My k3 just came in… For some reason the shipper decided to not turn the horns the same direction to save some money on shipping lol
anyways here it is: Lots of dirt on it and needs to be cleaned.
These things are huge i didnt expect it to be this big
This K3 cam off of A Union Pacific SD40-2 after it was retired.
I wouldn’t put rags in the bells… Just take the back cap off and take the diaphragms, gasket, and diffuser ring out. Then you can scrub it all without having to worry about a thing. That’s what I do when I clean all my horns. I use brake cleaner or carb and choke cleaner and a brillo pad and some elbow grease. Then once I get it back shiny, I use some aluminum polish on it. I had one that looked like yours… Here’s the before:
This is where the Horn Whistle group on Yahoo is a priceless resource. The guys there although they hate us (err me especially) really do know their stuff. Word to the wise if you join, don’t mention Honking at people or anything about “the Hornbastards” they will kick you off the list right away permanently. I wish a few of them would join here, I would give them their own thread, They’d get much more publication then what their “cult” gets as it sits. Hey one other really smart dude is ADAM over at Shiphorns.com, Don’t pester him with any K bell questions, but if it’s about ship horns, he knows his stuff!