 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: smk
Date: 2011-05-05 18:17
What causes mouthpieces to lose their glossy black finish and turn shades of grayish green? I clean calcium deposits on my mouthpiece by putting it into a denture cleaner solution for 15 minutes or so, periodically. But this does nothing to restore the black finish overall. Is there a practical way to avoid the discoloration (other than switching to a glass mouthpiece)?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2011-05-05 18:49
The culprit is all that nasty sulphur in the hard rubber that your mouthpieces are made of. If you don't like the look of the 'army green' colour, get new mouthpieces.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ursa
Date: 2011-05-05 19:40
Washing a mouthpiece in water that's too warm can discolor it, as can prolonged exposure to sunlight.
Wash it in cool water, and keep it inside a case when not in use. I have a hard rubber "closet queen" clarinet and mouthpieces from the 1950s that are still jet black because they, quite literally, rarely saw the light of day.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed
Date: 2011-05-06 01:02
That is why I have vowed to only practice in the dark or during an eclipse.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tony F
Date: 2011-05-06 10:20
I had the same problem with a favourite Selmer mouthpiece that over time turned into a sort of camouflage grey-green. I tried various "infallible" remedies suggested by more experience players, but none really worked. Finally, I bit the bullet and gave it a light working over with fine steel wool. Immediately I had a black mouthpiece again. It didn't change the playing characteristics in any way, and I keep it that way by occasionally giving it a rub with beeswax lip salve. I've done it to many discoloured mouthpieces since, and it works every time. I don't need to say that the steel wool should be fine, the type used by cabinet makers and furniture restorers, and the process should be done with great care. I use lemon juice to remove deposits in the mouthpiece, works like a charm. The only glass mouthpiece I ever really liked shattered into a million pieces when I dropped it.
Tony F.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2011-05-06 13:10
The other way to deal with a discolored hard rubber mouthpiece is to regard the color as "fair wear" and just ignore it. Some of my older mouthpieces, bought with used clarinets and saxophones, look greenish. I do check those mouthpieces carefully before purchase, to make sure they haven't distorted. Sunlight (as on a flea market vendor's table outdoors) can not only discolor hard rubber but warp it badly. Once a mouthpiece gets out of shape, odds are strong that it'll never play well again even after refacing.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2011-05-06 22:58
If all else fails, have you tried a black Sharpie? ![[rotate]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley25.gif)
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Kingstunes
Date: 2016-11-07 11:51
Being a repair tech for 30 years, I am still plagued by this problem. You all think you have it bad, I have a Conn bass clarinet body that I ran through the Ultra-sonic cleaner that went green on me. I didn't realize it was rubber until I saw the result. I am always looking for ways to restore hard rubber bodies and mouthpieces, and I will try both the Brasso and ammonia attempts. But what I can tell you is that in ever episode it appears to be a surface level problem of varying depth, but not always deep enough to tackle. After all kind of attempts, my most current approach is to.....hold on to your seats.....SAND the damn thing. I use as high as 400 grit paper or stropping strips to get it down to the black, then start polishing with 900 then 3600 grit micro-mesh strips. I get them from JL Smith. Beyond that I may buff. The really insidious problem is that it's really tough to deal with around the posts, tone holes, etc and you're still left with patches (depending how much of your precious life you want to spend making it perfect for far, far less than the job was estimated for. Those of you not doing it for money may have better results....LOL!)
In any case it's a matter of actually removing the affected material from the body / mouthpiece. Where bodies are concerned you can have your way as long as you're not near the tone holes. With mouthpieces, it may be better to have a green Otto Link rather than mess up the lay or the tip. Jes' sayin'.......
tkingston
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2016-11-07 14:36
Try soaking it in a 50/50 solution of Clorox bleach and water for a couple of hours.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2016-11-08 04:44
If you play a mouthpiece like this long enough will your teeth turn the same color? (Joking)
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tony F
Date: 2016-11-08 09:54
I've very successfully restored green/grey/brown hard rubber clarinet bodies using a leather dye as suggested on the Ridnenour site. Remove the keywork and clean the body thoroughly with alcohol to remove all traces of grease, oil and dirt. Then apply Fiebigs "USMC Black" leather dye with a suitable applicator (I just use cotton buds). Apply to the whole exterior of the body including tone holes and allow to dry.
When dry, rub it down with a damp cloth to remove any excess. If necessary apply a second coat. Rub down as before. Don't worry about getting it on metalwork, posts, rings etc, it doesn't stick to metal and wipes off easily. I've used this method on dozens of hard rubber clarinet and oboe bodies and it works perfectly every time.
I wouldn't do this with a mouthpiece, but it works perfectly on bodies. I've only ever used Fiebigs dye, so I can't say if it will work with other products. Note, this is not a coating process, so it will not affect the size (and therefore the tone/tuning) of the instrument. No thickness is added, just a colour change.
Tony F.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris J
Date: 2016-11-08 14:29
Very fine wire wool and a buffer (great care not to touch table, tip and rails) will take a great deal of surface discolouration off
EDIT
I did have photos here showing half a mouthpiece being treated and the other half not, but Photobucket terms of service change has meant I have removed the links to them [8th July 2017]
Chris
Post Edited (2017-07-08 20:32)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clived
Date: 2017-07-07 19:53
Hi
Does anyone know of a source that sells the Helin bass clarinet cleaning mop (product code 1840) or a similar product ( i.e. not a pull thru swab, but a long brush type object which is specific for the bass clarinet).
Helin and other European suppliers don't seem to reply to email enquiries.
Thanks,
Clive
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GeorgeL ★2017
Date: 2017-07-08 18:30
Is it just me who received a bunch of PhotoBucket Spam with Chris J's email?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2017-07-08 18:34
He's got to update his photobucket account to allow other web servers to show his pictures
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GeorgeL ★2017
Date: 2017-07-08 18:36
Is it just me who received a bunch of photobucket spam in the middle of Chris J's email?
The attachment is a JPEG picture from the Snipping Tool; it is harmless, unlike the original and two other in Chris's post.
George Libman
Tucson
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris J
Date: 2017-07-08 20:07
Hi
It looks like a couple of days ago, Photobucket changed their service, and started to charge $400 to allow pictures to be seen on other web sites.
Only just finding out now, having had an email to say there are new posts on this thread.
I can't investigate much as I am away on holiday with just an iPad, and have limited connection. If the charge stands, then the links to the images can be removed as I will not be paying.
Chris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: lisseyjj
Date: 2017-07-12 23:42
i recently picked up a holton collegiate metal clarinet. i need to give it a full repad and thorough cleaning. came with a selmer c85 115 mouthpiece with some lovely discolouration and ligature shadowing. mouthpiece is also stuck in the metal neck. previous owner clearly didn't store it properly. i also had a bunch of original boosey and hawkes mouthpieces to match my 1934 horn. by the advice of dawkes music i was told to bin the mouthpieces because of the discolouration as it was "harmful". absolutely kicking myself right now as my instrument would have been worth a lot more with the original mouthpiece, not knowing what i had at the time. now i use a rico reserve x5 (purchased under the recommendation of dawkes) and it is awful on my instrument. incorrect bore size means incorrect tuning between registers. got marked down on my grade 5 significantly because of the tuning and it was the difference between a pass and merit.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: frenchbow44
Date: 2017-07-13 02:09
Try using wenol and a paper towel. Always works for me. You just need patience, and a little time.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
