 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: William
Date: 2009-10-11 16:59
I have been soaking my vintage mouthpieces--Chicago Kaspar, Charles Bay, etc--for many years in a shotglass full of straight LimeAway for about 5 min and then washing them in soap & water. That process has always gotten rid of all the yucky mouth gunk with no discoloration of any kind. Also clean my metal sax mpcies that way with same results. FWIW, I do not use rubber gloves, etc and the LimeAway--or similar household cleaning products that I have also used--has never burned my mouth or my fingers. The soapy wash probably prevents that...... Results, all of my mouthpieces look remarkably "new" and always clean.
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2009-10-12 02:46
Swab it our ever time you finish playing it, and wipe it with a soft dry cloth. That's all that's necessary. Unless you dropped the instrument in a tar pit, nothing more is needed.
If you absolutely MUST clean the small crevices, use a dry cotton swab, making sure that any "lint" from the swab doesn't stick in any of he tone holes. You can even used "canned air" to blow dust from inaccessible places, a long as you use short puffs and keep the nozzle sufficiently far from the pads and corks so the pressure or the cold propellant doesn't damage anything .
Unless you're adept at disassembling and reassembling the whole clarinet, uing any kind of cleaning liquid or powder is asking for trouble.
Better a bit of dirt here there than risking really screwing up the keywork, pads, tone holes, and fine adjustments.
B.
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2009-10-12 09:10
well, ummmmm some ehem "condensation" dripped down the upper joint and left a line (on the outside) and i dont know how to clean gett it off.
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2009-10-12 16:22
Cloth moistened with plain water. If it's stained, though, might as well forget it.
B.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2009-10-12 17:51
Damp cloth (with water) is best. Otherwise, contact the maker. Is it a Ridenour? If so, Tom's excellent about answering questions.
Jeff
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2009-10-12 18:28
a damp cloth with water was the first thing I tried. when it didnt work I was sure someone here would know. You guys always have the answers.
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2009-10-13 12:14
One more time, for emphasis: Unless you're sure you know what you're doing, why bother, and why take the risk?
A pretty instrument is a joy to behold, but it's hardly a necessity.
B.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2009-10-13 13:24
If it is just dust, then use a medium sized hose-painting brush to stab away the dust.
If it is greasy or gummy grime, remove all keys and wash with detergent and tepid water, with a brush.
If it is the green oxidised look.....
Sometimes a soak in weak bleach can restore the black to hard rubber. But note that not too many DIY guys can put the keys back on without messing up something.
But I would not do even try this without removing all metal parts, and a really good rinse afterwards.
Buffing is another approach, but keys and posts would need to be removed.
It is likely however, that the fresh surface will quite quickly oxidise to that green look.
Therefore it's not worth doing.
I agree with bmcgar... "Unless you're sure you know what you're doing, why bother, and why take the risk?"
If it is where some liquid ran down it, then it is no doubt a chemical reaction, and only fine sanding or buffing will take the surface below that stain. For hard rubber that will very likely make the surrounding area look worse, by being blacker an/or duller.
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2009-10-13 13:51
like i said, some "condensation" dripped down the first joint. it left a line. i tried wiping it off it wont wipe off. i'm not talking about just making the clarinet pretty (tho the hard rubber is nothing to awwww over) I just want to get rid of the drip mark w/o ruining the surrounding area.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2009-10-13 14:34
You could also try using a black permanent marker and buffing off the excess ink.
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