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Thread: Cleaning

  1. Cleaning

    Has anyone watched this video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2Ki5dZ6oPw

    Just curious to hear everyone's thoughts on his process. From the camera shots his horn looked very nice and well polished. My concerns would be submerging the water keys (mine have collapsed in the past, not that they are expensive but I would prefer to not have to replace them every time I want to give my horn a bath), and the chemicals that he uses.

    -LouieD

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
    Posts
    1,868
    My cleaning ritual is somewhat similar. I take everything apart, but put all the parts on the sink counter. I put the stripped horn in the bath and clean similarly. I then take the horn and get in my shower and rinse and shake and do this until everything is out. I then dry off the horn. I then clean the slides and valves individually in the sink, using snakes and brushes. I don't get the felts/pads on the valves wet. If you do use Brasso on the slide legs, BE CAREFUL that you don't get it on or rub it on the finished silver plating. You will not be happy. I don't do this step, I just clean the slide legs with soapy water and rags. I can't speak for the Haggerty's. My horn is brushed and lacquered, so no silver polish on this horn, but on the horns that were silver plated, I used a rag that had stuff in the rag for polishing. Worked good. His method is good, I just wouldn't put everything in the bath tub together.
    John Morgan
    The U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) 1971-1976
    Adams E3 Custom Series Euphonium, 1956 B&H Imperial Euphonium,
    1973 F. E. Olds & Son Studio Model T-31 Baritone
    Adams TB1 Tenor Trombone, Yamaha YBL-822G Bass Trombone
    Year Round Except Summer:
    Kingdom of the Sun (KOS) Concert Band, Ocala, FL (Euphonium)
    KOS Brass Quintet (Trombone, Euphonium)
    Summer Only:
    Rapid City Municipal Band, Rapid City, SD (Euphonium)
    Rapid City New Horizons Band (Euphonium)

  3. #3
    I just clean my primary horn yesterday. I use a Quick Horn Rinse device rather than soaking the horn in a bath tub. I do not use Brasso on any horn ever. If the horn is a silver plate I will use a silver polish, then a wipe down with windex and finally a coating of good car wax. If the horn is a lacquer finish, I will not use the silver polish or the windex, but I do but a coating of car wax on it.

  4. #4
    I've used Haggerty for years on silver and it's great! Nice, deep shine and good tarnish inhibitors.

    I have soaked my whole horn many times and never had a problem with water key corks/pads, but I suppose it could happen. Certainly the pad itself is not harmed by water, but the glue holding it could be. But no troubles yet for me.

    The QHR is great for frequent "touch-up" cleaning. But now and then you may still benefit from soaking the whole horn if you can arrange it. I don't like to use our tub for that, so I just soak and the removable pieces in a big bucket and then use a hose and swabs to get wherever else I can manage.
    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

  5. #5
    I saw that video a couple-three months ago and was intrigued - but I haven't had occasion to try it yet. Normally, I'll take the entire horn apart and submerge everything in the bathtub (laying first a towel in the bottom) except for the valve caps, finger buttons, and corks, keeping track of those alignment corks and which valve they came from. Run some tepid water (not hot) in the tub, along with some Dawn and let the whole thing soak for a couple hours. Then, I'll use the snake, toothbrush, and whatever implements I have to get the crud out. Then, to rinse, I'll take the horn body outside and use a garden hose with faucet for a little force and run the water stream everywhere I can get it.

    There is a little leg that runs from the 4th valve up to the 3rd valve casing that can and does get cruddy. It takes some effort, but running a snake up that leg gets the crud out.
    U.S. Army, Retired (built mid-1950s)
    Adams E2 Euph (built 2017)
    Boosey & Co. Imperial Euph (built 1941)
    Edwards B454 Bass Trombone (built 2012)
    Boosey & Hawkes Imperial Eb tuba (built 1958)
    Kanstul 33-T lBBb tuba (built 2010)

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