Cape Cod Cloth?

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FlaminGalah
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Cape Cod Cloth?

Post by FlaminGalah »

For those who use Cape Cod Cloth on brass (which works very well!): do you mask off the ebony? Or just buff right up to it and wipe clean?
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MichaelLoos
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Re: Cape Cod Cloth?

Post by MichaelLoos »

I generally take everything apart before polishing - if the brass surface needs to be polished you can be quite sure other parts want to be cleaned too, for instance the key slots and the pivot pins.
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Re: Cape Cod Cloth?

Post by Mr.Gumby »

I normally polish as is and only take things apart things when I really need to. And clean the metal only when it really needs it. That said, I have been using Renaisance wax on the metal parts after cleaning, on the recommendation of Derrick Gleeson, and that goes a long way towards keeping very long gaps between cleaning.
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Re: Cape Cod Cloth?

Post by PJ »

MichaelLoos wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 7:40 am I generally take everything apart before polishing - if the brass surface needs to be polished you can be quite sure other parts want to be cleaned too, for instance the key slots and the pivot pins.
It's quite satisfying to do this. I recently acquired a few chanters which I'm currently reeding and cleaning. Removing chanter keys to clean them, I was surprised by the amount of gunk accumulated in the channels cut for the keys and the springs.
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MichaelLoos
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Re: Cape Cod Cloth?

Post by MichaelLoos »

When I first got my regulators I asked the pipe maker "what'll I do when a key is leaking?" - his answer was "first of all, clean it". Now I have them for almost 40 years and I can confirm that in most cases by far, the reason for a leaking key has been dirt. Since I got my pipes silver plated 25+ years ago the problem has decreased, but if there is a leak it still most probably is because of gunk, actually very often on the pivot pins (which are still brass on my set).
One reason for gunk accumulating may be the chemical composition of your skin sweat - mine seems to be quite corrosive, when my pipes were still brass, green gunk could build up within a couple of days, whereas I know people who play their brass pipes for years, with the pipes still be shiny or almost so.
I found the combination of Cape Cod cloth for cleaning and Renaissance wax for treatment afterwards very useful.
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Re: Cape Cod Cloth?

Post by PJ »

MichaelLoos wrote: Mon Dec 06, 2021 11:25 am ... when my pipes were still brass, green gunk could build up within a couple of days, whereas I know people who play their brass pipes for years, with the pipes still be shiny or almost so.
I think the green gunk is caused by the pH levels of certain cleaning products when they react with sweat. I had that experience when I used Nevr Dull. These days, I use a paste called "Peek" and I don't have any problems with the green gunk.
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Re: Cape Cod Cloth?

Post by FlaminGalah »

Thanks for all the replies.

My set has some brass pieces that are not removeable (or, at least, would require force I am not comfortable with to remove). Should I tape off the ebony before using cape cod cloth for these?

What do you do about keys? It seems a bit much to unpin all the keys to polish them.

Thanks!
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MichaelLoos
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Re: Cape Cod Cloth?

Post by MichaelLoos »

FlaminGalah wrote: Mon Dec 13, 2021 9:43 pmWhat do you do about keys? It seems a bit much to unpin all the keys to polish them.
That's exactly what I do... :wink:

I have no idea what the effective agent in Cape Cod cloth is, but as it works very well indeed I would be a bit cautious about its effects on ebony and other woods, as well as (imitation) ivory.
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Re: Cape Cod Cloth?

Post by Mr.Gumby »

Maybe don't overthink and fuss over it too much. Benign neglect is not the worst approach. Just keep the pipes reasonably clean.

If you want your pipes shiny, polish your metal, apply renaissance wax and as you go along give the odd wipe with soft leather (chamois popping strap works for me) to get rid of build up of grease from your skin.

If any of your polish spills onto the wood, wipe it off. I have yet to see adverse effects.

As maintenance goes, it's probably more important to regularly check the joints and keep the thing airtight. Also minimise gunk in the key slots so keys can move freely.
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ausdag
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Re: Cape Cod Cloth?

Post by ausdag »

An acquaintance of mine purchased a full set of Patkos pipes and took it to a professional brass instrument maker who lacquered the whole thing. By 'the whole thing' I mean every single piece of brass. Very spic! Not sure how long it'll last though, but no doubt as long as it does on your typical lacquered brass instrument.
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chaos97
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Re: Cape Cod Cloth?

Post by chaos97 »

My set has boxwood mounts & brass. Just the other day I realized the chanter mounts are developing green rings around the outer most extended parts of them, possibly from being stored up against the brass on the drones. The brass itself is a bit tarnished but not green. I'm not too worried about it, but it does seem to be staining the wood rather than the tarnish rubbing on to it. Has anyone else had this happen & have some solutions?
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