Klarinet Archive - Posting 000160.txt from 1997/02

From: Frank Garcia <fgarcia@-----.EDU>
Subj: Mouthpiece cleaning
Date: Fri, 7 Feb 1997 11:08:44 -0500

I have a wierd question. Some of my students have expressed their disgust
at the appearance of my mouthpiece which has a white, chalky ring around
it. I joke around about it with them, calling it "barnacles" and "cheese".
I Have never been able to get totally rid of this stuff. I have tried
scraping it, vibrating it in a jewelry cleaner and plain old soaking in
soap & water, but none seems to do the trick. Any suggestions? Are there
any chemicals I could use that are non-abrasive, won't discolor the
mouthpiece and won't kill me?

Frank Garcia