Re: tuba cleansing


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Posted by Bryan on October 26, 2001 at 00:35:19:

In Reply to: tuba cleansing posted by Jordan on October 23, 2001 at 18:41:25:

Twice a year I take my old Conn helicon and the Roma Band's sousaphone to the curb with the Dawn dishwashing liquid and the Twinkle Copper Cleaner and turn the hose on to fill the horn using a good hearty squirt of Dawn - great degreaser recommended to me by Marshall Sealy who studyied repair with Giardinelli's in NYC and Bob Osmun in MA. I put an old blanket on the sidewalk to prevent scratching the horn. I make sure I depress the valves to allow water in and I make sure the horn soaks for 20 minutes. A wading pool would really be the thing! The bath tub gets all scratched up and needs to be scoured out with a bleachy cleanser afterwards. I dump the soapy water down the gutter near the drain and fill up the horn and dump a couple of times. Then I get the big carwash sponge and go to town with the Twinkle or Wright's copper cleaner, making sure to rinse and wipe every square inch. If you don't wipe, a greenish residue of polish may stay behind. It's good to have a selection of bottle, mouthpiece and test tube brushes to get between the tuning slides. Strips of soft cloth are great too. I give one final exterior rinse of the horn and wipe it dry with an old towel or paper towels. All this twice a year whether it needs it or not! I like the vinegar suggestion too, by the way!


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