Posted by Dave on September 11, 2002 at 11:53:37:
In Reply to: Silver Horn Upkeep posted by Kenny Jay on September 10, 2002 at 14:37:20:
OK, here are some easy things to do. Polish is bad. Keep it nice and you won't need to
polish it. I haven't polished my Hirsbrunner euph in two years but it looks like new and
gets played 6-10 hours each week.
Buy two or three pairs of white cotton gloves. Wear them when you play and keep the horn
clean with them. Throw them in the washing machine when they start to get black.
Keep the horn in its case. The lining is treated to stop tarnish, at least that is the
case with Hirsbrunner, Besson and Yamaha. I started leaving my Yamaha 621 tuba out of
the case (I practice it with one of the Silent Studio practice mutes and got lazy about
taking it on and off), and within about two months it had quite a bit of tarnish. I use
one of those jewelers polishing cloths when I absolutely can't avoid polishing, and if
I buy an old black silver-plated horn I use a liquid that has no abrasives, just chemicals
to reduce the ocidation.
-Dave