Preventing/Slowing Brass Tarnish?

[Boo]

Hey, maybe you just go down to a MUSIC store and pick up a brass polishing cloth for like two bucks. Us horn players have known about these things for a long while. (both the cloths and the stores) They last for years, non-toxic, no costic fumes, a few quick rubs after playing to get the hand oils, sweat and breath gunkies off the exterior and it looks like new... and will keep looking like new. I have had my Copeland brass Low D and Nickel high D for about 5 years now and they look just as good as the day I took delivery of them. The inside of the low D has a patina that is as brown as a pair of loafers.

Best of luck
Scott McCallister[/quote]


Are these polisihing cloths with polish compound built in? If so, do you need to rinse with soap and water after use? Does this eliminate all tarnish or do you still need to do an occasional polish? This seems like a easy solution. Thanks for the tip.

[serpent]

I don't use no sissy polish on my whistles. Harbor Freight Tools sells silicon carbide sandpaper in 500 grit. That's what I uses. Chuck that puppy up in a lathe an' spin 'er at 3600 or so RPMs, an' rub 'er with the 500 grit SiC paper. Takes about a half second to the foot.

serpent

[Chas Zee]

I don't know about whistles but after polishing a raw (unlacquered) brass
trumpet a thin coat of car wax keeps the tarnish away for awhile.

Charlie

[Hiro Ringo]

Let it tarnish and let's pretend to be a veteran.

Or let's pretend to be a polishing machine. I would polish the brass whistle after each play. I am very likely to go to that extreme. :roll:

[serpent]

I was kidding with the last post - This is what I really recommend, but keep in mind that this is only about my whistles - it may or may not apply to whistles from other manufacturers. Contact the manufacturer to get the correct recommendation. You can use Wright's Brass Polish to remove the tarnish nicely, even on satin finish, then rinse your whistle in plain water to remove any trace (unlike other brass polishes, Wright's is water-soluble). Then a thin wipe-on-wipe-off coat of just about any polishing wax - automotive, floor, etc. - will help keep the polish. Be sure to carefully remove any that gets in the window, mouthpiece, or finger holes, and remove any that gets in the barrel with a swab.

If your whistle has a wooden or fiber fipple plug, the rinsing out with water may not be a good idea. Ask the manufacturer.

If your whistle is of metals other than plain brass, again, ask.

Harder waxes like those used on floors will probably last longer, but may be more difficult to apply and get polished, and you may have to use a solvent to remove remaining wax for the next polish job. If so, then, again, ask the manufacturer beforehand to avoid damaging things.

Cheers,
serpent

[Scott McCallister]

Are these polisihing cloths with polish compound built in? If so, do you need to rinse with soap and water after use? Does this eliminate all tarnish or do you still need to do an occasional polish? This seems like a easy solution. Thanks for the tip.

Yep these have the compound built in. But not as much as say a Silver polishing mit you would use on a service of silver. They will take the tarnish off completely and leave a nice black smudge on the cloth where you rubbed. These are flannel and come in two colors usually, yellow (for brass) and pink (for silver)

I've been using these things for over twenty years and have never rewashed an instrument after wiping it down with them. (Unless I am actually washing the instrument with soap and water for a thorough cleaning) They leave no residue and the stuff won't make you sick. I wouldn't put them in my mouth though.

As for occaisional polish, using these will protect the instrument until it is exposed to another corrosive agent like spit, sweat, etc. Unless you leave it untouched for several years, the brass in question should look just as nice as when you finished cleaning it. The longer you go between polishing will increase the time you spend repolishing the instrument

I wipe mine down after each time I play them. This keeps the time spent polishing them down to a minimum because it is done often.

Best of luck,

Scott McCallister

[Jerry Freeman]

I'm intrigued by the Italian dressing concept. Salt, vinegar and oil, all in one application. Who'll be the first to try it?

Best wishes,
Jerry

[Boo]

Thanks for all of great advice on brass maintenance and polishing. Very, very helpful.

Hmm...Cranberry's mention of painting his whistle got me thinking. Could that be a permanent solution? I don't dare do it myself but is there someone out there who can do a professional job? I'd love my Burke Brass Pro in black.

[Tony]

I'm intrigued by the Italian dressing concept. Salt, vinegar and oil, all in one application. Who'll be the first to try it?

Best wishes,
Jerry

I don't know about brass, but salt and vinegar does a great job cleaning copper.

[Zubivka]

I'm intrigued by the Italian dressing concept. Salt, vinegar and oil, all in one application. Who'll be the first to try it?

Best wishes,
Jerry

Italian my donkey.

But I'll let you know. Don't see why oil, with its very low acid (eventhough its name can be "aceite") content, could spoil me recipe.

Next thing you know, another thread starts on "what oil?". I'll start with olive (my partly latin origins...), but shall leave the question open. Garlic optional

pH rules...

[Jerry Freeman]

And I'm thinking the garlic would prevent mildew in the fipple.

BTW, Zoob. The stuff they sell in bottles here Stateside, with vinegar, oil, salt, garlic and herbs, they label "Italian" dressing on the store shelves (as you probably know from having lived here yourself). I daresay someone sampled something along those lines in Italy a century or so ago, called it "Italian dressing," and the label stuck. Seems we could just as easily have chosen "chips" instead of "French fries," for that matter. I suspect the Americanized naming of such things happens largely by chance and circumstance.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[Lorenzo]

I'm with those who appreciate the natural patina on brass. Priceless!

But, if shine is your thing and you want a quick, cheap, poorman's Brass Polish...use tooth paste. Just apply a tiny bit on surface and rub on with fingers, or like fancypiper says...use a piece of leather. Rinse with water and dry with cloth. Use a small bottle brush to get up/down inside the bore (removing head of course).

[glauber]

Back when i was playing a brass whistle, i was a little embarrassed, really, of taking it all new and shiny to the session. A good patina shows that you've done your homework, you didn't just buy a pretty whistle.

Garlic is good to prevent vampires, i hear.

[Scott McCallister]

Back when i was playing a brass whistle, i was a little embarrassed, really, of taking it all new and shiny to the session. A good patina shows that you've done your homework, you didn't just buy a pretty whistle.

Ya I get that a lot. I cary my copelands in a bass bow case. (Fits both without having to take them apart plus slide grease and coffee stirrers) It looks a lot like a pool cue case just shorter. When I take these out of the case I have actually had people say "It sure is shiny" with kind of a condescending aire and I think "Am I doing something wrong??" Then I look at their whistle and I wonder "Why aren't you taking care of your instrument?"

The way I play shows I'm doing my homework. The way I maintain my instrument shows I care for my tools.

Best!
Scott McCallister

[Zubivka]

and I think "Am I doing something wrong??"

Sounds like an old Rexona-soap ad line, shot by a bowling lane...
"I dress like them, I speak like them..."