Posted by Dan Schultz on December 23, 2001 at 10:01:17:
In Reply to: Leaky Valves posted by Nick on December 23, 2001 at 01:28:34:
Have you indeed pinned the problem down to leaky valves? I have experienced other types of leaks to cause intonation problems. How difficult it is to fix your leaky valves is more-or-less dependant on how worn they are. In a lot of cases, you can have the pistons replated without having to do major work on the casings. The very best thing to do is take your horn to a good repairman and shell out $250-500 depending of how extensive the work is. You may be lucky enough to be able to have the pistons replated back to the original size or just a tad larger. Anderson's Plating in Elkhart does this by building up copper plating, grinding to size, and then plating with nickel. You'll have to take some precision measurements to see if the casings are worn or tapered. Having the pistons brought back up to size is no big deal but straightening out the casings requires special tools and a good deal of know-how. I've rebuilt two of my horns and am working on a third with great success. Hint... front action horns and sousas are a lot easier to work on that top action valvesets. If you do not need extensive work on the pistons, simple replating will cost you about $40 each.