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Re: Plain water discolored my mouthpiece

Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2008-07-30 10:34

Hard to tell. You are just on the other end of reactive sulfur molecules in your old mouthpieces that were put into a chemically reactive state by something in the water. Usually the reaction is accelerated by heat, sunlight, reactive oxygen molecules - e.g. ozone (although this is not an oxidation reaction) and perhaps a metal catalyst - the most common are zinc, iron, manganese, etc. which form the intermediate chemical situations that allow sulfur to react with these inorganic ions to form the more stable colored sulfur compounds. Old mouthpieces are best kept black by keeping them cool (other than the 37 degrees C from hot breath) and out of sunlight. I also wax the outside to prevent interaction with some oxygen. The basic culprit is the excess sulfur migrating to the surface of the mouthpiece and this is variable between batches of hard rubber. The most complaints that I hear about changing coloration come from old Selmer mouthpiece owners. In modern rubber manufacture there are stabilizers and UV inhibitors which slow the tendency of color change and modern catalysts do not require the huge excess of sulfur used for vulcanization in old rubber manufacture.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com

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