 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: donald
Date: 2024-10-02 15:58
Hi there,
My wife and I between us have a number of those Vandoren plastic mouthpiece caps... and several of them have (over a few years of storage with other ligatures/caps etc) developed a really yucky STICKY patina.
A colleague replied, when I mentioned this, "oh yes, everybody knows they do that, it's annoying".
So DOES "everyone" know they do that? Is there something we can do to prevent this (it doesn't appear to be a product of contamination or being stored "next" to anything), OR even more useful- an easy way to get this sticky patina OFF.
BTW it also happened to a Rico/D'addario reed case- the black plastic surface (outside) has gone all sticky. Very annoying!
I'm interested in other peoples experience, I'm fairly confident that 1) I'm not doing anything "wrong" or out of the ordinary AND 2) I'm not imagining this.
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Author: Mojo
Date: 2024-10-02 17:15
On the SOTW forum members posted that the newer caps have a different material and texture that does not do this.
Some liked using rubbing alcohol on the old ones. Others ran them through the dishwasher. Some just got new ones.
MojoMP.com
Mojo Mouthpiece Work LLC
MojoMouthpieceWork@yahoo.com
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Author: Hunter_100
Date: 2024-10-02 23:25
Soft plastics break down over time, turning back into the sticky goo from whence they came. Not much you can do about it. Exposure to heat, sun, high humidity might speed up the degredation. The solution would be for the companies to use more expensive plastic blends that have more stabilizers in them. Or just use a metal cap.
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Author: donald
Date: 2024-10-03 02:19
Darn it, was hoping for some kind of trick like "mix vinegar with peanut butter and it'll wipe off". :-)
Dishwashing liquid makes a difference, not sure it makes enough difference.
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2024-10-03 09:03
Perhaps it's a special kind of plastic made by mixing vinegar with peanut butter 🤔
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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Author: JTJC
Date: 2024-10-03 20:59
I've found methylated spirit (wood alcohol) gets rid of that.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2024-10-04 08:21
>> I've found methylated spirit (wood alcohol) gets rid of that. <<
It didn't when I tried it, in addition to quite a few other solvents. Some of them helped and improved it but didn't completely remove the stickiness. No where near enough to make it usable.
I haven't tried it on a mouthpiece cap, but I had this happen to the handles of a pot, and the stickiness was completely removed in the dishwasher... so maybe put the cap in a dishwasher. Though since it's the material itself, it could just happen again later I guess.
When it first happened I asked about it too, and couldn't find a solution. I found older non-Vandoren mouthpiece caps I had - I think they are BG but not sure - and it just doesn't happen with those. I've had them long before I had the Vandoren ones, used them for years and then sitting in a drawer for years too, no stickiness.
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2024-10-04 09:37
Rubbing compound for cars might do it .... it seems to work well for breaking down surface oxidations and restoring a smooth and shiny finish to anything containing polymers.
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2024-10-04 10:23
Ps.
I actually use the 3M brand rubbing compound for gel coat. Works great for polishing paint finishes, plastic car headlights, Perspex and softer plastics . I can't remember what I did before I had it on my workshop shelf.
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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Author: JTJC
Date: 2024-10-04 11:04
I used it on a D'Addario reed case, as per the OP's question, and it worked. Perhaps those cases have changed in composition over the years. I've also use methylated sprit on other objects and it worked.
My impression was that the stickiness is from a 'soft touch' coating on a 'plastic' base, rather than the type of plastic itself. Otherwise, why wouldn't the inside of the cases become sticky as well?
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Author: donald
Date: 2024-10-05 11:41
JTJC- if it worked for you on the reed case (which I care about the most) I'll give it a go and report back. Don't care too much about mouthpiece caps, but we'll see if it helps (dishwashing liquid worked well on one of them and not the other).
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Author: donald
Date: 2025-11-09 16:05
Oh lordy, it turns out that Vandoren uses the same plastic on the BASE of their reed trimmers... and yes, the base goes sticky after time. Brad Behn told me not to use the Vandoren trimmers, he described them as "over engineered" I recall, but I went against his advice and got one because I wanted the V12 tip shape. I've come to regret ignoring his advice.....
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Author: David H. Kinder
Date: 2025-11-10 00:18
I use Mothers VLR (Vinyl, Leather, Rubber) to clean my laptop palm rests and other textured rubber/plastics. That may be helpful?
Ridenour AureA Bb clarinet
Ridenour Homage mouthpiece
Vandoren Optimum Silver ligature (plate 1)
Vandoren Traditional #4 reeds
ATG System, Cordier Reed Trimmer, and A.L.E. Reed Balancer
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Author: Michael E. Shultz
Date: 2025-11-10 15:28
i would not recommend the use of methylated spirit (wood alcohol) on a plastic mouthpiece cap, or any other object that could come in contact with the mouth, even if only indirectly. Methanol is toxic.
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
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Author: hans
Date: 2025-11-10 23:49
I have a pair of "cocoon" sunglasses that became sticky.
Thank you for the cleaning advice.
Hans
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Author: Bennett ★2017
Date: 2025-11-11 00:23
FWIW, I have had success with the baking soda slurry, (as mentioned in the IFixit article cited above.) In my case it was with a sticky Garmin GPS but it's worth trying in on the mp caps.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-11-11 21:32
There's NO danger of methanol poisoning using methylated spirits or isopropyl alcohol on anything as it fully evaporates well before you're going to use it. It's not as if you're drinking it neat and besides, there's probably other toxins contained in the various plastics, ebonite and other materials your mouthpieces, ligatures, caps and reeds are made from as well as other outside factors.
Remember that oxygen itself is also pretty toxic stuff, even though we heavily rely on it to survive. And alcohol won't suddenly cause anything made of plastic to crumble to dust in a split second of it being used on it.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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