rsgtjc

I recently picked up a silver plated '74 strad; there looks to be things growing down past the bell that could possibly be some sort of new life form.

I have only been playing two years and have only maintained my Prelude, which would normally just get a bath in warm water and mild soap every couple of months. Pass the snake through a couple of times and all is good.

Can I soak the horn for a protracted period of time with out damage?
Is there any kind of "solvent" I can concoct, i.e. mixing bacon grease and vodka in a martini shaker whilst reading verses from the Book of the Dead,
that will cut down on the srubbing?

Any help is good help.
Thank you all.
Ron

cornetguy

The best thing you can do is take it to your repair tech and have them do a chemical flush on this. That should get rid of any thing in there including crud that you can't get with the snake and warm soapy water. Plus you get new springs, felts corks...

One can soak the horn in warm soapy water for a while without damage, wouldn't reccomend anything else.

Richard Oliver

Ditto.

rowuk

Metal can be left underwater for an almost indefinite time without damage. Felts need to be replaced if they have been soaked and I wouldn't leave corks under water for more than an hour or two.
Believe me, what may be growing in your horn already exists on earth and has not destroyed any other life forms!
If you can get the stuff out yourself, the horn will be clean. Getting it checked by a pro will make sure that it is in the best playing condition possible!

PSH

Dawn dish soap. It cuts through grease like you wouldn't believe, and doesn't do any damage to the horn. Just add a little bit to the water the horn will be soaking in and let it sit for a while, then you can go about your regular cleaning rituals.

~PSH

rsgtjc

Thank you all for the help.

Ron

stchasking

Poor some Lysol through it when you ready to rinse.
The center for toxicological research in Atlanta used Lysol to kill E-bola.

Be sure to rinse it out. Don't drink the Lysol, it will kill you, too.

johnmarkpainter

I just put my old Silver Yamaha in the Dishwasher. Plays great now.
Remove Felts. Put Valve Casings and Bottom Caps in the Silverware holder.
I ran it through twice (Valves were sluggish).

DO NOT DO THIS with a Laquered Horn as it will either melt and or remove the Laquer.

jmp

rowuk

jmp,
I would be concerned about dishwashing powders (if you use them) attacking the solder joints.
I also don't see how the inside of the trumpet would get cleaned. A good bore-brush and elbow grease really seems to be the optimal method! Only high temperatures could cause the laquer to "melt". If the laquer surface is damaged, water under pressure could peel off more.

johnmarkpainter

I didn't use Soap.
It gets VERY hot in the Dishwasher. Especially if you run an "AntiBacterial Wash" cycle.
At the very least Laquer gets cloudy/spotty.

I put the horn in at a slight angle and lots of water gets inside.
The Valve casings and pistons get VERY clean.
Soaking the horn is best for mos tof the inside though.