TromboneChat

I acquired a satin silver 1935 Conn 70H last summer. I had a good local tech give it a cleaning, slide alignment, and such, then I put it in the box until recently. Didn't do much over the COVID stuff this spring and summer but am now starting to put some time on it. Open horn plays nicely, valve not so much.

I am afraid that the valve is close to shot. It is not sealing well. I don't want this to become a should I upgrade or cut the horn up ( I really don't want too), I am just looking for options on what can be done.

Thanks;

I'm sure there are options on new rotors you could replace it with. Not fancy ones but similar to stock.

Many years ago, before there were all sorts of after-market valves available, people would have the valve core replated and then lapped to fit. Sometimes, the valve casing would also be plated. If you want to keep the horn in its “original” condition, this might be an option.

I’m sure that the techs here can offer other ideas.

There are a few companies that rebuild rotors; usually French horn specialists. Osmun Music (www.osmun.com) comes to mind, as does Ken Pope (www.poperepair.com).

From Osmun's website:

Rotary Valve Rebuild: Rebuild and refit of each rotor valve of a french horn. Includes honing of casings, build up of the existing rotors, heavy nickel plate finish, all bearing (mechanical) work, new valve stops, strings, and springs. A full chemical/Ultrasonic cleaning is included with this service.

It'd probably run you $300-$400.

^This.

If you want to maintain the integrity of the horn, you can have the rotor core plated in a thin layer of metal like nickel or copper, and then lapped to fit tight into the rotor housing again. Not a job for the casual tech, but a good repair place should be able to do it. And it doesn’t require any cutting or dismantling of solder joints.

Option B is order a new valve from someplace like instrument innovations or similar, and have the valve section rebuilt.

First off, put some heavy oil...really heavy oil...into the rotor through the tubes and on the bearings... it will be very sluggish indeed but will give you a chance to assess how the horn would be with a good valve and if it is worth investing in. If you like it, have the valve rebuilt....aftermarket valves give varying results on the 70H.

Chris

Listen to Chris. Best advice by far in the thread.

I have a horn with a J bend which had super leaky valves. I replaced the valves with Olsen rotors and while the horn plays great and actually seals the horn does play quite a bit different than it did before. If I had to do it all over again I probably wouldn't have used the larger Olsen valves. Maybe Rotax or had my old valves replated instead.

Food for thought!