Cleaning the fiddly bits

[JohnnyEuph]

You know the bits i'm on about, between valves, behind tubes etc, how can you get to the them and get them shine like the rest of your instrument?

 

[KMJ Recordings]

I gave mine to my mum

Seriously though, you could try pipe cleaners or a bottle brush.

 

[tinytimp]

I've always been warned against trying to get at the hard-to-reach places in case the small mechanisms etc. get damaged - easily done as some bits are quite small! I tend to leave it and make sure it gets done when my instrument is serviced (around every 2 years).

 

[brasscrest]

Many areas can be cleaned with a soft cloth cut into strips (maybe 3-4 cm wide and 30 cm long, or thereabouts) and passed through, somewhat in the manner of cleaning teeth with dental floss. Make sure not to attack these areas too vigorously, as it is easy to damage the finish, particularly on lacquered instruments.

 

[ian perks]

Elbow Grease:biggrin:

 

[JohnnyEuph]

My Euph gleams at the moment, but there's always a niggly bit around v3 and the compensating crook - nobody else can see it but i know its there

 

[perfect cadence]

john do u have OCD? and can u clean mine cos mine never shines

 

[Di]

We use Goddards foaming silver polish. It is applied with a small damp sponge which you can squish quite easily into little gaps and it rinses off under the shower tap. Saves getting polish on it and trying to rub it off with a duster.

 

[andyp]

Cotton buds are good for the bits behind water keys and other difficult to reach bits.

 

[joseuph]

Glad to hear we love our euphs so much. But what's this about servicing? How often and what gets done? BTW I am ALWAYS having to clean my valves with a brush / valve oil. Would servicing stop me having to do this?

 

[brasscrest]

Short answer - no.

Are you playing on a Yammy? My baritone (Yammy pro 4-valve) is extremely sensitive to any kind of dirt on the valves, so I'm always cleaning, too. My old Sov seemed to be much less fussy about this.

 

[joseuph]

Oh. doesn't seem much point getting it serviced then!

Somebody told me that you shouldn't play just after eating either. Not so much fun wiping off bits of food from your valves!

 

[stevecritchlow]

Just to reiterate what Di suggested.

Years ago I asked Joe Leyden the instrument repairer, the very same question, and he recommended a product called Goddards "foaming silver pad". I buy it from a local hardware shop but I reckon many super markets would have it. It comes in a blue plastic tub, the size of a yogurt pot, and resembles pink shoe polish. You rub it on with a damp sponge, then rinse of with warm water and dry. Sounds odd but it really works, and doesn't leave residue like traditonal metal polish. Its good for difficult places, but also for silver work such as trophies that has intrictae castings etc.

 

[brasscrest]

I use a similar product (it's a different brand name over here). Which is great if you have a silver-plated instrument. Not so good for lacquer, though.

 

[thecapoots]

I use a similar product (it's a different brand name over here). Which is great if you have a silver-plated instrument. Not so good for lacquer, though.

What's it called over here? I usually use Hagerty's spray polish-- it sprays on, you wait for it to dry, then you wipe it off. Not great for tough jobs, but for a quick clean, it's pretty good.

 

[thepirate]

I use a similar "wet sponge" product, this side of the pond, but north of the border. It's brand name is "Twinkle Silver Polish". I have had it for many years, don't know if it is still available, but it works great on the old BBb bass.

Steve...........WSB Toronto.