Valve Shield™

Valve Shield™ — Preventive Nickel Plating for Rotary Valve Instruments

The best time to protect your valves is before they start leaking. Valve Shield™ is the ideal next step for players whose horns are currently playing well but want to extend the life of their valves and get the most out of their annual cleaning investment.

This service combines our full Professional Ultrasonic Cleaning with 10 minutes of precision nickel plating on each rotor — adding a protective layer that helps resist the mineral corrosion and wear that slowly degrades valve performance over time.

What is included:

Full Professional Ultrasonic Cleaning Everything included in our Professional Ultrasonic Cleaning service — complete disassembly, acid treatment, ultrasonic cleaning, reassembly with fresh lubricants, hardware replacement as needed, rotor alignment, play test, and leak check.

Preventive Nickel Plating Each rotor receives 10 minutes of precision nickel plating, adding a protective barrier against corrosion and wear. This is not a full valve rebuild — it is a preventive treatment designed to extend the life of valves that are currently in good condition, keeping them playing their best for longer.

Is this service right for my horn?

This treatment is ideal for valves that are currently sealing well. As part of every service I perform a full compression test using my Leak Pro. If your valves are already reading 4 or above on the compression scale a full valve rebuild will be recommended instead.

Available as local drop-off or mail-in from anywhere in the world. Not sure how to ship your horn? Just ask!

Valve Shield™ Pricing

Select your instrument below to book directly:

Double French Horn (4 valves) — $500 Includes professional ultrasonic cleaning plus Valve Shield nickel plating on all 4 rotors.

Descant French Horn — $650 Includes professional ultrasonic cleaning plus Valve Shield nickel plating on all rotors.

Engelbert Schmid Triple French Horn — $850 Includes professional ultrasonic cleaning plus Valve Shield nickel plating on all 7 rotors.

Other rotary valve instruments available by quote — contact us at repair@reddickhornworks.com or (817) 330-9572