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 CARE OF
YOUR INSTRUMENT
With the right care your Original Engelbert Schmid Horn can last a
lifetime. Even a life span of 100 years or more is possible. The most
important rule, besides the right care of your horn, is to only have your
horn overhauled by an instrument maker who knows what is important and has
the right tools.
I offer a free adjustment of the valves after 3 to 4 months. For the
further care of your instrument follow these points:
1.Oil the bearings on the outside every four weeks, using half a drop
medium light oil on the top and bottom bearings and on the linkage and
lever bearings. Take care not to oil the silicon bumpers or they will
expand, eventually even jump out. If you oil the bearings too seldom,
water and with it lime deposit will come into the bearings,-a very bad
gliding material-,the valve has to stick. This is the reason for about 90%
of the valve problems. In this case you need to have the lime deposit
removed by rotating the valve and cleaning it with a cloth, not with acid.
If you oil the valve bearings too much, the oil will work its way into the
valves and gum them up. If this happens, you have two choices:
Either taking the valves apart and cleaning rotors and casings with a
cloth, or dropping a thin oil down through the valve sides into the valve,
trying not to wash slide grease with it. This will have to be
repeated often. That´s the easier method because you don´t have to
develop a feeling for the dose of bearing oil.
For players with alkaline saliva, oiling the valves on the inside can help
prevent excessive lime deposits.
2.Clean the mouthpipe approximately every six months with a brush. The
rest of the instrument normally doesn't need to be cleaned.
Grease the slides before the old grease has dried out. Take care not to
get grease inside the slides and push the slides several times in.
Completely when greasing, in order to remove the lime deposit.
3.Change the strings once a year whether or not it seems necessary.
4.If the valves get too loud and oiling doesn't help, go to an instrument
maker as soon as possible. Most important by any work on the valves is
that the bearing on the linkage side is reseated along its whole length.
To do this the repairman needs a special reseating tool. The normal
reseating sleeve is not enough, because it doesn't reseat the whole length
of the bearing. Any up and down play has to be eliminated by turning down
the outside edges of the bearing cap on the screw cap side. Heavy lime
deposits are removed by rotating the rotor in the casing without the
bearing on the cap side, using oil as a cleaning agent. Wipe the rotor and
casing clean with a cloth. The remaining deposits and the dark oxidation
should not be removed. Cleaning the rotors in an acid bath is wrong. The
sealing surfaces should never be lapped, or even worse, polished.
Mistreated rotors on Original Engelbert Schmid Horns can be replaced.
5. In some cases, despite the most careful degreasing and drying before
the lacquering process, black spots can develop under the lacquer, mainly
around the bell rim.
The reason for this is that remains of the solvents used in cleaning are
trapped under the lacquer and are prevented from evaporating. Piercing the
lacquer with a needle where a black spot begins will keep it from getting
any larger.
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Osmun
Music, Inc. & Robert
J. Osmun
