In Depth French Horn Dent Techniques, band instrument repair, Wes Lee Music Repair

In this video, we take a deep dive into metalwork on fragile French Horns. Topics include: setting up work, burnishing, hollow tapping, use of synthetic and steel hammers, hammer positions, using leverage and much more.
Thanks for watching.

[@georgH]

Not only you're a top notch professional repairman, you also are a great teacher, and excellent video maker! Impressive!!!

[@Meister1551]

As a life long professional Trombone player I can say with certainty, that you are among the best repair techs I've ever come across. However, you are also a magnificent teacher. I was glued to the entire video watching how you transformed a really damaged French Horn into an instrument that can be played again. Bravo!!

[@bobmeyer7009]

Very gratifying to see a skilled crafsman at work. It's like magic.

[@levidobbin5654]

Hey Wes, I'm a sheet metal worker in the construction side - you do art, man. Thanks for making these videos.

[@kristimiller-lee2338]

As a 3/4 tech working with you, I can attest that the strength of forearms to do this is more than what a viewer can see in any video.

[@theoldbigmoose]

Even though I am not in your field, one ALWAYS learns when sitting at the feet of a True Master. To watch your confident, practiced, and refined motions is poetry in motion. You sir are a wonder of the metal working craft!

[@jrg1127]

Great work! I had 2269 horns like that at one of my middle schools and it hurt my heart to see that damage! One of my kids played a 2269 for three years in MS, and a number of years later I pulled out "her horn" and played it at her wedding!

[@courier11sec]

I am always mesmerized with your videos. Extremely delicate work with extremely difficult accessibility and materials that are so hard to work with. I'm very grateful for your willingness to share your knowledge.

[@thomasewing2656]

I like to visualize the sound wave leaving the embouchure as a smooth ring, very round. Any change in direction or shape of the passage affects the quality of the final sound. An uneven tube cannot make an even, melodious tone. Your attention to the smallest nuance of shape is a great credit to your skill. If a very tiny camera were to travel the path of the soundwave after your repair, there would be no bumps, dents, or washboard effect! Congratulations! Tonal purity!

[@dnixon8767]

Amazing results. It's obviously the results of knowledge, patience and decades of experience.

[@BruceBoschek]

The camera above is really genius! We can see the dent or crease disappearing, just as you can while working the metal. Thank you for another enlightening lesson. It is of immeasurable value to listen to your explanation, remembering always that you have years of experience that you cannot pass on, but that we must accrue ourselves. Best regards from Germany.

[@thefid89]

Glad your back! I started studying repair two years ago and your videos have been a great inspiration!

[@bobburrier6560]

Nice camera angles and lighting to really see the dents being worked on. Thanks!

[@derschwartzadder]

Good point on the lighting. I'd be in tested in seeing what his setup is. Lighting shiny stuff is no joke.

[@guataco]

You deserve more than a million subscribers.

[@meistudiony]

Welcome back! Great video as always. Hammer technique is next level.

[@djasge3893]

Great to see you back again on yt, thanks as always. I’ve been on the struggle bus with an old Couesnon Baritone sax, this is the inspiration I need to get back to it. Patience and some great ideas to work out some of the issues deep in the bow. All the best

[@guidotrubenbach-saxman2524]

Incredible job ! Great ! Greetings from a german Sax player ..

[@disturbedmaynard3873]

It is always very interesting to see what you have to do to get a horn smoothed out. And I learn something that once in a while, I can use when I am working on something dented.

[@65charliemopic]

I'm always astounded at the abuse these instruments take I'm even more astounded at the craftsmanship of Wes in preparing these instruments.

[@maritzaortiz6185]

Me encanta ver sus enseñanzas❤

[@davidwood351]

Good quality work, Wes. Thanks for the video.

[@shubus]

Welcome back, Wes!

[@TheWrena440]

Damn, son! btw, the shop looks awesome.

[@leslieq958]

congrats on 30 years.

[@train5041]

That’s an amazing apron you have there!

[@Idelia412]

I collect early phonographs with horns. I had a guy like you that took all the bad dents out of two horns that were used by a Duplex Phonograph. The outer brass bells were badly dented. Now I know how the dents were removed by watching your videos.

[@alphabeets]

Remarkable work!

[@golfprochen]

Amazing work!

[@こにゃん-h4h]

すごい技術ですね。あれだけ凹んだホルンが復活してる。

[@phooesnax]

Great work.

[@АлексейРогозин-ш1ю]

Отличная работа ❤привет из Москвы ❤❤❤

[@flmoose1]

Love this video! Makes me want to try to fix my trumpet. Of course, it'd be much better to leave it to the pros

[@ydonl]

I love your videos, even though I don’t do this specific kind of work! I’ll be honest - I felt a little short-changed with the drawings of the shapes. I picked up some of what you were saying / showing, but some of it was still a little confusing. I have a feeling… if you had time to put into some drawings, really juice them up, they might be super helpful. Something like “If we push this up, that goes with it.” Or “Were pulling metal from over here to over there.” Things that are second nature to you! Maybe it’s just me - I like drawings. And I definitely don’t want to try to tell you how to spend your time!!! Keep up the keepin’ on, brother. Thanks for what you do.

[@casualtubeviews]

Hi Wes, thank you for the content you produce. It's stuff we could never have dreamed about seeing on TV years ago. I've a question please? I've seen many videos where you perform reshaping but I don't think I've seen the instruments cosmetically reconditioned with stripping, polishing and re-lacquering. Do people not bother with the cost or is it considered that fixing the shape is fixing the instrument? Thanks again

[@StringDriver]

How do fine instruments get so dented??

[@armorer94]

When you do these repairs are there ever any concerns about work-hardening affecting the instrument?

[@rdrodriguez05]

@wesleemusicrepair9820 Great video! Question: what kind of gloves are you wearing? Those look like what I need.

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

Venom steel

[@SkylerinAmarillo]

Fascinating. I still can’t fathom how anyone can put that much damage in a horn.

[@derschwartzadder]

they're surprisingly thin. I was shocked how thin.

[@ydonl]

Try being twelve years old and… school property. :-)

[@jrg1127]

@@ydonl I told my middle schoolers "This is OUR budget for instruments. Would you rather spend OUR budget fixing things you break or buying more instruments to play?" I never had a kid damage a horn like that.

[@ydonl]

@@jrg1127 Wisely done, sir! Insightful.

[@DemnRaig80]

Damn I missed you man

[@rickrasmussen5637]

Does the sound pitch from the hammers on the metal play a part in your decisions? At about the 23:00 mark, I noticed the sound pitch from your hammer was different from one side of the dent to the other. Just curious. I really enjoy your videos. God Bless.

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

At the 23min mark I switched to using a synthetic head hammer so a different sound. But if the bell flare is faced away from me it will have more ring than if bell flare is facing me. Typically I will try to muffle the ring as much as I can to preserve my hearing. But in this case, there are multiple styles of hammers used.

[@peeemm2032]

That horn was munched - I'm amazed by the transformation. You do great work! Just had a question, if I may - do you need to worry about stretching the metal when you're using the dent ball, or is it not really an issue?

[@beru58]

Just thinking: would it help to have a laser pointer up high pointing at the dent ball? Then you would know where the dent ball is without having to apply any pressure. Just look for the red spot.

[@KandiKlover]

I miss when we used to get to see you clean it and give it a final polish too.

[@kthwkr]

I especially enjoy you getting dents out of brass. It's starts out looking impossible to me and it ends up perfect.

[@ShainAndrews]

I really dislike the french horn. Doesn't' mean I'm going to beat one down like that. WTH. Top shelf work as always Wes.

[@OnlyTheEd]

On Saturday, during the Rodeo parade in Fort Madison, I saw what looked like either a trumpet or a coronet, but the bell was the size of one for a trombone....would you be so kind as to explain what the name of that instrument is? Also, during the same parade, possibly a different band, I saw a trombone that was colored red, possibly a coating over the brass, as some brass was showing through....I'm thinking that was a very used instrument. Thank you for your time in reading this. ✌

[@peeemm2032]

I see you don't have an answer, so am jumping to help. I think the instrument you're talking about is a flugelhorn - similar to trumpet and cornet, but with a big, wide bell, and a soft, warm sound - Chuck Mangione used one on "Feels So Good" Also these days, you can get all sorts of coloured lacquer on brass instruments these days - red, purple, blue etc, and not just the clear or lightly tinted lacquer that was the norm when I was a kid....

[@bgclarinet]

How do you feel about delrin dent hammers/chasers vs metal? I don’t own any dent hammers and I see that Allied has steel hammers, but what they simply label as “dent hammers” have delrin faces.

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

I have and use both Allied plastic hammers and Ferrees. I have JL Smith ones as well but I don't know if they are still available

[@glennsoucy9767]

Everything about this scream school band loaner!!!

[@voicesoftheoutworld3617]

I'm wondering how long it's been since you've had a dent fold on you .

[@thiansoysa6731]

Sorry my question is not about this video. What type of glue do you use to stick the cork sheet?

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

Contact cement

[@thiansoysa6731]

@@wesleemusicrepair9820 There are many types of glue of that type. Can you tell me the name of the type suitable for cork sheet.Is there a number or name to find it?

[@ms-mac521]

👍👍👍

[@notj5712]

What do you do, or what can be done about restoring or redoing the lacquer after a repair?

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

Strip it and relacquer, that’s an overhaul.

[@erniearruda8861]

@@notj5712 if it’s your personal horn that you played for many years, and you wanted relaquered , I can guarantee you won’t like the outcome of the sound of your horn. The process is it has to be stripped of old finish,dents removed if needed,sanding scratches and gauges out , buff to a mirror like finish and final a coat of clear epoxy lacquer. Most repair techs will talk you out of that concept.its a lot of work for the price and it’s not that much(about a third of the cost of a brand new quality horn). I know I’ve been a technician here in Southern Ontario Canada for almost 35 years.Most of refinishing is better done on old thick brass ,sousaphone,tubas and euphoniums like conn,bosey and Hawkes, Besson ,Yorks,Bueschers,Holtons that was made with thicker brass.

[@thiagocosta6255]

I was already worried about your absence, it's been a long 4 months without your presence on this site, I've learned a lot from your videos and I really admire your work ✋🏾🥸

[@CNCHobbyistGregory]

I wish there was a backstory of how these instruments got damage. Dropped off a truck, or dropped during a parade. Other than that. I applaud your skills.

[@alphabeets]

I’m curious if anybody knows if bending the metal so many times with the dents going in and dents coming out affects the response of the horn in anyway positive or negative. Any comments?

[@peterlosangelos4108]

HOW does this dent history affect the sound of the horn?

[@erniearruda8861]

Hey Wes your fingers looks like mine😆😆😂

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

Ha! Great to hear from you. Hope y’all are well!

[@erniearruda8861]

@@wesleemusicrepair9820 doing good,besides pulling my left bicep on lifting my tuba up and over.taking it easy on recovery 😎👍🏻

[@StringDriver]

I notice that, with the vise-stand you have and the way it’s attached, a fair amount of the energy you are putting into the repair work, is being lost on the movement of the stem of the vise-stand. Maybe that’s intentional… maybe a hard, more-rigid mount is not an advantage? You’re clearly an expert, so I’m truly just asking. 👍🏻 🎺

[@mrackerm5879]

What about the business end of the business? How much does it cost to repair an abused Tuba and when is it no longer cost effective to repair?

[@donaldparlett7708]

The final lesson is “TAKE CARE OF YOUR INSTRUMENT!”

[@malliz1]

Looks like you lost some weight mate you must be working long hours

[@kristimiller-lee2338]

A change in food choices for both of us and a daily walk before shop time.

[@JonathanJJJ]

Crinklebell

Sorry to burst your bubble, but your grease is not only petroleum based (Vaseline), but it contains Teflon! LOL. Dude!

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

From Super Lube: Super Lube Synthetic Greases: These are multi-purpose, patented synthetic lubricants that are food grade, dielectric, and clean. They are made with Syncolon particles that are suspended in a base lubricant. Super Lube Synthetic Greases are said to outperform conventional petroleum-based greases and oils. Super Lube Silicone Lubricating Grease: This grease does not contain petroleum

That’s cool, unfortunately, it’s still petroleum based. All synthetic oils and greases are made from petroleum. Mineral oil, petrolatum, etc, are from petroleum although they are food safe.

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

You will have to take that up with them. The MSDS does not list and what I posted is from the website. You will have to take the beef up with them. All the packaging and labeling says no petroleum products

I understand what you are saying. The MSDS doesn’t list any specific ingredients (besides Teflon) and neither does the label. My point is that it’s synthetic grease-that is grease that is synthesized FROM petroleum or other hydrocarbons. The claim the manufacturer makes is that this grease is not containing silicone and that it “outperforms” petroleum based grease. The base oils they use to synthesize this grease are most assuredly made from petroleum. It’s not a big deal, it’s just a misunderstanding about what synthetic oils and greases are and the meaning of “food safe”. You can eat some petroleum products every day and it’s perfectly fine, but I wouldn’t. Thanks

[@peeemm2032]

Lots of things are synthesized from petroleum products, dude - including drugs, food colours and flavours etc., which most people are probably eating all the time. Plus he's not eating it anyway, so it doesn't really matter....

[@cmans79tr7]

Someone else mentioned this effect also, but I noticed it at 17:27. Your hammer hits went from dull thunks to like a bell ringing. Ooops! Did I just give away a Trade secret?🫢

[@lwilton]

Tubular bells ring because they are evenly round, and the vibrational energy will transfer evenly from one side to the other and back. If there are strange shapes, if it is not round, then the energy does not transfer evenly. It dissipates into the bulges and crevasses. So, hearing the sound go from dull to a purer tone should indicate that you are getting the tube back round, with the creases and bulges gone.

[@wesleemusicrepair9820]

All depends on how I’m holding. Whether bell is facing me or away, if facing me I try to muffle. I was also using different styles of hammers and they make different sounds