How do you keep your horn shiny?

khedger · Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:35 pm Post subject: How do you keep your horn shiny?

What kind of materials/routine do you use to polish your horn? I used to use some stuff from 3M called TarniShield. Don't know if it's made anymore. It worked great, but was very messy to use. I have recently acquired a horn that I want to keep clean -- so what do you guys do?

keith

LittleRusty · Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 8:43 pm Post subject:

Tarnishield for me. I don’t find it particularly messy.

I also purchased some anti-tarnish cloth and made bags that I store my silver horns in.

arthurtwoshedsjackson · Veteran Member Joined: 20 Aug 2020 Posts: 159

Silver plate? Haggerty (like the smell) or Wright’s (like the sponge applicator). Both sparingly to preserve the plating. Both work fine. I keep anti-tarnish strips in the case.

Raw brass? Brasso or leave it unpolished.

LittleRusty · Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 9:30 pm Post subject:

wilder · Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 9:50 pm Post subject:

Haggerty

Robert P · Heavyweight Member Joined: 28 Feb 2013 Posts: 2596

Baking soda and aluminum foil for silver plate. Clean the horn inside and out thoroughly with soapy water - really clean the outside with a soft cloth or sponge with soapy water. Carefully wrap the horn in aluminum foil. Have all the other silver plated pieces in/on other pieces of foil.

Boil water in a couple of big stock pots - like a 15 quart and and 7 quart, carefully pour the water into a plastic tub large enough to completely submerge the horn - be careful, the steam is going to come back up at you. And of course splashing yourself with boiling hot water is bad.

Dissolve say a cup of baking soda in the hot water - stir it good with a wood spoon or the like. Carefully place the horn and parts wrapped in foil into the water. Most of the reaction will happen close to immediately but let it soak for a while, remove using silicone tipped tongs or wait for the water to cool enough to remove by hand. Should come out sparkling - as it's been explained to me the chemical reaction removes the sulfur which causes the tarnish without removing any silver. The foil turns grungy. If you want to hit it again you can use another pot to refill the same boiling vessels with the same water and repeat. You'll need to use fresh aluminum foil. I set the tub on a towel to absorb any water that make splash out while transferring the used water back into the boiling pots.

You're going to need to wash the exterior of the pieces again to get rid of baking soda residue but overall it's a lot less messy than using silver polish and you're not taking any of the silver plate off.
_________________
Getzen Eterna Severinsen
King Silver Flair
Besson 1000
Bundy
Chinese C

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

Chinese Flugel

Jerry · Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 10:14 pm Post subject:

Here it is on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Scotchgard-Tarni-Shield-Silver-Polish-8-Ounces/dp/B01M037TXD/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=3m+tarnishield&qid=1610777552&sr=8-2

LittleRusty · Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 10:26 pm Post subject:

The baking soda and hot water method is highly discouraged by Jeffrey Herman, a well respected silversmith. That said, I have used it on hard to remove marks where the Bach grime gutter tarnished the silver. (Who knew those were not intended to be left on after purchasing?)

If you do use that method be prepared to shine up your horn more often when compared to something like TarniShield that has a tarnish inhibitor built into the cream.

Robert P · Heavyweight Member Joined: 28 Feb 2013 Posts: 2596

Frasse · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2021 3:25 am Post subject:

Personally i stopped applying any sort of polish to my instruments years ago. I have found that just wiping the instrument off with a good microfiber cloth every time i play is enough for me. It doesnt remove actual oxidized silver (of course), but it is surprisingly effective. And if i really need spotless shine at some point, that shine is maintained for much longer by wiping it after every use.

As a bonus i am positive the instrument will stay in better general condition for longer if you remove all the sweat, moist, salt and dirt frequently.

I did experiment with aluminium foil some 10 years ago, but i found that the oxygen just moved from the silver to the brass parts (insides of slides). Perhaps it was just the composition of the brass alloy in that particular trumpet...
_________________
Bb: Bach Strad 37
C: Bach 229 Laskey conversion
Cornet: B&S Challenger 2

GeorgeB · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2021 6:16 am Post subject:

You'd be surprised by how nice a silver horn looks if you clean it now and then with Windex. Makes the brass horns look shiny, too.
_________________
GeorgeB
1960s King Super 20 Silversonic
2016 Manchester Brass Custom
1938-39 Olds Recording
1942 Buescher 400 Bb trumpet
1952 Selmer Paris 21 B
1999 Conn Vintage One B flat trumpet
2020 Getzen 490 Bb
1962 Conn Victor 5A cornet

LittleRusty · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2021 10:38 am Post subject:

Jim19043 · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2021 10:42 am Post subject:

Before I switched to trumpet, I played flute for 20 years. I learned that the oil and other residue from our skin can promote silver tarnish. The first and best line of defense I found was just as Frasse wrote: clean the instrument with a microfiber cloth after every session. I particularly like the blue microfiber cloths from UltraPure: they are nice and big, and stand up to washing.
I also keep a 3M anti-tarnish strip in my instrument case, and changed it every few months.
Once a silver-plated horn is clean, this regimen will reduce the need to use polish.
_________________
Jim19043
1998 Bach Strad L180S72
GR 3MX

Robert P · Heavyweight Member Joined: 28 Feb 2013 Posts: 2596

darksmoke · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2021 9:20 pm Post subject:

Anyone know of anything similar to the 3M Tarnishield but for a lacquered finish instead of plate? My axe is slowly gaining little spots of wear around contact points. I may be in a lacquer minority here
_________________
Bach 1B
-Reeves 40ES DM
-Giardinelli 4*
-Callet SC6

Cornet2Trumpet · New Member Joined: 09 Dec 2020 Posts: 9

https://www.dillonmusic.com/yamaha-silver-polish-cloth/?sku=210000001954&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj_Pdv52i7gIVujizAB1V4wllEAQYBSABEgJEtPD_BwE

..for silver plated horns, this rag is all you need.

LittleRusty · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2021 9:29 pm Post subject:

People sometimes use clear nail polish on those areas. I think some techs use lemon pledge, or something like that, to shine the lacquer.

khedger · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2021 10:48 pm Post subject:

Crazy Finn · Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2021 11:51 pm Post subject:

camelbrass · Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:31 am Post subject:

I've had silver instruments stored in their cases for 10 years and just a spot touch up with silver polish and a session with a micro fiber cloth has bought them back to new. Maintenance regime is just the odd rubdown with the microfiber cloth again.

I've got a 1936 Olds in lacquer and nickel that was also stored and only ever needs a wipe down for finger prints.

The real problem was mouthpieces which had a reaction with the lining of their pouch.

Regards,

Trevor