 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: nron
Date: 2016-04-02 03:19
Hello all
I was wondering if anyone has any tricks for cleaning up their clarinet other than taking it to the technician. I'm looking to achieve something hopefully half as good as the Kessler music horns that I see sometimes in google image searches; the gleaming key work and polished wood look.
Thanks bboard
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Author: BartHx
Date: 2016-04-02 20:07
The Doctor offers a wax specifically for instruments. However, I find that easiest to use when the keys are out of the way. Once it has been waxed, the wood can be kept looking quite nice by going over it lightly with a micro-fiber cloth each time you put it away.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2016-04-02 20:34
Other than wiping whatever you can reach, you probably can't get what you're looking for without taking the keys off. If you can do that and re-assemble everything on your own, a good wipe-down with a lint-free cloth for the wood and a microfiber cloth for the metal should do a decent job.
If you aren't comfortable taking the keywork off, or, worse, don't think you can get it back together, take it to a technician intact at the beginning rather than in a bag of loose parts halfway through.
If the keys are plated, be wary of using any kind of metal polish that removes metal with the tarnish. The instruments in those images you see on Google have been cleaned with cosmetics as the main value, and the cleanup may have been done at the expense of the clarinet's ability to function at its best.
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-04-02 21:29
Don't use any liquid metal polish to clean the keys while they're on the instrument as it can get into the key barrels and cause wear or make them bind up solid. Just use a dry cotton cloth (an old T-shirt will do) or a silver polishing cloth which can be very slightly dampened to make it work better. Use a water spray bottle that gives a fine mist and only a couple of sprays of water at the most to activate the silver polish should you need to. Never wash a silver polishing cloth and always keep them sealed in a plastic bag so they don't dry out or collect dust which can scratch up silver plate.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: jbutler ★2017
Date: 2016-04-03 00:15
I think the Dr. Product's wax is similar to Renaissance Wax. It's a good product. I like to clean the clarinet body with Orange Glo cleaner and soft tooth brush if the body isn't too grungy. I will not hesitate to wash a clarinet body in warm water with Dawn if it is really nasty. I carefully clean all tone holes and bore. I then follow with a good oil submersion using an oil mixture that I've come upon that really does a great job. I usually keep the instrument body for two or three days in the oil bath.
jbutler
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2016-04-03 04:32
For most cleaning jobs I just use a damp (I use demineralized water to avoid stains) microfiber cloth. You may add a single drop of dishwasher liquid to reduce the water's surface tension to get better results with really dirty keywork.
As universally recommended, don't overdo it and spend your time practicing rather than polishing. :-)
--
Ben
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