How to Bathe a French Horn

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Find a bath big enough to comfortably take your horn and line it with an old sheet or towels.

   (This prevents damage to horn and bath.)
2. 2

   Step 2: Fill the bath with lukewarm water.

   , (If it has a detachable bell, remove this.) , , , While the horn is soaking, use a pull-through (snake) to clean out all your slides in a separate sink.
   
   If the pull-through is too wide to get round the bends in the slide, don't force it.
   
   It will get stuck and just cause damage.
   
   Try a trumpet or clarinet-style pull through instead.
   
   Use a mouthpiece brush to clean out your mouthpiece just now as well
   - no point in blowing all your mouthpiece gunk down into your nice clean horn! , Now for the nasty bit.
   
   When bath-time is almost up, put your pull-through through your lead-pipe (from mouthpiece end to tuning slide) and then use either the end of your pull-through or a similar smaller brush to clean out all the valve-slides. , You should be able to hear any water sloshing around inside but if you are having trouble getting it out try depressing all the valves and tipping the horn round 360 degrees towards the bell
   - any water should come out of the bell! , After making sure you have gotten rid of any water sitting in the valves, lay your horn on some towels or another clean sheet to dry.
   
   Remove any surface water with a clean cloth or towel and then leave the horn, preferably in a room with some circulating air for a few hours to dry out. ,,,,
3. 3

   Step 3: Remove all slides

4. 4

   Step 4: mouthpiece and any other moving parts from the horn.

5. 5

   Step 5: Submerge the horn completely in water and press down all valves to open them (just a couple of times

6. 6

   Step 6: you don't need to keep them down.)

7. 7

   Step 7: Leave the horn for an hour to around three hours (only if it is an instrument that hasn't been bathed in a very long time

8. 8

   Step 8: or if the valves are stuck down.)

9. 9

   Step 9: Get a snake to clean the horn.

10. 10

    Step 10: Finish cleaning.

11. 11

    Step 11: Remove your horn carefully from the bath and tip all the water sitting inside of it out.

12. 12

    Step 12: Dry the horn.

13. 13

    Step 13: Wait a few hours then tip your horn out again to remove any water that has settled.

14. 14

    Step 14: Pour some low-viscosity valve oil down the slides into the valves

15. 15

    Step 15: and oil all the bearings and rotors.

16. 16

    Step 16: Re-grease all slides and replace them.

17. 17

    Step 17: If you have a detachable bell

18. 18

    Step 18: use graphite from a pencil as lubricant for the threads.

Detailed Guide

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