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cleaning/polishing/plating queston

Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 8:48 am
by aaronz28
here is my recent acquisition - its a Gnagey/York/King - i really like the horn, but might invest some $$$ into having it cleaned/detailed
i don't mind the look of raw brass, but i'm not a fan of the soldering -

what can be done to make this horn look more presentable? any ideas/suggestions?

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Thanks

Aaron

Re: cleaning/polishing/plating queston

Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:09 pm
by bort
Has anyone ever gotten a Gnagey tuba totally refinished? I know there are obvious reasons to NOT do this, but come on... it would look cool, right? :)

Re: cleaning/polishing/plating queston

Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:11 pm
by aaronz28
what is the not so obvious reason?

i'm considering that very thing
thanks

aaron

Re: cleaning/polishing/plating queston

Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:20 pm
by bort
Whoops, sorry... Sam Gnagey prefers to NOT refinish the tubas before selling them. I believe the main reason is because of the OLD bells, and buffing/sanding to get a smooth surface would remove too much material, and could adversely affect the tuba. Those tubas are a highly custom job to begin with, so taking it all apart, buffing it, plating it, and putting it all back together is kind of risky. It might not play as well when it's put back together, and there's no way to know up-front.

Re: cleaning/polishing/plating queston

Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 12:22 pm
by Dan Schultz
aaronz28 wrote:what is the not so obvious reason?

i'm considering that very thing
thanks

aaron
In my opinion... the reason to NOT have a horn refinished is that in order to get the brass ready for lacquer or plating... much material will be sanded, buffed, and scraped away to obtain a perfect finish. Rest assured, the horn will not be the same ever again.

There are only two things I would consider doing to that horn... 1) Leave it the way it is and enjoy the patina that comes along. or.... 2) Have it bead (or soda) blasted and lacquered for a satin finish.

Having said that... I would lean toward the #1 option.

Re: cleaning/polishing/plating queston

Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 1:57 pm
by UDELBR
aaronz28 wrote: i'm not a fan of the soldering -
If the solder's the problem, have a good repairman clean up the solder joints with a scraper and do some ragging.

Re: cleaning/polishing/plating queston

Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 2:42 pm
by aaronz28
sounds like a plan -
anyone have Kevin Power's email?
he's in Monroe, MI

Re: cleaning/polishing/plating queston

Posted: Fri Feb 28, 2014 3:01 pm
by Dan Schultz
aaronz28 wrote:sounds like a plan -
anyone have Kevin Power's email?
he's in Monroe, MI
Last I have is POTTAMUS@aol.com" target="_blank