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RE: Cleaning supplies

Author: paul
Date: 1999-07-20 21:54

Don't use a polishing cloth, either. Not that there are chemicals in most of these. Rather, there is a 000 grade abrasive in those cloths that literally sandpapers off the surface of the metal, silver and all. You could almost use the polishing cloth to sand down your natural cane reeds instead of very fine sandpaper. Not that you should do it, but that's how abrasive the rouge cloths and most polishing cloths are.

That's why I personally go for the least abrasive and least toxic method of tarnish control. I keep the horn stored in its manufacturer supplied case for the tightest fit possible. Since for me the clarinet is just a fun hobby, I never take my expensive wood/silver horn outside in the weather unless it's in its case and then it's covered by a gig bag and even a plastic trash bag when it's raining or snowing. Even then, I try to park as close as I can to my tutor's place, so the horn and its case have a minimum exposure to the weather. I never take the horn outside to play it. I don't have to do it for either marching band or gigs, since I'm way too old for marching band and I'll never be good enough for any gigs. I always swab out the bore, clean up any excess water from anywhere else, clean off any extra cork wax, and wipe my fingerprints off the keys with a clean soft cloth after every session (highly recommended by Buffet as a major tarnish prevention technique), and I use a tarnish prevention strip in the case with the horn. The strip lasts for about 6 months at a time with normal daily access to the horn in and out of the case. I never store any soft rubber items (pencil erasers, rubber bands, etc.) in the case, nor do I put any low grade metals (binder clips, paperclips, etc.) in the case. It's bad enough that I have two different grades of metals for my two ligatures, but I keep them separated from each other and from the horn as much as possible. If my spit rag gets really wet from cleaning the horn, I hang it out on my music stand for a couple of hours under the air conditioning vent to dry it out before I put it back in the case. I use a separate good clean (not used for cleaning the bore) and soft spit rag for wiping off the keys. That's all I do and all I have done for a couple of years now. The keys still sparkle almost like they are brand new. There is no risk of damage to the pads or the keys. No mess, no fuss. Easy and cheap.

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