On Mon, 19 Aug 2013 09:44:08 +0000 (UTC), "Danny D."
wrote:

My grandchild dropped the trumpet, denting the horn:
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2820/9...ac58b3d1_o.gif

He was crying up a storm (probably because he doesn't want me to tell his mom).

Just an opinion, but that wasn't just dropped - it either fell from a
great height or was thrown with some vigor.

Do you think the now-bent trumpet can be saved before mom finds out?
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5500/9...ebdf135f_o.gif

I have about a day or two before she expects it back...

She still has to be told - it'll go easier on both you and the kid if
he just fesses up to it now, versus if she finds out after the fact.

If this trumpet is School Property, they have to be told too -
because when the repair shop sees the School Property tag they are
going to get a call anyway.

And unless you're sending it back to the OEM Factory for repairs, they
probably have their own repair connections. Los Angeles Unified runs
their own complete instrument repair shops.

What tools would straighten the horn out?

Problem is they need to anneal the metal with a torch flame or a stint
in a heat-treat oven to soften it up first, and that means the whole
thing needs to be stripped of the old lacquer, buffed out, and clear
coated again when it's all done. You can't just hammer it back in
shape, the metal will stretch and distort.

The best way would be to unsolder the bell, anneal it, stick it back
on the spinning lathe on the original form, and gently spin it back
into shape - possibly with a torch shrinking or two, where they heat
it up then hit it with a wet cloth to suck in the stretch. That's
going to be either the original trumpet maker's factory or someone who
has an exact duplicate of the bell form.

Then they solder it back onto the rest of the trumpet, and do the
usual strip buff and lacquer on the whole instrument.

Then again, if this is a $99 (No Name) Indonesia Special you toss it
out - or give it to the instrument repair guys for spare parts.

Then help the kid into a good Conn or Selmer. They sound a whole lot
better, and are far more easily repairable when stuff like this
happens again. And it will.

-- Bruce --