The bell is very thin, and it had three small splits in it. I used silver-bearing solder and very thin sterling silver patches to repair the splits, as can be seen in the pictures. The body of the horn is lacquered, but the bell is unlacquered.
The slide works well. I built it from used parts, and did a full alignment. There's some chrome loss on the inners, but they're nickel under the chrome and they polish out well.
This is a very lively horn. It lights up with the slightest input, and has a beautiful rich tone. I've been using it for dixieland and ska, but I think it would be great for any kind of lead work.
The case has been re-blocked to fit the horn and it's a good fit.
Pictures are at http://imgur.com/a/ohyRR
