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I was curious of other peoples opinion on polishing brass horns or other parts. I'm torn between keeping things original, or trying to make them look even better. Recently got a 37" brass horn that's in great shape, but of course it isn't shiny...now I don't really care either way, but I saw some pictures of some other collectors brass horns and they sure do look good polished! What do y'all think? What do y'all use if you do?

I think a shiny brown brass horn is the best. A dull brown brass is next, then a bright shiny yellow brass. If there are any noticeable dents, then definitely keep it brown. They are quite obvious on a polished yellow brass surface.

My 2c worth (for free!)

Cliff

CDBPDX wrote:I think a shiny brown brass horn is the best. A dull brown brass is next, then a bright shiny yellow brass. If there are any noticeable dents, then definitely keep it brown. They are quite obvious on a polished yellow brass surface.

My 2c worth (for free!)

Cliff

Thanks! It's got a couple small dents near the reproducer end. I was thinking maybe I could bring it to a body shop and have them smooth it out to make it perfect.

I don't think I would take a brass horn to a body shop... they might be good with dent removal on car fenders, but brass horns are a different thing. Look up the guy on the Forum who specializes in horn dent removal... sorry, I'm having a momentary memory lapse with his name, but someone can direct you to him. He does excellent work and is affordable... he can also polish your horn for you, which after doing several myself, is worth having it done. To polish a horn correctly, you would need to have a power buffer setup and know how to work with various polishing rouges... polishing one by hand is not only tedious, it's extremely hard work to get it right... 100+ years of "patina" (also known as smoke, dust, dirt and crud buildup) is frustrating to deal with if you want a nice polished outcome.

John Duffey is your guy...he has polished/straightened/removed dents etc.. from several horns..great work...quick turnaround, and very reasonable...

I would look at the machine as a whole...if the finish is worn and looks old, a shiny bright horn may look out of place...I prefer to have horns polished when I can as they really make a machine stand out...these machines weren't designed to be neglected and stored in basements....they were displayed and used and people kept them polished and clean just like their other furniture...you aren't changing them being original, you're just keeping them in good condition..

just my 2 cents...

Joe

Most horns I prefer polished. Here are two I just got back from John Duffy on the forum (Ripduf1). He does outstanding work and his prices are very reasonable. His email is RIPDUF1@sbcglobal.net and his phone is (860) 966-2827.

Rich Gordon

rgordon939 wrote:Most horns I prefer polished. Here are two I just got back from John Duffy on the forum (Ripduf1). He does outstanding work and his prices are very reasonable. His email is RIPDUF1@sbcglobal.net and his phone is (860) 966-2827.

Rich Gordon

Wow!!!

Yeah not gonna do what I was saying...definitely going to give him a ring. What you have on the left looks almost exactly what I have. Here is a picture of how it looks right now. The machine it's going on looks mint. A very nice concert machine.