 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jenna
Date: 2001-09-06 22:03
This year, I inherited the old slemer bass my high school owns. The guy who had it before me was a friend, but I still feel weird using his mouthpiece, etc. I soaked the mouthpiece (a yamaha BCLsomethingorother) in lemon juice and that came up nicely.. but what can I do for the ligature and cap (both metal)? They're somewhat tarnished.. dingy.. dirty.. can i soak those in lemon juice as well? Or use a silver polish.. or just every day soap and water and a toothbrush? Or am I just being crazy? =)
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Author: Ted Donaldson
Date: 2001-09-06 22:24
Lucky! umm i would think the natural acids from lemons would mess up metal, whenever i tried to polish my bell on my bass with spit, it sorta screwed it up, so i wouldn't try it. If it bothers you that much, just get a stock 5 dollar ligature and cap from somewhere.
Ted
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Author: CURT
Date: 2001-09-06 22:50
If they are Brass, you can use any Brass Cleaner, If they are silver, just use silver polish. Soap and water will work just fine also!
BTW, for the MP I use Denture cleaner and try not to let the cork sit in the water.
www.MusicMedic.com
Repair Kits Supplies and cases!
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-09-07 15:14
.... try one of the silverplate or nickelplate polishing cloths from your local music store. YES, they'll clean up ... how much depends on how bad they are.
Of course, you should be aware that if the plating is worn rthrough to the base metal, there is little to be done.
[ NOW, $5 dollar ligature & cap? hmmm ... where? I am a reseller & would love to hear about a bass clarinet ligature & cap for $5 ]
Jenna, your local music store should sell a mouthpiece germicide (sanitizing agent) spray (8oz) bottle for about $2.99 to 3.99 (look for the "green bottle")Cleaning your mouthpiece & disinfecting & killing germs ain't just a "to do" when you get/inherit a new instrument. Keeping our mouthpiece's clean is a constant chore.
mw
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Author: jenna
Date: 2001-09-07 21:47
tell me about it, mw.. I soak all of my mouthpieces (sopranos, altos, and bass) at least once a month
i hate when mouthpieces start to get that filmy kind of buildup.. drives me nuts.. so i try to curb it before it begins
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2001-09-08 04:16
Dear Jenna,
mw is right that mouthpieces, especially hand-me-downs are not something that inspires pleasant dreams. Perhaps some of the mouthpiece makers - refacing experts can shed some light on what they use to clean and sanitize mouthpieces. There are two types of "crud" that inhabits mouthpieces - the organic kind (mold, bacteria, mildew, dried food particles, dried mucus, etc.) and the other is an inorganic build-up of minerals (generally the white stuff on the area at the curvature near the tip - next to the reed, and where your teeth contact the mouthpiece - if that is your style). Both kinds of deposits - organic and inorganic - require a different cleaning formulation. Simply sanitizing (previous posts have clarified the difference between cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing) the mouthpiece does not get rid of the dried organic material (usually) and removing the inorganic deposits also does not dissolve the dried organic material. One must be careful with rubber mouthpieces not to use an agent that is too strong (but yet still effective) that might harm the rubber - most denture cleaning formulations are too strong (contain the wrong kind of bleaching agents) for repeated use on rubber. I have tried a number of "music store" brand sanitizers and so far they have all failed on one or the other kind of deposits. A good sanitizer should also contain a good cleaner to remove both kinds of crud.
The Doctor
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