ATKINSON BRASS AND COMPANY - Customization, Restoration and Repair

Many hornist want their horn to play better. Be it an old Geyer, Schmidt, Conn 8-D, Holton or Kruspe. Often times, this can be accomplished with different bell flares. The acoustical changes can lead to a better high, middle or low registers. Another befefit is a richer more pleasing sound and better staccato's and legato's. Many other acoustic options can be done also. The player must decide where they want to go acoustically. Always be more accommodating to your weakness. For many players who want to improve their horn without changing. This is the way to go.

Custom Repair Conversion Package #1:

Install Atkinson mouthpipe w/waterkey

Rebuild main and bottom F slides with cryo treatment

Refit curved tube to change valve

Add nickel-silver miracle disk

Labor Included

      Price: Call for Details

Ultimate Conversion Package #2:

Includes Conversion Package #1 Plus

New First Branch in one-piece

Stripping old Lacquer

All mounting and Labor

      Price: Call for Details

Valve levers in lever bracket	"Levers are carefully bent. The spatula ( where your fingers rest ) are a little wider than most other manufactures horns to give you a more comfortable feel."
Solder screw bell ring	"Careful soldering of the screw bell ring is absolutely necessary to achieve an exact cut and a great fit!"
Box of valve rotors	"We have a large capacity for making rotors. Here you see rotors ready to be heard."

Repair services available:

1. Chemical Cleaning:
Job includes taking the horn apart, chemical cleaning of lime deposit and any foreign matter, re-assembly and test playing. New string, cork and springs are installed.
   Price: $225.00 ( Double Horn )


2. Valve Service:
Job includes removing and cleaning valves, machining top bearing to remove vertical play and swaging bottom bearing to remove horizontal play. New corks, string, and strings are installed.
   Price: $80.00 per valve

Note: This vertical and horizontal play causes the valves to clank or make noise. After removing this play your valves should be much quieter and smoother.
3. Screw Bell Conversion:
Your bell is disassembled and if necessary is rounded at the point of cutting. This is important for older horns that have elliptical bells. The bell ring is installed using our own rings ( compatible with Alexander and Lawson ) and the precision cut is made. After installation your bell is polished and reassembled. If necessary spot lacquering is done for cosmetic appearance.
   Price : $525.00 un lacquered horn
               $595.00 lacquered horn

Why should you cut your Bell?

Here are the most common reasons as to why you should cut your bell.

• The bell ring reinforces the thin area of your bell throat and helps to prevent damage to your flare.
• The convenience of carrying your horn in a case that can fit in any plane during travel.
• The ability to try different bell flares to create different tonal effects and colors.

Options:

Detachable Screw Bell Case similar to Marcus Bona ( see horn cases)
   Price: Call for Details

Atkinson Large and Extra Large Bell Flares in nickel or brass (see bell flares)
   Price: Call for Details

4. Valve Plating and rebuilding:
After many years of playing and especially with poor lubrication, your valves will become out of round or elliptical. This causes the horn to leak air and therefore makes the horn player work harder for the same volume of sound. At this point in a horns life there is no choice but to do a complete replating and overhaul of your valves. After valve replating and repair is complete your horns valves should be like new or even better and you as a player will get more sound with less energy.We have done over 700 valve replating jobs in 36 years.

Valve Plating and Repair includes the following:

• Disassemble of valves and slides and levers
• Steel stamping number's (1, 2, 3 and 4 ) on all levers, valve caps, top bearing, rotors, stop arms and stop plates.
• Cleaning and degreasing of valve rotors, horn body and slides.
• All plating necessary to rebuild your valves to new condition or better. All valves are hand lapped to exact tolerance.
• Removal of all vertical and horizontal end play.
• Cleaning and degreasing again of horn body and slides.
• Careful assemble of valves.
• New corks, stings and springs are installed.
• Test play 4 octaves.
• Results are quiet, smooth, fast and tight valves.

   Price: $199.00 per valve

5. Mouthpipe installation
   Price: $125.00
6. Amado water key installed
   Price: $45.00
7. Lacquer double horn
   Price: $695.00
8. Change Conn 8-D mechanical to string
   Price: Call for Details

Two rotors	" If your rotors are beyond repair, then have us make new rotors. Rotors are fitted to a tolerance of .0002--- Two tenths of one thousands. That's really tight!!"
Cutting bronze material for screw bell ring	"The cutting of bronze material for precision screw bell rings."
Cutting inside taper of screw bell ring	" Presion cutting of the inside taper for screw bell rings. The inside taper should be exact and a perfect taper match to your bell."
Lapping of valve rotor	" Meticulous fitting and lapping of the valve rotor is essential to great valve action."

" A love of old and rare Horns".

This phrase is particularly true of the love that American hornist have for rare horns that have beloved acoustic qualifies. Restoration is the art that can as much as possible return an old horn to it's original manufactured condition. During the life of one´s horn all areas that are moved ( slides and valve rotors etc.) or touched ( Bell, first branch & mouthpipe etc.) will wear out. In considering restoration the player must decide on two main points which are the financial cost and also how the horn will resemble its original condition both cosmetically and acoustically.

Cosmetics and acoustics:

On many old horns the slides are completely worn out or tapered. There fore it is necessary to remove all the outer tubes from the horn body and also the inner tubes from the valve slides. After removal, new inner and outer slides are fitted to the restoration horn keeping the exact slide centerlines that the original manufacture used. Any special decorative ferrules ( used at the end of the outer tubes ) are carefully reproduced. Any and all slide crooks are replaced using the same identical new part. ( exact centerlines and diameters again ). Any and all branches are replaced using identical new parts.

At Atkinson Brass we have new molds that duplicate the exact branches used on Geyer and Kruspe horns. Without these expensive new molds it is impossible to make duplicate new parts used on these old horns. Especially the 5th and 6th branches on old Kruspe horns. We have also made new molds for the two difficult Geyer branches that connect the thumb valve branch to the F tuning slide and the first valve branch that connects to the F tuning slide (all one piece). It is by far better to duplicate and replace the part exactly as the manufacture intended than to repair the part with ugly soldered patches. Patches inhibit the acoustic performance of a branch and obviously do not contribute to the cosmetic beauty of a horn.

Bell condition is another consideration. To acoustically restore the horn your bell must be in acceptable condition. The bell must have enough metal left to give you years of playing enjoyment. If your bell does not have the metal left for either acoustic and cosmetic satisfaction then you must choose a bell that you consider its closest equal or better to replace your worn out bell. At Atkinson Brass we make Bells, First branches and mouthpipes that can be used to restore your horn to it's original condition as possible.

Rotor condition: is another consideration. Most old Geyer's, Schmidt's, Conn's and Kruspe's etc. have severely worn valve rotors. As this point of age it is necessary to rebuild your rotors using traditional plating techniques (see rotor repair) which can be very effective or install new rotors in the horn that are made to original manufactures specifications.

Since Atkinson Brass manufactures horns we have the special machinery that can make rotors to any manufactures specs. This duplication includes length, diameters, port size and counter bores etc. Sometimes it is necessary to replace the worn outside valve casings as well. If this happens we can duplicate these casings exactly both acoustically and cosmetically including threading and knurling. We have named just a few specialties that we possess in restoring old rare horns. Indeed there are too many advantages as to why you should have us do your restoration to list. Our company has done hundreds of rare and older model horns. However if one had to list the largest advantage as to why you should do your restoration with us it would be that like you we also love these old horns and in our family we own Geyer's, Knopf's, Kruspe's, Schmidt's and old Conn 8-D's. They are after all ones first love.

Horn body with original style Kruspe 5th and 6th branches	"This picture is of an A102B horn body in progress. Notice that this horn has the old style Kruspe 5th and 6th branches that are no longer made except by us. Many old Kruspe's need these branches replaced and with our new original branch's we can replace your old worn out branches with new branches and everyone will think they are original."
Machining taper of valve rotor	" Rotors are machined or ground to exact tolerances to give the player smooth an dependable valve action."