Question on protecting a horn

[mlorrison]

I just got my Conn 25J back from Mizell Music in Hagerstown, Maryland. It was well worth the wait! I couldn't afford the silver plate and I really don't like the gold lacquar look so I just had him leave it in bare brass. I've see plenty of horns like this that look good as long as you clean them and with my OCD about cleanliness I think it'll be alright.. haha My question is when I hold the horn theres one place i put my left hand all the time and I was wondering what type of soft fabric like maybe deer leather or somelike that i could possibly wrap around the tubing there so number one i have something soft to grab hold of and also to protect the horn from just the everyday touching of my hand. Hopefully some of ya'll know what I mean and am looking for. I'll have to post pictures very soon of my horn before and after.

[Dan Schultz]

Some folks have 'wraps' custom-made to lace over parts of their horn. There has been a great bit of discussion about what type of material to use and it generally comes back to either leather or something like Naugahyde... as long as the material is free of chemicals and acids.

I don't use anything over my bare brass horns except for a good grade of automotive wax. Avoid any cleaners that contain ammonia.... that includes Windex and the like.

By-the-way.... you have a 'double-post'. It can be simply deleted if you do so before someone replies to it.

[mlorrison]

Thank ya sir! I think i might just try the wax and not go for a wrap of some sort. We have a family business and it so happens to be a carwash so i don't know where one might find some good quilty wax. haha

[MikeW]

How about handle-bar tape, from a bike shop ? I seem to remember seeing leather-look tape on a fancy touring bike.

[ggdadams]

Super c citrus soap from the bandroom (available online) cleans bare brass horns really well and removes ugly green or brown tarnish. Plus it appears to be citric acid based so it is safe for brass.

Ammonia based cleaners also clean well (many brass cleaners have ammonia) but ammonia can cause brass cracking in the long term so that is the reason for avoiding them.

Some leather (depending on the tanning process used) can accelerate the tarnishing process on silver or brass so you might be better off using a synthetic fabric protector.

I have just tried coating a bare brass tuba with Coricone 1700. This has been discussed on this board and was Tinker's suggestion originally. I followed it up car wax. Looks great! Will see how it holds up. Dan, any comments on your experience with Coricone 1700 and how well it lasts?

[Dan Schultz]

..... I have just tried coating a bare brass tuba with Coricone 1700. This has been discussed on this board and was Tinker's suggestion originally. I followed it up car wax. Looks great! Will see how it holds up. Dan, any comments on your experience with Coricone 1700 and how well it lasts?

I experimented with the Coricone for a while and just sort of let the idea pass.... for no good reason other than I just had other stuff to dwell on. My Marzan 'slant-rotor' still bears some to the finish five years after I applied it. I think the combination of the Coricone 1700 (which is actually a sealer rather than a cosmetic finish) in combination with car wax works well.

[roughrider]

This has probably been posted somewhere else however: Is there any problem in using windex or similar on a lacquered or nickel plated horn? Thanks.

[ggdadams]

Thanks Dan! Dan makes a good point on the Coricone 1700, it is a sealer not a finish or lacquer. Goes on super thin so it was easy for an unskilled peron like me to apply it without runs, drips or thick areas. I let it cure (takes days at room temperature) and polished it afterward with a soft cotton cloth (nothing else, no water, polish, etc., just a dry cloth) to remove any extra sealer and any areas that looked slightly hazy. Took some rubbing but came out looking good.

I would recommend against using windex because it contains ammonia. The ammonia won't hurt modern lacquer but there is a lot of evidence that ammonia can cause brass to crack,especially anywhere the brass has been stressed from operations like bending tubing or removing dents. I have been using Super C or very mild dish soap (minimal additives, lots of water, not much soap) on my horns. Even so, rinse the instrument with a lot of clean water to remove all soap residue. I usually use the garden hose outside for the final rinsing.

[Sandlapper]

Windex makes an ammonia free glass cleaner of their product for people who have window tint films installed in their cars. Seems the Ammonia turns the film tint a purplish bronze color in reaction to to the ammonia. I've found ammonia free window cleaner in the car care section of the box store as well as the auto supply stores but not in the local hardware store or building supply store.

I don't know if the ammonia free stuff would do what you want, but it does a pretty good job cleaning windows in the car. Would 409 work?

John