Dude... my bell is wet...

[kevin_soda]

It's not new that I've noticed condensation from my bell but recently I'm noticing a lot more. My stand is sticking to the bell when I pick up my horn after a break or when I get it out of the case. Is this normal? I'm a diligent swabber but just the leadpipe. As I understand it, red rot is caused by the chemistry of our saliva, not condensation, but should I be concerned about moisture in my bell? Should we be using those funky, muppet brushes that sax players use sometimes?
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Kevin

[Robert P]

I issue a challenge to anyone to say "funky muppet brush" 10 times fast.
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Getzen Eterna Severinsen
King Silver Flair
Besson 1000
Bundy
Chinese C

Getzen Eterna Bb/A piccolo
Chinese Rotary Bb/A piccolo

Chinese Flugel

[Brad361]

Unless you're seeing like pints of moisture, I think it's pretty normal. Not saying it's necessarily a good idea to put it back in the case like that, I often leave my horn out (in a SAFE place; I have a large armoire with shelves and locks on the door where I keep my horns, my girlfriend calls it my "horn vault") after a gig to let it air dry. I don't think I've ever heard of red rot in a bell, but dry before going back in the case is probably better, though.

".....funky muppet brush, funky muppet brush, funky fuppet...."

Brad
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When asked if he always sounds great:
"I always try, but not always, because the horn is merciless, unpredictable and traitorous." - Arturo Sandoval

[iiipopes]

When I was playing every day in high school, I would get a small stream coming out the bell. If I'm on a parade where it is a humid day, I still do. So long as the water is not indicative of anything medical, I believe it is a good thing: it shows you are pushing a lot of air through the horn, as we all should do.
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King Super 20 Trumpet; Sov 921 Cornet
Bach cornet modded to be a 181L clone
Couesnon Flugelhorn and C trumpet

[dstdenis]

I sometimes get a little bit of water out of the bell, so when I'm done playing, I have a routine that I go through to get it out: point the bell straight up at the ceiling, blow gently through the mouthpiece while moving the valves up and down, then do the French Horn thing, rotating the trumpet over backwards so the bell is pointing down and the water (if any) runs out. I usually get a lot with the flugel and cornet, very little with the trumpet unless I've been playing practically nonstop for quite some time.
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Bb Yamaha Xeno 8335IIS
Cornet Getzen Custom 3850S
Flugelhorn Courtois 155R
Piccolo Stomvi