 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Asain
Date: 2006-10-21 19:18
I need help on how to clean my mouthpiece.
I am going to try and describe the situation as best as I can. The top area of my mouthpiece has dried white "stuff" along the edges of my mouthpiece cushion and on the sides of the top area of the mouthpiece. I am taking individual band pictures soon, and I don't want to have a dirty mouthpiece when my picture is taken. Does anybody have any tips?
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Author: hans
Date: 2006-10-21 21:42
Asain,
Plain vinegar works for me. It's easy to find in a grocery store.
Regards,
Hans
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Author: Max S-D
Date: 2006-10-22 02:32
is the white "stuff" flakey? Does it scratch off easily? Do you have dry, chapped lips? If you answered yes to all of the above, it's probably little skin flakes (eeeewwwwww) from your lips that come off when you play. This stuff rinses off in cool water.
Don't use hot water on a rubber mouthpiece, since it can warp the rubber. I wouldn't even use warm water, as it discolored my Borbeck Custom, which now looks like an "old" mouthpiece, even though I've only had it for a year. Plays the same, though.
The best long-term solution?
Burt's Bees Lip Balm. It's the only thing that really works for me.
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Author: bumblebee10
Date: 2006-10-22 18:39
"Plain vinegar works for me"
yikes! maybe it works but I wouldn't try it (no offense)... imagine the taste doesn't go!! I personally use dosctorsprods mouthcleaner like Gregory Smith said^^.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2006-10-23 09:07
I have used a white vinegar soak and light brushing to remove the hard mineral deposits. It is very successful, and after a good rinsing, leaves no taste. Try it!
Doctors Product productg works well too.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2006-10-24 01:06
(Disclaimer - I make a mouthpiece cleaner)
The active ingredient in vinegar is of course acetic acid which will pretty readily dissolve the white calcium carbonate deposits on mouthpieces. In saliva there are other metals and minerals which form carbonates and sulfates that deposit on mouthpieces too. Some of these are not readily dissolved by acetic acid alone. Over time these deposits further react with other molecules in the air and saliva to form even more difficult to remove deposits. Acetic acid in vinegar is also is a poor mold, bacteria, and virus killer which survive on organic deposits of skin cells and food particles inside the mouthpiece. Used regularly, with the aid of a soft toothbrush, it works pretty well however. The best preventative measure is to flush out the mouthpiece with cool tap water after every playing session to remove all the aforementioned culprits. Really encrusted mouthpieces may require other chemical treatments which are engineered to remove or chemically alter the deposits which make them more easily dissolved.
L. Omar Henderson
Post Edited (2006-10-24 01:08)
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2006-10-24 02:05
I've found a rinse of room temperature water (not just the cold, mind you) under the faucet quite effective.
Perhaps it only works that well in hard Los Angeles water...?
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2006-10-24 02:46
Cool-Room Temperature-Luke Warm (not hot) tap water all work well. A cool experiment is to adjust the stream into the window opening of the mouthpiece (a little playing around as to angle and direction is needed) to get the water to jet out both the tip opening and out the bottom bore in a jet stream at both ends (shows some of the Physics properties of the mouthpiece airflow design!) In my mind this is a very efficient rinsing method but from bottom or tip window opening downward or upward is probably just as good too. You can tell I am way too AR in this process! If this thrills you I suggest you need mental help therapy too!
L. Omar Henderson
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Author: William
Date: 2006-10-24 17:11
I use straight Lime-A-Way, soaking the tip of the mouthpiece in a shot-glass full for about 5 min. After that, the white gunk comes off easily with a paper towell and it looks like new. I then rinse the whole mpc with soapy water and clean the inside chamber with a small brush. In fact, I just cleaned my Chicago Kaspar last week and am thinking its probably time to clean my rubber and metal sax mpcs as well. Works for me.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2006-10-24 17:34
(Disclaimer - I make a mouthpiece cleaner)
Lime-A-Way contains about 3% citric acid, 10% hydroxyacetic acid, and 7.5% sulfamic acid and the rest water. Based on a recent supermarket shopping trip each treatment would be about 60-70 cents for a 2 oz treatment. The ingredients are most probably safe for hard rubber with the exception of the sulfamic acid which can react with the sulfur in some older mouthpieces to form the classic green or brown color. The inside of the chamber can also form deposits which are not readily removed with soap and water and I never put any brushes into my mouthpiece. But, whatever works for a person is their choice.
L. Omar Henderson
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2006-10-24 21:35
TKS, Omar, a fine chemistry lesson for us. Mixed acids [20%] even tho organic, seem a bit much. I'm sure we should warn to NOT use H2O2 [Hydrogen Peroxide] solutions partic. on H R mps? Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Cuisleannach
Date: 2006-10-26 04:27
What's wrong with having a crusty mp in the picture? It shows you practice!
-Randy
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Author: Steve B.
Date: 2006-10-26 13:48
Crust on the outside. Ok maybe....
But on the inside on the baffle, chamber, & window. Changes the geometry.
No thank you.
Steve
Post Edited (2006-10-26 14:00)
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Author: FDF
Date: 2006-11-02 20:35
Tried vinegar to clean two mouthpieces today with excellent results. First I cleaned an old Woodwind C7. I poured a half ounce of white vinegar into a tubular 3” glass that is 1 ¼ inch in diameter, perfect size for a mouthpiece. I immersed the mouthpiece for five minutes then rinsed and dried. Results were noticeable after one application, a second time left only teeth marks. After such good results, I tried another application on a Selmer C* I bought this summer. Green deposits were evident within the walls. One five minute immersion in white vinegar cleaned this mouthpiece to look like new. Rinsing the mouthpieces with water eliminated vinegary odor.
The vinegar was 88 cents for a 16 ounce bottle, or about 2.5 cents an application. I cleaned two mouthpieces for 8 cents.
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.
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