Posted by Chuck on January 28, 1999 at 03:04:25:
In Reply to: Re: Silver tarnish problems posted by D. Seebaugh on January 27, 1999 at 22:02:41:
Dave's on the right track. Most black silver tarnish arises from combination of the metallic silver with airborne sulfur, usually in the form of hydrogen sulfide. Do you live in a large city or industrial area where such pollution is common? If so, you may want to look at how your instrument is stored.
My wife keeps her silver flatware in bags made of something called Pacific cloth, which really does retard tarnish. Perhaps you could have a bag made of the stuff for your sousa. A light coat of paste wax (not car wax--it has abrasives in it) on your horn while it is in storage might help seal it off from the air. Keep your horn out of circulating air--I that my silver tuba developed an ugly black patch in the bell where it was inadvertently placed over a forced-air heating register.