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Thread: Valve cleaning/changing oils

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Central North Carolina
    Posts
    2,369
    Seems like really poor training. Even so, it's difficult to see how she could have worn the plating significantly with a soft cloth over the time she's had the instrument. But with the wrong sort of cloth and sufficient aggression, ...
    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)

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Netherlands
    Posts
    338
    I clean my valves, springs and bottom valve caps by putting them into a jar filled with what we call in Dutch 'cleaning vinegar' (basically very strong acetic acid) and using an old, softened toothbrush to get the crud out of the tubing in the valves itself and on the top and bottom of the valves. Then hold them under normal tap water (here in the Netherlands that's very clean so no risk of infections or whatever). Meanwhile I use an old (unused) cotton rag, dip it in the acid and put it in the valve casings and push it through them with something, most of the time something straight with a soft coating not to scratch the inside of the valve casings.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Central North Carolina
    Posts
    2,369
    There is a substantial danger in using vinegar (acetic acid) to clean a brass instrument. It's sometimes done specifically to remove calcium deposits, but you have to be very careful. You definitely don't want to "soak" your valves in acetic acid (or to leave it standing in the tubing of your instrument for more than a brief period before flushing it thoroughly with water).

    The problem is that acetic acid will leach the zinc out of brass (basically "de-alloying" it at the molecular level), and it doesn't take too much time for a strong acetic acid to do this. The chemistry is well known. Just do a search on "acetic acid leaching brass" and you'll see all the references you want. I would not use acetic acid to clean my instrument (or parts of it) on a regular basis. The one time I did use it for a thorough cleaning of one of my instruments, I let it sit a bit too long and definitely noticed the effects. Luckily it didn't go too far, but it was a bit scary. I have also seen claims that concentrated acetic acid can be used to dissolve lead (though usually in the context of employing it with hydrogen peroxide). So it seems not unreasonable to worry about weakening solder joints in piston valves with it.

    That said, acetic acid can be used to remove calcium deposits. And in fact a simple and widely used technique for removing these from ROTARY valves is to soak them BRIEFLY in hydrochloric (muriatic) acid, or perhaps a bit longer in acetic acid. But I think I'd stay away from soaking my piston valves in any acid.
    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. What Gary said.

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Netherlands
    Posts
    338
    yeah I only do it like once or twice a year maximum, and only put the valves in the acid for a couple of minutes and then directly flush it thoroughly with water. I also only do it to remove calcium deposits. I've had 5 years of chemistry in secondary school so I know strong acids can or will affect metals, so I'm careful with it.

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