Brass Repairs at Dawkes Music

OUR REPAIR SERVICES

We offer a full range of repair services from quick on-the-spot emergency fixes, to full overhauls and customisation work.

Our on-the-spot option allows you to have minor issues solved promptly, often while you wait. The team can diagnose and quote you for any further work that may be required.

Over time piston brass instruments build up corrosion and dirt inside which causes valves to stick, slides to seize and the instrument can become stuffy to play.

We are able to carry out routine internal cleaning as well as involved servicing work which typically means making the valves and slides run as smoothly as possible. We are able to improve, if not totally restore, the profile of almost any dent, and re-solder areas where stays or braces have broken.

Our wide stock of spares allows for replacement of consumable parts such as felts and corks which will help to keep the instrument mechanically quiet and reliable. Depending on your specific requirements we can be flexible within our service suggestions.

A typical piston brass service includes:

• Dismantle and de-grease
• Lap in and clean valves and casings
• Polish slide legs
• Remove accessible dents as best possible
• De-scale slides and valves as necessary
• Internal clean (body, slides and valves)
• Replace valve springs and guides if required
• Re-felt and oil valves
• Grease slides
• Replace water key corks and springs if required
• Test

Prices for piston brass servicing will vary between Trumpet, Tenor Horn, Baritone, Euph or Tuba as well as considering the specific requirements of each individual instrument. We can offer a full external polish of a silver instrument for additional cost. Please enquire for pricing.

French Horn & Rotary Valve Servicing

French Horns often require servicing of the rotary valves, which are enclosed and therefore do not typically receive a lot of home maintenance. The very small bore and sensitive nature of the instrument means clear internal passageways are crucial, and so internal build up can have dramatic effects.

Linkages can become rattly, strings can become weak or loose and bumpers can wear through or go missing. The large, vulnerable bell flare can easily crease if dropped or knocked. We can also add waterkeys if required.

A typical French Horn service includes:

• Disassemble and de-grease
• Disassemble rotors
• Remove accessible dents as best possible
• Lap in rotors
• Polish slide legs
• De-scale rotors as slides as necessary
• Internal clean (body, slides, valves)
• Re-assemble and lubricate rotors
• Re-string rotors (if applicable)
• Replace rotor bumpers
• Replace waterkey corks
• Grease slides
• Test

Prices for French Horn servicing will vary between single, double and number of rotors as well as considering the specific requirements of each individual instrument. We can offer a full external polish of a silver instrument for additional cost. Please enquire for pricing.

Trombone & Slide Servicing

Trombones have unique servicing requirements. The playing slide being vulnerable to dents and bends means that the main goal is to achieve the best slide action possible. It is normal to pick up minor dings, but sometimes disasters can happen causing noticeable and visual distortion of the legs.

A deep, chemical clean and some very specific repair processes allow us to restore playing slides to their silky-smooth best. We are equipped to replace leg tubes where necessary and will always advise on a solution when deeper issues could restrict the end result.

Similarly to other brass instruments services, we can carry out any additional dent work and soldering as necessary according to the requirements of the instrument.

Trombones with rotary valves can become very rattly or 'sticky' over time. Whether they are strung, linkage, Thayer Axial-Flow, Haggman or indeed any other style of rotor - we are equipped and able to renovate them to run smoothly and quietly.

A typical Trombone / Rotor service includes:

• Dismantle and de-grease
• Polish tuning slide legs
• Remove and clean rotor
• Lap-in rotor
• Remove accessible dents from bell and slides as best possible
• Internal clean (body, rotor and tuning slides)
• Re-assemble rotor and lubricate bearings
• Replace bumpers if necessary
• Replace string if applicable
• (Re-string rotor to correct tension and position)
• Grease tuning slides
• Remove dents from outer slide as best possible
• De-scale outer slide
• Clean inner and outer playing slides internally
• Re-align playing slide and remove any bows in legs
• Replace water key cork
• Replace water key spring if necessary
• Test

Prices for Trombone servicing will vary between Alto, Tenor, Bb/F, Bass and below as well as considering the specific requirements of each individual instrument. We can offer a full external polish of a silver instrument for additional cost. Please enquire for pricing.

Refinishing (Lacquer, Silver Plate and Custom Options)

If a well-loved instrument has lost a lot of it's external finish, it can be worth restoring it to its former glory. We can facilitate re-lacquer and re-plating work on all instruments and find this kind of involved work to be exciting and fulfilling. We carry out the initial preparation in our workshop, which involves filing, sanding and polishing the base metal to mirror finish. This requires many hours of skilled dent work, labour and concentration before sending the instrument to our trusted finishing company. Any rotten or very damaged parts would be replaced, as this kind of work gives us an opportunity to make the results long lasting and transformative.

Lacquer is baked on in a kiln and is typically clear in colour, so the base metals of the instrument will create different tones. Depending on the desired end result, the instrument could be restored to original condition or customised with colour tinting or textured finishes. We can offer matte lacquer, as well as black, bright colours or a 'vintage' tint. Combining different finishes on one instrument is also possible, just let us know what look you want to create! Silver or Gold plating is typically a high-gloss finish but a matte lacquer finish on top will create a beautiful satin sheen. It is currently very popular for existing finishes to be stripped, creating a 'raw' brass instrument which is surprisingly inexpensive and can transform the resistance and tone.

Once the instrument has received its new coating, we receive it back and carry out a full, high-quality service as standard. We aim to get the instrument as close to good as new as possible, so will always provide new consumables (bumpers, corks, felts, springs, guides) for an improved feel. We can usually offer an estimation for initial enquiries via e-mail, please get in touch if you'd like to learn more.