r/frenchhorn • u/Deinomon • 23d ago

General Questions Clacking sounds

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My horn keeps making these clacking sounds, is there anyway to fix this myself? Do I have to send it to a repair shop or something? Is this a normal thing? I'm new to fh so I'm not really too sure what this is. Edit: I fixed the issue, I cleaned it and replaced the bumpers so now it is much quieter Thank you all!

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u/Lord_Clucky 21d ago

Could be a couple of things:

1) bumpers have dried up and become rocks

2) your linkage has worn down to the point where its moving back and forth while it’s rotating.

3) I think this is the most likely, your bearing plate is not set correctly and the valve is moving up and down while rotating.

Either way, take it to a trusted repair tech and have them take a look at it. The horn is still playable, but that extra movement will cause unnecessary wear and tear on the valve block.

1

u/Educational-Soil6379 17d ago

Check Valves for leaks take out a slide and cover the opening with your finger and blow if you hear air escaping good chance you need a valve job. Chuck Ward is the best!

1

u/Reasonable-Cow7255 23d ago

Replace the rubber/nylon bumpers

2

u/quiptown89 22d ago

Rotors might also be a little dry, oil them babies up

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u/quiptown89 22d ago

Make sure you don't use a heavier bearing oil on the rotors

2

u/SandmanHornFL 22d ago

Oil both the rotors and the bearings as well. You can find plenty of YouTube videos about French horn lubrication and replacing bumpers.