I just gave my horn to my local repair technician for an acid bath. I cleaned it recently with my usual hydrogen peroxide and dish detergent recently, but I figured it was time for some heavy artillery. My thinking is, just what kind of dirt ends up getting into a horn over time?
(1) Waxy buildup from lubricants (2) Metal oxides (3) Proteins (mentioned by the tech guy) (4) Slime/mucous-like gunk (schleim (Gr), glaire (Fr)) (bacteria mixed with oral debris, food particles, algae perhaps. and maybe some of the proteins. (5) Small mammals, pencils, lint from the velvet in the horn case or from the air, children's toys, and wrong notes and clams, canards (ducks), etc. Just kidding about the small mammals, but soap might get the oils, but probably not the 'waxy buildup', and hydrogen peroxide probably only gets certain organic materials. Will the 'acid bath' pretty much really get everything? Or, do I need to 'nuke it from orbit, just to be sure?' Bob Dickow Lionel Hampton School of Music _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
