Hello fellow friends of brass instruments and music!
I have a problem with a Soviet-made 3-valve Bb tuba I bought a couple of months ago. I have spent a lot of time cleaning the outsides and the insides of the instrument and trying to make the beast somewhat playable. Every time I play for more than 15 minutes my nose starts to run and my throat starts to dry up. I usually play my Willson euphonium and I have no such problems, so I think it must be the tuba. I suspect the instrument has been played and maintained quite recklessly in the past and when I poured water in the instrument, it smelled like a soggy ashtray.
I think the instrument has a mold-related problem. The instrument is raw brass without any lacquer or coatings so I tried to use common dish-soap to remove some of the "spores" I think cruise around the insides of the instrument. Thorough cleaning proved unsuccessful because I still get the same symptoms when I play the instrument.
I would like to hear your ideas on what to try next. The instrument was very cheap so I would like to try to handle the problem on my own without professional help.
All feedback or ideas are appreciated!