Brass Instrument Repair
French Horn Repair in Buffalo, NY
Brass Monkey Music in Buffalo, NY repairs French horns of all levels. Common services include broken-solder repair, ultrasonic cleaning of rotary valves, rotor string replacement, valve alignment, stop-arm bumper replacement, and dent removal in tight-radius tubing.
Broken solder joints
One of the most common reasons a French horn comes into the shop is for broken solder joints. They can be challenging to find given the meandering maze of slide tubing. A buzzing sound while playing is a good indication that somewhere on the horn a solder joint has broken. Once located, we carefully solder it back together — leaving no burnt lacquer or blobs of solder.
Sluggish or sticky rotors
Sluggish or sticky rotary valves are a common problem for French horns. Over time, oils within the rotor dissipate, and the acidity in moist air causes corrosion to form on the surface of the valve and casing. An ultrasonic cleaning is the best solution and leaves your valves clean, smooth, and spinning freely.
Rotor strings, alignment, and stop-arm bumpers
Rotary valves on French horns are typically actuated by string. These strings can dry-rot, fray, or loosen, causing a catch in the finger lever. We replace any rotor strings that show signs of wear and level the finger levers so they look straight and feel comfortable. We also check valve alignment by lining up witness marks on the back of the bearing plate and cutting rubber stop-arm bumpers to fit precisely. We offer cork, rubber, silicone, and synthetic foam stop-arm bumpers to match different player preferences.
Dent removal in tight tubing
Dents on a French horn are challenging in their own way. The tight radius and small diameter of tubing make some dents very hard to reach. Occasionally, parts of the horn need to be unsoldered just to access them. Brass Monkey Music has the skills and finesse to remove hard-to-reach dents and reassemble the horn so it looks as though nothing ever happened. Call 716-213-7423.