crowmadic

I have a vintage horn with a lot of valve leakage. Who do YALLL recommend to fix this problem?

rowuk

It depends on how worn "worn" is. If there is enough material left on the valve sleeve, replating is safe. If they are worn (like my 1911 Holton long cornet) so badly that they cannot be relapped into the casing, a new valve block may be the only "economical" choice. The horn is then no longer "original". It may be cheaper to find another horn..................

My grandfather used spit on the Holton instead of valve oil to keep the valves lubricated. Oil has 2 purposes: to keep the valves easy to move AND to keep the wear down. Spit kept the valves moving but did not do a good job of protecting against wear................

crowmadic

rowuk,
I'm turning into a collector, and think this horn might be worth repairing. I was hoping someone knew of a good person in Florida to do replating and lapping. I think I'll do a thread with the word Florida in it.

Dale Proctor

You should find a good shop to do the prep and final fitting, but most every shop will send the valves to Anderson's for the plating work. Make sure you want to dump $250-$300 into it, though. Unless it's a pro-level classic or has sentimental value, you could be wasting your money.

crowmadic

Dale,
As soon as I buy a cheap digital camera I'm going to put a picture of this horn on the forum. Not just to see if it's a "pro leval horn," but because there's been a question as to if it is a combo Bb/C horn. I think I'll hold onto my money until I get some further knowledge about this horn.