Valve Plating  

            Over time, valves will wear in their casings.  This is due mainly to having vertical play in the valve between the top bearing and the top bearing plate.  When the valve reaches the end of its stroke it wants to continue moving and goes wherever it can, namely up.  Since most valves are tapered within the casing and at the bearings, this leaves a small gap at the bottom of the valve and at the bottom bearing.  This means the valve can move side to side inside the casing which will eventually wear down the lower half of the valve and the bottom and top bearings.  On new instruments this can be avoided by properly seating the top bearing plate and eliminating the vertical play.  On older instruments the likelihood is that the valve has already worn with a marked effect on the Bb side of the instrument since the Bb side is nearly always on the lower half of the valve.  Leaking valves can be tested for by pulling slides without depressing the valve and listening for any signs of compression (the sound of the vacuum created when pulling the slide without depressing the valve).  Also the high register will be quite difficult to produce (since the high register utilizes the Bb side).  If these symptoms are experienced, and the value of the horn warrants it, the valves should be rebuilt. 

             Valve Rebuilding is an extensive procedure that is quite labor intensive but yields a horn that plays like new, and is, in most cases, more cost effective than buying a new instrument.  The current rate for rebuilding valves is $250 per valve.  Since the process and time needed for the procedure are the same for all valves this price applies to single, double, and triple rotary valves, piston valves, or any other valve type.  Click on the pictures below to see the process from start to finish.

The valves are great!  There is a noticeable improvement in the Horn's playability, and I'm quite happy with it.

-Gary Fordham, Cherry Valley, IL, Reynolds Contempora