Horn Maintenance
Tom Campbell, owner of Alexander Australia and a professional horn player with over 35 years of experience repairing and servicing brass and woodwind instruments, shares his expert guide to keeping your horn in top condition.
What the video covers
- Professional servicing — how often to schedule a full service and what it includes
- Cleaning the lead pipe — using a Rika cleaning kit to remove oxidation and prevent red rot
- Cleaning and greasing slides — step-by-step including which slides to avoid pushing anything into
- Lubricating rotary valves — oiling the bearings correctly and choosing the right weight of oil
- Oils and greases — La Tromba, Hetman, and when to use each product
- String and bumper maintenance — what to check and when to replace
- Lacquer care — protecting your finish with La Tromba lacquer polish
Many of the products mentioned in the video — including La Tromba valve oils, slide grease, and Rika cleaning kits — are available in our Cleaning & Maintenance and Lubricants collections.
Away from the workbench, Tom is also a composer — several of his brass and woodwind works are published by Wirripang, Australia's leading publisher of Australian composers. View Tom's Wirripang catalogue →