H. N. White Co.
Cleveland, Ohio
Liberty model Bb/A trumpet
#175263 c.1934

Length = 19.25"
Bell = 4-1/2"
Bore = 0.448"
Weight = 37.5 oz
Finish: Satin silver with gold wash bell

I bought this King Liberty trumpet as a rescue horn as I just can't stand to see a nice old instrument go to scrap. The most daunting challenge would be to remount the bell flair ring. Thankfully, the valves were still tight and this had a nice sound.

The valves were working fine but all the slides were very stuck. The valve slides came out with a little penetrating oil, but the main slide had to be taken apart. I wasn't sure if the top slide tube would ever come out, but after heating and more penetrating oil, it finally started to move.

Here it is as purchased.

A typical Art Deco King engraving from the 1930s.

All apart except for the upper tuning slide tube. The lead pipe, bell, and bell trim ring have been straightened.

After getting the bell flair and ring as perfectly straight as possible, I found that this cat dish was just the right size to hold the ring in place as I soldered it. The ring has a groove around the inside edge which had to be completely cleaned out to have any chance of remounting.

As I pushed the bell into the dish, the tapered sides pushed the ring tight and closed the gap.

Now back together and playing again!