In a message dated 2/21/2004 3:01:43 PM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> Please excuse my naivety. I've had lacquered and 'unlaquered by wear' horns > but I've never owned a horn that has been 'delacquered' or > was unlacquered > from onset. If the horn is unlacquered, the spots might be from some water that was allowed to dry onto the horn. The impurities in the water are left on the surface, and effects how normal tarnishing proceeds. There is also the possibility that the spots come from a more caustic liquid drying on the horn, such as solder flux. Unless the spots are etched into the brass so you can feel them with a fingernail, there should be no problem. A little Brasso should remove them. If the going is real tough, apply the Brasso with a nylon abrasive pad (Scotchbrite) equal to OOOO steel wool. At Home Depot, it's usually the white pads. If its still persists, go to the next coarser grade until you get it. Then work your way back through the finer ones to remove the scratches left by the previous pad. If you want to bring the brass to a really high polish, use the Brasso on a soft cloth. Personally, I like the finish left by the white pad, and it makes polishing go so fast, and I can quickly touch up spots anytime. If you're going to do a thorough polish of the whole horn, take a piece of plywood larger than the bell, and get some mirror mounting cleats at home depot. fasten the bell rim bead to the plywood with the cleats, and you can put it in a vise or clamp it to a rail. With the horn held like that, you can do the polishing with long, thin strips of cloth. Put the strip all the way around the tubing, and work it with both hands. You'll probably find you can rotate the horn at the bell so you can get at everything. Use a thin stick to thread the cloth all the possible places. Once you've done it this way, you'll kick yourself for how much time you've wasted in the past by not having the board. _______________________________________________ post: [EMAIL PROTECTED] set your options at http://music.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
