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Thread: GENERAL: Horn finish

  1. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853
    I maybe polish my horn about once every six months. My newer M5050 hasn't needed any polishing as yet.
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

  2. #22
    I had my last Sterling about 5 years and never gave it a full polishing. I just used a touch-up cloth. HOWEVER, virtually all my playing is indoors these days. I suspect when you play outdoors, or frequently play on hot stages, tarnish will come sooner. It also depends on your body chemistry.

    Regardless of any other factors, if you want to keep tarnish at bay the best solution is to use a polish with tarnish inhibitor in it. Check out this post:

    http://www.dwerden.com/forum/showthr...l=1#post118007
    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Central North Carolina
    Posts
    2,369
    I think that older horns (I mean REALLY older, like my Buescher) are more difficult to polish as well because they pick up a lot almost microscopic scratches and pits which both tarnish more easily and resist polishing. Once I rolled out (most of) the dents on the Buescher it became easier to polish and the "black hands syndrome" was much less prononuced. The newer tarnish-inhibiting polishes are also a significant advance.

    In terms of lacquer care, I typically just wipe it off with a soft cloth and then maybe once a year do a Nu Finish treatment on it. One thing you also need to keep in mind is that polishing a trumpet is a minor diversion, polishing a euphonium takes maybe fifteen minutes or so of your time, but polishing a tuba is quite a leap beyond that. When I played the flute, I polished it all the time and thought nothing of it.
    Gary Merrill
    Wessex EEb Bass tuba (DW 3XL or 2XL)
    Mack Brass Compensating Euph (DE N106, Euph J, J9 euph)
    Amati Oval Euph (DE 104, Euph J, J6 euph)
    1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba (with std US receiver), Kelly 25
    Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone (DE LB K/K10/112/14 Lexan, Brass Ark MV50R)
    1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Olds #3)

  4. My older horns (see recent pictures of my SA baritone or my 1941 Holton DB) that are made with a "satin silver" finish are much more difficult to polish. To keep from wearing the finish off and making it shiny (instead of just clean) I use either baking soda or Tarn-x. If use Tarn-x, it cleans off the tarnish w/o any polishing effect, but must be very thoroughly rinsed very quickly. It is a messy, smelly job. Because these don't get played much and tend to sit in the cases for long periods of time, they tend to get tarnished and acquire the brownish silver oxide patina.

    My polished silver plate horns (Besson Prestige, Sterling Virtuoso, York baritone) are much easier to clean and keep looking good. First of all, they are used constantly. This means that I can keep an eye on how dirty/messy they get and I just use Windex and a very soft old t-shirt rag to clean fingerprints and oily smudges maybe once every two weeks or so. They only get polished maybe once a year.

    The silver finish on my newer horns is MUCH more resilient than the lacquer on my old Besson 967. However, my 1968 Conn still has almost all of it oriuginal lacquer job intact. By the way, I use pledge on that horn. The biggest problem with lacquer for me was outdoor concerts and bug spray. Eats right through the lacquer.

    Doug
    Adams E3 0.60 Sterling bell - Prototype top sprung valves
    Concord Band
    Winchendon Winds
    Townsend Military Band

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Hidden Valley, AZ
    Posts
    1,034
    Hi Doug,

    Your (and everyone else's) tarnish is silver sulphide.

    Silver oxide is white, and rare.

    Satin silver finish is best touched up with Tarnex, as you say.

    Dennis

  6. #26
    Any ideas on what an antique finish costs? Outside of Adams. Anyone had one done recently? My Besson has about 40% lacquer loss. I am thinking of stripping it but was curious about a different finish.
    Cerveny BBb Kaiser Tuba
    __________________________
    “Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Hidden Valley, AZ
    Posts
    1,034
    A raw brass horn is a pain. Trust me. Your hands get green, it always needs polishing.

    Don't strip it.

    Have it professionally refinished in the new poly stuff.

    Dennis

  8. #28
    Thanks. I will keep it in mind. I would like to get an antique finish ultimately.
    Cerveny BBb Kaiser Tuba
    __________________________
    “Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven

  9. #29
    Just an update. I had the lacquer stripped and a brush finish put on by Mike Nye - http://www.nyerepair.com/index.html. He did a great job.

    Here are some pics (after):

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Before:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Cerveny BBb Kaiser Tuba
    __________________________
    “Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine.”
    ― Ludwig van Beethoven

  10. #30
    Kinda fun to put your own touches on a horn (or have someone do it for you)!
    Dave Werden (ASCAP)
    Euphonium Soloist, U.S. Coast Guard Band, retired
    Adams Artist (Adams E3)
    Alliance Mouthpiece (DC3)
    YouTube: dwerden
    Facebook: davewerden
    Twitter: davewerden
    Instagram: davewerdeneuphonium

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