rowuk

Any polish will remove some of the silver. The good ones are designed to be gentle.

I tried this and it works!
After bathing my horns and brushing the bore out, I put the horn in the sink with a piece of aluminum foil and a couple of soup spoons of salt, then pour boiling water into the sink until the horn is covered. The oxidation comes off of the horn without polish and it looks pretty good. Less work and less wear on the surface. Silver polish is then only used for the areas that still need touching up.

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

veery715

This works better with the addition of baking soda to the solution. The horn and aluminum must be in contact w/ each other. Aluminum has a greater affinity for the sulfur than silver, and in the solution the two metals in contact act like a battery and there is a small electrical current (electrochemical reacton) set up between them which carries the sulfur atoms away from the silver to the aluminum. The hot water merely speeds the reaction, so if you fear using it the process will work with cooler water and it will take longer.
No silver is removed in the reaction, and considering the cost of the materials it is a pretty handy method, lacking only portability.

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Music = Love

uapiper

Would salt not destroy the silver plate over time, kind of like mild steel and some types of stainless.

I have used a product called Nevr Dull on silver and it works great. It comes in a can and is a cotton candy consistency. it works quickly but doesn't seem to keep tarnish off very long.

__________________
Yamaha 8335RGM B Flat
1947 Conn New York Symphony B Flat
Olds Ambassador (I had to try it). B Flat
Bach TR300 (First trumpet) B Flat
Conn 18B Director Cornet (Coprion)
King Tempo Cornet
DEG Signature Flugelhorn
Barrington Flugelhorn
Conn Director tenor trombone (Coprion)

silly...boy

mrmusicnotes

I am under the impression that you should only use warm water when cleaning your trumpet.Boiling water may damage the finish, and aslo damage any plastic valve guides and rubber seals.I use a little ivory dish detergent with warm water,rise and dry good.Bach puts out the best polishing cloth,one side removes dirt and tarnish., and the other side polishes to a mirror finish

veery715

SALT will not damage your horn. It is brass, not stainless steel, under the silver plate. The salt in the bath splits into sodium and chlorine ions, and these charged ions (the sodium ones) grab the sulfur and move it from the silver to the foil. The baking soda adds even more sodium ions for the process.
Any polish works by the use of fine abrasives. These will eventually wear through the silver plate. Judicious use is advised. I have seen many pros play on crappy, dull-looking horns. The sound is not changed by polishing, and they probably spent that time practicing.

Boiling water:
I don't know where there are rubber seals in your trumpet. I have numerous horns w/o rubber parts. Some folks do have rubber orings above the bottom caps. Just remove them first. The plastic used in the guides can withstand boiling water. HOWEVER, the bathing is best done with the valves, top and bottom caps, removed. I always wash these by hand, one at a time so they don't make contact with each other and get scratched.

__________________
Music = Love

stchasking

Instead of salt and baking soda try:
Calgon water softener and Arm and Hammer washing soda,
or
Raindrops water softener
or
Arm and Hammer Fabricare in powder form.

Special Metal Cleaners, Inc. - Cleaning Silver Made Easy This is an aluminum plate and instructions.

You can also use a piece of aluminum extrusion or plate from your Home Depot or Lowes or hardware store. Raw Aluminum works the best.

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"I was performing professionally at age 17 and have never had a real job." Allen Vizzutti

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uapiper

Of course salt will damage brass, it will cause de-zincification. I would imagine it would require a lot of exposure, it would contribute to red rot. Exactly the same thing.

I'll stick to Nevr Dull, I have never had a problem with it and it works on silverplate and raw brass.

__________________
Yamaha 8335RGM B Flat
1947 Conn New York Symphony B Flat
Olds Ambassador (I had to try it). B Flat
Bach TR300 (First trumpet) B Flat
Conn 18B Director Cornet (Coprion)
King Tempo Cornet
DEG Signature Flugelhorn
Barrington Flugelhorn
Conn Director tenor trombone (Coprion)

silly...boy