 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bob Redstone
Date: 2002-12-11 13:32
Do you think cleaning a mouthpiece with the product oxyclean, an oxegen bleach would be safe? I tried it on my sons old plastic mouthpiece, and it seemed to work well.
Thanks
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2002-12-11 17:40
Dear Bob,
This product should not be used on hard rubber mouthpieces. There are other molecular oxygen generating systems that are safe for rubber mouthpieces but are a little more chemically esoteric than OxyClean which may discolor. We have had several recent discussions on mouthpiece cleaning which you should search. The elements to clean are either organic - food particles, bacteria and mold growth, and inorganic deposits - uusually the white accumulation that you see on the rails and inside the MP. There are individual cleaners for the inorganics which include the mild acids - e.g. vinegar, citric, etc., and bacteriacidal, fungicidal, organic matter dissolving agents. There is a combination cleaner (I sell this product)and possibly other dual action products on the market which are not very expensive given the price of mouthpieces.
The Doctor
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Author: amy
Date: 2002-12-11 17:48
Cleaning a mouthpiece with oxyclean may seem like a good idea now but after a whiile it will erode the mouthpiece and eventually it will be unplayable. I have found that the best way is to clean the whole clarinet (removing the mouthpiece first as this will also damage the mouthpiece eventually) using the cleaner (a cotton or silk one is best). Do this everytime you play it.Then, about once a week, submerge the mouthpiece into lukewarm water. You may have to reapply the corkgrease afterwards.
I hope this method works for you too.
Amy
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Author: Benni
Date: 2002-12-11 18:25
I clean my mouthpiece basically in the same way Amy has described, except when I wash with water, I first swish it around in some very diluted soapy water, then rinse it by swishing in a tub of clean water and drying it with a chamois. Those old margarine tubs everyone seems to have lying around are great for this!
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Author: Ben
Date: 2002-12-11 20:26
Don't listen to Amy if you like your mouthpiece!
Washing a rubber mouthpiece in warm or hot water can warp the facing.
This also means one should not drink hot liquids while playing either.
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Author: bob gardner
Date: 2002-12-11 20:52
I'm not being paid to post this (bummer) however I just cleaned three mp using the Dr. mp cleaner and it works great. After soaking for 15 minutes i then rubbed each with mineral oil. They look and play as good as new.
i soak clothes in Oxclean and not mouthpieces
bob
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Author: Kat
Date: 2002-12-12 03:11
Hmmm...not to knock the Doc, but I've had a little less success with the mp cleaner. I love the bore oil though!
Any idea why the "calcium"-type deposits on my almost 20-year old Borbeck didn't go away, Doc?? That's what I was hoping would disappear...
All in all, though, I think the Doc is the man when it comes to clarinet products!!!!
Katrina
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Author: Dee
Date: 2002-12-12 03:15
Ben,
Amy specifically said lukewarm not hot. Lukewarm is around body temperature and would not harm the mouthpiece.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2002-12-12 13:10
Dear Katrina,
Like many products, the "Doctor's MP Cleaner" (which I sell)and the attendent instructions, are for cleaning the middle of the Gaussian curve deposits. The product was designed, and extensively tested to be safe for hard rubber MPs and remove both organic (dried carbon element food particles, and mold, bacteria, and mildew colonies), and inorganic (mineral deposits - often whiteish) deposits. As with any chemical reaction the rate and effectiveness are substrate (amount of material), time, and temperature dependent. With increased amounts of substrate you need more cleaner, and more time - I would not increase the temperature above "luke warm - appx. 30 degrees C". I also would not just add more cleaner but repeat the process a couple of times for those "stubborn cases". Often the deposits will be partially dissolved and may need a little help with a cotton "Q" tip or soft cloth scrubbing the area with fresh cleaning solution. Subsequent prophylactic normal cleaning should remove all accumulated deposits.
At a couple of Clarinefests I offered free MP cleaning to demonstrate the effectiveness of the product. Of course I got the worst examples of MPs that I had ever seen to clean (other than the Beta test site at the local Upper School). A couple of "one the spot" expert MP refacers refused to work on some of the examples brought to them without a primary cleaning and sanitizing procedure. All that I can say is that those experts present, and a number of patrons were very pleased with the results with plastic and even expensive vintage MPs. I had to repeat the cleaning process up to 3 times for one MP.
(Mark- sorry if this is too self-promoting but it is as about as objective as I can get).
The Doctor
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Author: Bob
Date: 2002-12-12 14:00
I was under the impression that "self-promoting" was applicable only to non-sponsors.
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Author: Mark Charette, Webmaster
Date: 2002-12-12 19:50
Bob wrote:
>
> I was under the impression that "self-promoting" was
> applicable only to non-sponsors.
No, it's applicable to all. "The Dr." has one of the finest lines to balance on of all my sponsors and generally does an admirable job of keeping us informed without overindulging us with advertising for his products.
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