I Destroyed a Trumpet While Trying To Fix a Valve

While trying to repair a trumpet I did far more damage and the valve cluster was destroyed.

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[andreasweber]

Kudos. Real experts are not afraid to admit mistakes.

[xyzlmnop]

Ya win some...ya lose some. Spend your money take your chances. A very noble effort Art!!

[davemiller]

We love and appreciate your honesty! It takes a special person to publicly say they messed something up! And since your actually making it better than before.... you really didn't mess up at all.

[reddogroad]

I am quite impressed with the entire procedure you performed. Your video makes me appreciate how well my trumpet works as well as the finesse with which you worked through the problem. Most of us have experienced similar difficulties.

[maximinotovar]

I'm glad to see that there are still some honest repairmen. Art is truly a man of integrity. May God bless him.

[manracmolactrac]

The entire time you were hammering the mandrel I was tensed up like it was a thriller movie waiting for something awful to happen. Good save all things considered!

[BruceEEvans]

Everybody is good when things go the way they are supposed to go. It's how you handle it when things DON'T go the way they are supposed to go that shows how good you really are. Well done, sir.

[johns]

Two things I really appreciated about this video…your careful analysis of the what the problem may be, and your integrity as a businessman/repair specialist/human being.

[ddistrbd]

I sincerely hope your customers appreciate the amount of workmanship that goes to every repair, good is never cheap.

[mbadley]

It is easy to create a problem with a brass instrument. I tried a ‘home repair’ on a small dent and ended up ruining that horn - never again! Guys like you are wizards. The emotional uplift with successful repairs is priceless.

[perryparsons]

I'm not a brass tech, but at one time bought some cadaver horns to see if I had the touch. I actually had a good selection of tools and mandrels from a shop that had gone out of business, so had the correct equipment. What I learned was this is not a shade tree mechanic type skill and there is a fine, fine line between fixed and trashed.
You did an excellent job explaining the entire process and what went wrong. I agree, while that particular trumpet was not one of Conn's best efforts at a transitional time for the company, it was deserving of your best efforts. In the end, you made it right.

[paulmaglio]

An honest repairman? This restores a little of my faith in humanity.

[grvan]

This video is a great demonstration on how easily things can go wrong with a brass instrument, and also for coming up with a solution.
I had something similar happen recently. I bought a used Bundy cornet that is 30-40 years old as an alternate practice instrument to my trumpet. The valves and slides worked well; it just looked rough. I was removing one of the bottom valve caps when I heard a weird sound. It turned out to be a 3” long crack in the lead pipe. Knowing that a repair would likely require replacing the lead pipe with a cost more than the instrument itself, I ended up wrapping the lead pipe with masking tape to seal the leak. It’s ugly, but it works. 😆
If I buy a replacement I’ll probably donate the cornet for parts.

[Eupher]

Kudos to you for explaining the failure. Stuff happens, but it's always good to acknowledge the issue and learn from it.

[matthewharrelson]

Stuff like this happens from time to time. What really impresses me is that there was no hesitation to make things right. We all can learn a thing or two from this video.

[JohnCooperWilliam]

Thank you for your transparency. I've used the mandrel trick many times. It was hammered into me that you always keep the other valves in so that the other casings don't deform. Same for when you're aligning the bell tail.

[alphabeets]

The honesty here is amazing. Much respect to you.

[MertAltar]

Respect your quality. This video made me realize how well I should take care of my instrument.

[Zallerquad]

I've been fixing horns for 20 years myself and I have never seen one of those middle valve braces break either. That had to be the last trumpet somebody did on a Friday afternoon before an epic weekend.

[alfonsobenitez]

That is what an honest businessman should do. Great video. 👍.