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Ok, got an odd one here: I'm going to be buying a mpc that has a striking, mottled patina that gives it a copper-like appearance that I'd like to preserve in something close to its present state of lustre. (It REALLY looks handsome against the silver body and gold trim of my Virtuoso.)

Any ideas on how to preserve the patina and arrest further tarnishing?

Thanks.

How about those Anti-Tarnish Strips? You could put them on now so there is barrier to further tarnish. That's how I think they work.

Be careful....as David says, make sure the plating is still intact...which, if it's developing a copper-like patina, it sounds like it isn't. Raw brass is toxic and could cause a nasty reaction on your lips. It may look cool, but it probably isn't a good idea to play on it.

The patina is surface tarnish. I polished the cup (inside of the bowl), top of the rim and backbore, and CAREFULLY inspected the outside of the rim, the bowl, and the shank shortly after receiving the mpc for play-testing, and can say with 100% confidence that the plating is 100% intact.





As to the possibility of "brass poisoning," I have my doubts as to the existence of said malady. While there is ample evidence in the corpus of medical literature for dermal sensitivity (allergy) to raw brass, there's none that I know of that suggests absorption of brass through the lips might cause systemic symptoms of toxicity. If you can point me to medical literature that does suggest dermal contact as the cause of toxic reaction, I would certainly be interested in seeing it.

http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/toxicol/20 ... 03678.html

http://www.bio.net/bionet/mm/toxicol/19 ... 01554.html

It is possible that at one point, mpcs were commonly made out of leaded brass (a copper-zinc-lead alloy) owing to its easy machinablity, which might have led to the erroneous attribution of the toxicity to brass, rather than to lead.

For sanitary reasons, I wash my mouthpiece after I use it in clear water. I do it to make sure bacteria don't find a home on the rim, in the cup or in the throat of a mouthpiece. If I see anything besides shiny metal inside the shank, I brush that out. I do not have colds (have not for about 12 years, now) nor do I have allergic reactions to mouthpieces ( I am hyper allergenic). Honestly, I would not touch a mouthpiece that looked like yours and can not understand why anyone would want to preserve it in that shape.

The patina is TARNISH from SITTING ON A SHELF IN A CLOSET for 2-3 years.

I wipe down and rinse my mpcs—including this one—inside and out with a 70% solution of ethyl alcohol after use. I guaran-dam-tee it's cleaner than a mpc cleaned with only water.

After looking at your picture, I understand what you're saying...that is definitely tarnish on the silver plate, and not brass patina. My apologies for the misunderstanding--I tend to associate the word "patina" with the brown coloration found on old raw brass horns, and not silver tarnish. Sorry!!