect thread size is 10/32. You can get a bag of 10 plugs from clippard part #11755-NP with gaskets. Its a cheap and easy alternative to doing it at the bank itself and trying to fight turning those nozzles out.

RodHouTx
02-13-2006, 01:59 AM
That is an excellent idea!
Though turning the flow control around in the other direction and closing it works pretty good too :-) [I looked today, and looney's hands and munch jr were done this way.] Though, I may get some plugs and do it the way you mentioned so I can recycle that hardware.

On Chuck E, the "Earl" air lines are plugged inside the character with plastic splices (air line in one end, plastic plug in the other end). I think the splices may have been put in during the 'Liberty' days so you could remove his arm.

captslappy
02-13-2006, 11:24 AM
Thats another great idea I had not considered. The airline block off was done different ways on CU. A lot of times the airline was folded over on itself and zip tied. I have used this method before and its everybit as good as the others we have discussed if done right. On Pasqually Dook's ear cylinders were often left dangling inside the mech but attached.