Mouthpiece cleaning/care

[stephennutt2011]

Hello all,
So i've got some used MPs I bought and they have the usual crud inside them.
Does anyone have tips for getting them nice and clean? I have washed them several times and theres still some residue inside the shank as well as the cup.

[sethbrown]

When I clean my mouthpieces, I usually mix a little rubbing alcohol in with some very hot water and let it sit a while. then, I take a thin cloth and a thin rod and push it through the shank and it works perfectly.

Note: If the outside of the mouthpiece is dirty and you do it, it will look like the finish is burnt, which is not the case. The tarnish had simply burnt onto the mouthpiece. If you let it soak in Tarn-X, it will remove that and then obviously run water over it and scrub it well because Tarn-X smells not too pleasant.

[TYA]

Any suggestions for an all raw brass mouthpiece?

[opus37]

Most folks on this net will tell you not to use a raw brass mouthpiece. You can get a reaction to the zinc in the brass that you will not like very much. So the advice for a raw brass mouthpiece you really like is to get it replated or replace it with a new one.

[TYA]

Most folks on this net will tell you not to use a raw brass mouthpiece. You can get a reaction to the zinc in the brass that you will not like very much. So the advice for a raw brass mouthpiece you really like is to get it replated or replace it with a new one.

The cup and shank are raw brass but the rim is silver plated. The cup is just tarnishing or something.

[Ken Herrick]

Another CLR job, regardless of brass, silver, etc.

What I do is a hot water rinse and wipe with a soft cloth EVERY time I use a mouthpiece. Makes for an easier warm up in cold weather too.
Also make sure I brush teeth or at least rinse before playing. This also means the tuba stays cleaner too. I do give my regularly played instruments a full clean every 2 - 3 months. I HATE dirty, stinking instruments.

A little regular "maintenance" can prevent a lot of problems.