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Cleaning the horn: how often?


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Billy B
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 6:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Clean the lead pipe and tuning slide every day.

Entire horn monthly
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cgaiii
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 7:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Totally agree that swabbing the leadpipe and tuning slide after each session really makes a difference in keeping the horn clean. In addition, my daily end of session routine includes blowing all the condensation out of the horn. I empty all the slides, replace them, turn the trumpet on its side second valve slide up and blow into the receiver in short bursts. A surprising about of liquid comes out of the bell. After this, I swab the leadpipe and if it is a tuning bell trumpet, I swab the bell. I swab the other slides occasionally.
This means I only have to flush the horn occasionally.
I also have my main horns cleaned professionally periodically, depending on use and feel.
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giakara
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PostPosted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 11:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Clean the leadpipe and the tuning slide with a swab and oil the valves every day after the end of the last session , I lube the slides when I feel they need it and I give a full bath two times a year .

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PMonteiro
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 11:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My method is a bit different from others listed here but I only play about 5 or so hours a week (amateur):

After each playing session: get all water out of the horn through spit valves/removing slides and bottom caps. Leave the horn to air out for a few hours in the open case at home so the leadpipe can dry out. Wipe the exterior and mouthpieces with a cloth.

About weekly: a few drops of valve oil down the leadpipe to coat it. Seems to last several days between applications.

About quarterly: disassemble and give horn a bath.

At all times: avoid playing too soon after eating.
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Grits Burgh
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PostPosted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 6:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't know how often your trumpet should be cleaned, but I cleaned two of mine today and I was surprised how much of a difference it made in the way that they play. Okay, it's been a while since I last gave them a bath.

I'm another fan of Tim Wendt's swabs. I've got three of them and I use them almost every time I play a horn.

Warm regards,
Grits
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Tony Scodwell
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 26, 2021 7:32 am    Post subject: Horn cleaning Reply with quote

I play two hours each day and sometimes more if preparing for a concert which is the case now. That said, I get so involved in my preparation the cleaning of my horns sometimes gets forgotten and during my practice I notice some irregularities in certain notes and articulation. Oh my, time to clean them. It's a bit embarrassing when the maker of my horns (that would be me) neglects routine cleaning. Valve oiling and slide lubing gets done frequently.

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Croquethed
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 27, 2021 11:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I alternate two horns every other day. One has a nickel silver leadpipe, the other gold brass. So I worry less about "red rot never sleeps" phenomena. Each gets swabbed with a Brass Saver and oiled weekly (unless valves get sluggish, of course) and a bath every other month.

Every 18 months to 2 years, they go up to Jim Becker for the deluxe clean.

Still mirror smooth inside.
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picctpt33
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I’d try to give your horns a bath at least once a month if you’re playing every day
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ethanrevere1
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 7:17 am    Post subject: Re: Cleaning the horn: how often? Reply with quote

Yeah, once every few months should be fine.
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CalicchioMan
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 7:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with Billy B
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trickg
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 9:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've read down through this thread - some of what I'm seeing seems excessive.

When I was an active duty Army trumpet player, I'd give my horn a good once over about once a month, and I had the horn in my hands for hours pretty much every day. It's possible that it may have actually needed a bit more than that, but that's all I gave it.

I have never had issues with a horn due to it being dirty.

I would tend to think that the more you pull the horn apart the more chance you invite to messing something up, such as the valves.
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sanelson
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 09, 2021 10:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with you trickg, I blow out my spit after each practice session, oil the valves once a week along with running my brushes through the horn. Haven't had any problems.
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trickg
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 10, 2021 7:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sanelson wrote:
I agree with you trickg, I blow out my spit after each practice session, oil the valves once a week along with running my brushes through the horn. Haven't had any problems.

Dang - you've been a lurker on this forum for 5 years and this is your first post! Welcome to the battle!

I suppose that if I was a bit more attentive to my horns than I am, the finish would probably last longer - I'm pretty hard on plated horns, and as weird as it might sounds, "lacquer" actually holds up better for me over the long haul.

I've also never been the guy to do much routine maintenance with a repair tech - in the 40 years I've been playing, I've almost never had an issue with my horn that needed a repair tech's intervention - at least not from regular use. I've damaged some horns in some one-off accidents here and there, but I've always found that normal cleaning and lubrication has always been enough. Then again, the longest I think I've ever played a single horn before I moved on to another instrument is probably about 11 years, so there's that.
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HackAmateur
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PostPosted: Wed Jul 14, 2021 12:21 pm    Post subject: How often to clean trumpet? Reply with quote

Here's what I do...

Disassembly carefully all the pieces that CAN be easily reassembled on the trumpet... and clean it in a bathtub with strong dish detergent.

ONCE A MONTH.

I use two mouthpieces, but I clean the mouthpieces using antibacterial 'Dawn' dish detergent every day that I play on them. If I play on both my mouthpieces in one day, I clean them both using the antibacterial dish detergent. If there's anything left at all, every a tiny spec, in my mouthpieces, I break out my mouthpiece brush after already disinfecting/cleaning it with water.

I clean the lead pipe once a month with the rest of the trumpet, but once I get a better lead pipe brush or "snake", I'll be cleaning it probably more often than the whole horn. Currently, my lead pipe cleaning brush doesn't remove everything, only the worst buildups, so tiny residues are still there... which means I need a better brush or snake that more thoroughly cleans my lead pipe.

But, with that said, there's no huge gunk buildup, just small little things that a better lead pipe brush would remove and my current brush can't.

So yeah, I'd clean the lead pipe at least once a week (IF you have a good brush that gets everything). The whole trumpet? Once a month. Mouthpiece? At the end of the day when you're finished using it, EVERY DAY.
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x9ret
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 13, 2021 10:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would say if you haven't cleaned it in a long time then a bath or brush won't be enough. Since you'll probably have some very hardened gunk in there. I put some WD40 oil on the inside of tubes and let it sit for a little then used a cloth on the end of that stick thing to clean then rinse with water. Then even scratch away some hard green bits with the stick. It's worked wonders for an old cornet and piccolo trumpet I have. Feels like I just got a new one out of the shop and the valves work much better too. For my cornet, when I looked in where the mouthpiece goes, there was a buildup around where the mouthpiece sits that I scratched away and the instrument feels far easier to blow now.
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ohiotpt
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 13, 2021 11:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I found a "water-pik" was a nice adjunct to cleaning, especially in the various orifices in the valves, the Amado water keys and the leadpipe. It usually picked off some gunk after other cleaning methods.
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delano
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 13, 2021 11:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bix never cleaned his horn, he was afraid it should lose it's sound. Great idea but on the other side, he died of pneumonia....

Personally I don't like cleaning my horns, I don't like the job and I don't care too much. They play anyway flawless. And more generally, I don't think it's wise to use WD40 on a horn. That's more for old bikes and old cars. It's a last resort thing. Even for stuck slides there are other and better methods.
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