Repairing a 100 Year Old French Horn With VERY LOOSE VALVES: #1 Introduction and Diagnosis

This is the first video in the series about inexpensively repairing the very loose rotors on a 100 year old Wunderlich French Horn. In this video, I get started by examining the valves and explaining the problems with them. In future videos, I will repair the valves.
Here is the link to the playlist "French Horn Rotors"
• French Horn Rotors
Here is the link to the playlist "Restoring a Wunderlich French Horn with VERY LOOSE Rotors"
• Restoring a Wunderlich...
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[@aztec11]

Love your videos! I’m excited for the next update

[@piumal100]

Thank you teachers for presenting this video. I'm going to ask you about f hon repairs videos. This video series will be very important. I did the trumpet piston tightening as you taught me earlier and I got very good results. Thanks again. I wish you the knowledge and strength to do more of this.

[@olympicfan2]

Sometimes copper-like discolourations may also occur as copper ions electrochemically deposit on brass (in this case maybe the valves). Anyway, I´m curious to see your approach of repairing it! :)

[@baportabo8156]

Oh another project. I’ll be eagerly waiting for every episode.

[@Markworth]

Wowzers. That horn has been played A LOT. Is that .005" gap all the way around for .010" under?! Oof! I would say that the rotors might be made of some random gold/rose/red brass for improved hardness, but...lol. They are so incredibly worn that they couldn't have ever been particularly hardened.

[@TheBrassandWoodwindShop]

The total gap is .005".

[@urockitony2]

Fascinating diagnosis, doc! Looking forward to the fix.

[@lotsabirds]

A coupla possibilities. It was more likely nickel plated over the copper and brass valves. Silver would tarnish, turn black and wear easily if used on a valve. As you noticed, the pistons were separate pieces brazed together. That was done to individually fit the pistons into the casing and line them up to fit the exact positioning of the hand formed tubing. That allowed the valve to allow or stop airflow.

[@marcelolanglois]

Sos un capo, muy bueno.

[@VideoNash]

thanks

[@TheHornPipeSmokeShop]

So cool

[@nice2yeetyou193]

When the double horn was first coming out they just stacked two valves on top of each other and soldered them like on this instrument

[@andyking894]

This might sound crazy, but if you could get the valve cores to take a bit of solder, and then polish them down a bit in a lathe, they might just tighten up enough, though solder is pretty soft. 🤔

[@davemiller7633]

That does sound like a great idea....but I think it might be difficult to get a thin even coat of solder....

[@lwilton]

@@davemiller7633 Getting a thin even coat of solder should normally not be difficult. You need to clean the base material really well, apply a good coat of flux (the flux coats the material and keeps it from oxidizing when you heat it, and it is oxide that keeps the solder from sticking), then heat evenly and apply the solder. Using a solder pot and rotating the valve in the solder would be the ideal way rather than a torch and bar solder, but either would work. BUT! These are two part valves, and quite possibly soldered. It would be Really Bad if you melted those joints when trying to solder plate the valves, and that is a really good possibility. This is a case where heat is most likely not your friend. There is a secondary problem that solder is very soft and gummy. It would immediately start rubbing off between the valve and casing, and probably start gumming the valves up very badly, possibly locking them in place at some random bad angle, and making a future repair very difficult. I think this is a case where trying some form of plating (silver, nickel, copper, etc) and then polishing that in a lathe might be a better choice. These are much harder and less gummy than solder, so should last much longer.

[@TheBrassandWoodwindShop]

That is a great idea. I will have to think it through and figure out if it will work.

[@TheBrassandWoodwindShop]

That is a very well thought out response to that idea. Thank you.

[@chipbryant758]

Hi, My horn needs work. It has a beautiful tone, and I want to continue playing it. Is there a way to improve compression on a French horn? is this something that you can do if I sent you my horn. I have a King 1159. Thank you, Chip

[@drzoidberg71]

Is there a hole in one of the ports of the Bb/F rotor, or am I imagining things?

[@davemiller7633]

Art! Interesting tidbit....the casings appear to be nickel and not brass!😳😂

[@pauljmeyer1]

Why not replace the valve system with a workable system from a damaged horn?

[@dasteufelhund]

Just want the valves tighter without major work...sounds like someone being cheap. Duct tape it and 4WD. Pack and return