Showing the Wind Instrument Repair Process - Fixing Stuck Rotary Valves

Hello everyone! I’m Makino from the Wind Instrument Team. Many of you might be curious about what goes on during wind instrument repairs. Today, I’ll show you the repair process for a PLAYTECH PTHR300 horn that came in for repair service.

The issue with this horn is that the 2nd and 3rd rotary valves are stuck and won’t move.

The exterior looks clean and in good condition. However, when attempting to move the levers, the 2nd and 3rd levers don’t budge, and the rotaries don’t move at all. They are completely stuck. Forcing them can cause the levers to bend, so the only option is to disassemble and adjust them. Let’s see what’s happening inside.

Before removing the rotary valves, it’s crucial to wrap a cloth around the grip area. This is important for the next step of removing the rotary valves.

First, I removed the screws from the back. After removing the screws and taking off the red-circled part from the rotary axis…

The arm was pulled in the direction of the red arrow by the spring attached to the lever! If I hadn’t wrapped the grip with a cloth, the mouthpipe would have gotten scratched or dented. This is why you have to wrap the grip with a cloth.

The rotary valves were fixed by the red-circled part fitting perfectly into the casing, so they could be removed by tapping it from the back.

Let’s remove the valve and see inside. There is less dirt than expected, but it seems like there’s not enough oil applied.

Checking the casing side, it’s not very dirty either, but it also lacks oil.

I cleaned the rotary valve and the casing. After applying oil and fitting the rotary valve back in, it rotated without any problems! I reassembled it in reverse order and applied oil to the 1st and 4th rotary valves, making sure that all four rotary valves work properly.

Finally, I thoroughly cleaned it and sent it back to the customer, hoping it would produce beautiful sounds again.

Conclusion

I’ve shared a glimpse of what goes on in wind instrument repairs, something we don’t usually show. However, handling wind instruments requires numerous precautions and a high level of skill, which I couldn’t cover fully here.
For instance, I mentioned lightly that “rotary valves could be removed by tapping it from the back,” but the tapping method, force, and removal technique vary depending on the instrument’s condition and structure.
Additionally, when reattaching the front cover, it must be perfectly parallel to the instrument body (any misalignment can cause the rotary valve to stop working).
Therefore, if you experience any operational issues, please do not attempt to fix it yourself and always seek professional repair services.