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Haven't cleaned my tuba but once in the past 25 years and that was at around year 4 when I lapped the rotors and polished the journals. I clean the mouthpiece every time I use it. I don't use kerosene based lubricants, so the tuba hasn't developed that rank, decomposed petroleum smell. I haven't had the rotors apart in over 20 years, nor have they needed anything but a drop of Binak twice a year.

I look into the main tuning slide a couple of times a year to see if there's anything building up, but there hasn't been anything so far.

My genuine Selman euph is about 2 years old now and it hasn't needed anything done to it beyond the occasional shot of Binak. It hasn't been washed.

OTOH, I clean my trombone about every third gig to keep the slide up to standards. It needs the cold cream washed out on a regular basis.

I use vinegar, then clean it out with Dawn in a bathtub. Works for me.

You may want to search for "vinegar". The topic has actually been beaten to death.

I work here
http://www.questmusique.com/repairs.htm
So I use an ultrasonic tank.

I'd say a professionally done cleaning can be a great help to you every now and then... there's a bunch of regular maintainance ideas that people use, but when a horn gets cleaned by a competent technician they'll often be able to spot little problems before they become big problems.

I've had good luck with the Reka cleaning system (http://www.reka-web.com/english/) for a weekly/monthly "swab job". However it works better around tight corners and through valves if you cut the little ball off the end.

How expensive is it for you guys?

It really isn't that expensive here (although it was in Arkansas). Stelling will do it for around 125-175, depending on valves and dents he needs to remove.

He ultrasonic cleans it, replaces corks and felt stops, removes all dents he can get to, does any necessary valve work (on rotors), and will call if anything he does might cost more.

I have been trying to do a horn every six months... or one year for each horn.

I just like to keep them in good playing condition, as emphasized by my OCD valve oiling.


I have also found minty fresh alcohol works as a good cleanser every once in a while.





p.s.-- some poster on here, chuck/bloke maybe?, thinks that over cleaning the horn kills the "good" germs in the horn, and might actually make the horn more unsanitary. Wish I could remember more details of this conversation.

I have a HVLP blower in the room. After playing, I blow the water out of the horn and slides, then use a trombone sprayer to spray cheap valve oil into the slides before putting them back -- three or four spritzes into each leg of the slide and into the leadpipe. If you don't have a HVLP handy, you could probably use a vacuum cleaner on blow with an adaptor.

I don't play after eating and always brush my teeth before playing. A handy invention that somebody should sell is some kind of screen insert for mouthpieces to catch crud.

SplatterTone wrote: After playing, I blow the water out of the horn and slides ...

like this?

like this?

Instead of blowing from the front side, you blow from the back side. The nice thing about those rotary valve horns is that you can pull out the main tuning slide, put the blow hose there and hit all the rotors and one leg of each slide. Then you put the hose on each tuning leg to blow out the other leg, thus drying out the entire horn. You can't do that with piston horns. If you keep them blown out and oiled, you will always have clean brass inside the horn. No green stuff and no fungus; and you wil have spent maybe 10 bucks a year on cheap valve oil. But there is that 10 minute post-practice ritual to go through.

Alfie72287 wrote:So here's a question that's probably been asked and answered- getting a chem clean with a silver-plated horn...smart or destructive?

Smart. The stuff they use won't harm the silver at all, when done by a pro. The stuff they are cleaning off, however, might be rotting the brass out from under the silver.

Rick "who needs to scrub his Holton to avoid embarassing Blokian chastisement" Denney

Still, I'd stick to just plain soap and water (Dawn dish soap). It's a problem here in Vietnam where most houses (including my high rise apartment) don't have a bathtub--I can't soak it. We also don't get Dawn. I use a local Vietnamese brand, My Hao, which works fine. Don't use powdered laundry detergent--it leaves a a white filmy residue.

tubatroll2088 wrote: Does anyone have any idea if the valve pads on a piston horn will affect the valve action if they are too compressed?

Yes they will. One, if it's not a gradual change, the action of the horn will be very different. Second and more important, the porting will be off and the tone, response, and slotting of the note will be not good.

If you don't feel like completely disassemble the pistons, then delicately hand clean them in the sink or something.

perhaps the most important thing is to think about how you keep your mouth and teeth clean when playing.
for the outside of the instrument, I have been using a new microfibre cloth that works much better than the traditional yellow duster at removing finger marks and water stains.

Cleaning? You mean you actually clean your tuba?

Unfortunately, I've actually heard that.

I agree that preventative maintenance is often overlooked, including brushing your teeth or at least rinsing your mouth with water before you play, and proper individual cleaning and reoiling or regreasing of valves and slides.

Like everything else, there is a happy medium. With piston instruments, it's easy to take out valves, inspect the ports, and clean accordingly. The condition of the 1st valve is probably as good an indicator as any as to whether or not your horn needs a professional cleaning and once-over.

Rotary? I'm not sure my 1971 186 has ever been dipped. When my first valve started sticking really badly after I got it, I planned for the worst and had my tech disassemble it. The rotor was fine; it was the linkage that needed adjustment. So he put it all back together, adjusted it, and everything is fine.

I imagine once every few years that a complete general inspection, including cleaning, is in order. Probably more often if you play a lot outdoors in summer dust or if you tend to snack or sip something besides water right before or as you play. Since my rotor was fine, I didn't have it dipped, but I did have the receiver, leadpipe and paddles adjusted to my ergonomics, with instructions to check everything along the way for leaks, etc., to make sure it was good for the long haul. It is.

The body of the tuba is old lacquer, which, of course, as it comes off with normal wear, doesn't lend itself to polishing of any sort, just a clean wipe to make sure it's dry. The upright detachable bell, scavenged off a St Pete, is nickel plated, so it only needs an occasional wipe down as well.

Digression: I wonder what a St. Pete would play and sound like if it had a decent valve section and bracing....

My Besson, well, at some point you just make sure the valves are well oiled, the slides work, and that's all that can be done. I wouldn't want to say it's starting to get red rot, but on first glance the bell looks like it is rose instead of yellow brass. But I will probably have it gone over for leaks eventually so I can use it for the outdoor gigs, the beer gigs, and any other gig I don't want to have to think about things too much. I still have way too much fun playing it.