Any health issues known due to stainless steel mpc?

[ghmerrill]

Virtually all stainless steels contain some nickel. If you are allergic to nickel, even to a minor degree, this may be an issue in using a stainless steel mouthpiece.

"Surgical" stainless steel will not avoid the problem. Some years ago I smashed my right knee by tripping over my wife's motorcycle stand and driving the knee straight down onto the concrete floor of the garage. Broke the patella into three major pieces. The orthopod at the hospital put it back together with three "surgical steel" screws (looked like decking screws on the x-ray). They apparently glossed over my report of my mild nickel allergy. (Not my normal orthopaedic surgeon, by the way. He wouldn't have done that.) When it didn't heel over a period of several weeks, the surgeon conceded that probably the problem was because of the nickel in the alloy used in the screws and removed them significantly earlier than he would have preferred. It then healed just fine.

Years later I had the knee replaced -- with a titanium knee (which is also coated). No problems whatever.

Nickel keys on instruments don't seem to bother my fingertips at all. But I absolutely am unable to wear stainless steel glasses because the areas where they rest on my ears develop an itchy rash over time. Have to go with titanium.

So I think a nickel allergy may be a problem for you. You could have this checked out by an allergist to be sure. Or just avoid long-term contact with stainless steel on sensitive areas.

[Three Valves]

Non really topic related, but I've had really bad itchiness, and rash develop from using wooden mouthpieces not to mention the woody taste that stays in your mouth for days.

Would you guys just get girlfriends and stop making out with your tubas already??

SHEESH!!!

Sorry too ugly to get one

I compensate for lack of Tom Brady looks with Tom Hanks charm, and Bill Gates $$

[Ulli]

So I think a nickel allergy may be a problem for you. You could have this checked out by an allergist to be sure. Or just avoid long-term contact with stainless steel on sensitive areas.

Thank you for your input. I'll avoid contact with the stainless steel mpc for awhile.

[Ulli]

Would you guys just get girlfriends and stop making out with your tubas already??

SHEESH!!!


Sorry too ugly to get one

And that's why we may also wet our mpc rim like a dog: shlapp shlapp shlapp

[ghmerrill]

Google (related to this particularly type of dense heartwood) comes up with these: "irritant, sensitizer, nausea, asthma, pink eye"

A lot of the "exotic" hardwoods from tropical regions are quite oily or contain compounds that discourage insects. Think about how that might work on your skin over time.

If I were to think of making a mouthpiece from wood, I'd look for a close-grained dense and light wood. Maybe dogwood? Or ash? Or hard maple? Not even sure about those. Then I'd finish the hell out of the surface with something appropriate and be vigilant about restoring that on a regular basis. But I doubt seriously that I'd use a wooden mouthpiece unless it was somehow the only option.

[southtubist]

I know a guy that is really allergic to nickel. He can't play a stainless steel mouthpiece for very long. He uses titanium or gold plating.

[VinceHB]

My lips started reacting to silver mouthpieces, so I bought a fresh gold plated one, no difference. Bought a stainless mouthpiece, still no good. I saw that Blokepiece rims could be titanium/ceramic coated, so I got one with the delrin profundo spacer, and I that did the trick.

A couple of weeks later, I tried the mouthpiece without the spacer, and only the very center of my upper lip reacted to the stainless cup. Time for more profundo.

[GC]

Health issues? Don't drop one on your foot, especially shank first.

[GC]

True. One of them, either.