I have never had my horn professionally cleaned except at the time of valve replating (every 20 years or so) but have used valve oil very liberally (at least once if not twice per day) along with regular snaking of the leadpipe. That seems to have avoided valve and other problems, except for clams. I tend to worry about what chemical reactions and metal degradation might be encouraged by certain acid baths.
Tom Reicher -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Robert Dickow Sent: Monday, November 15, 2010 12:56 PM To: 'The Horn List' Subject: [Hornlist] Horn cleaning 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/treicher%40cooley.com This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message. If you are the intended recipient, please be advised that the content of this message is subject to access, review and disclosure by the sender's Email System Administrator. IRS Circular 230 disclosure: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachment) is not intended or written by us to be used, and cannot be used, (i) by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) for promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
