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I've seen some articles about bathing your horn with vinegar. I've some questions about it:
1. Which kind of vinegar do you use?
2. Do you need to dilute it?
3. Will the vinegar react to the lacquer? ( I'm using a Yamaha lacquered tuba)
4. Will it corrode the metal of the tuba?

Thanks for your advice

Arthur

Arthur plays tuba wrote:I've seen some articles about bathing your horn with vinegar. I've some questions about it:
1. Which kind of vinegar do you use?
2. Do you need to dilute it?
3. Will the vinegar react to the lacquer? ( I'm using a Yamaha lacquered tuba)
4. Will it corrode the metal of the tuba?

Thanks for your advice

Arthur

1. Whilte distilled vinegar (available from your grocer in one gallon jugs).
2. You can, if you want it to work more slowly, but dilution isn't necessary.
3. No.
4. Not if you rinse the tuba afterwards. Any reaction with the metal will be very slow in any case.

I read an older post about using vinegar as a home-brew acid bath. I had a little vinegar left in a gallon bottle that I put in a sterlite container with some warm water. I put the slides from my tuba in the acid for about 10 minutes and then checked on them. I removed the extra slide grease and submerged them again for another 20 minutes. The slides turned out REALLY clean. All I needed to do was wash them with a little dish detergent and then polish the slides to a shine. I never thought vinegar would do as good of a job as it did.


I don't know that I would recommend dipping your slides for 30 minutes in UNdiluted vinegar. Mine was diluted about 2-3 parts water and 1 part vinegar.

I figger if folks have been drinking the undiluted stuff for years, it isn't going to hurt your horn much.

Anyone remember Dr. Jarvis? (Or am I dating myself again?)

is that the guy that recommended drinking a glass of water with a tablespoon of vinegar in it every day?

Jonathantuba wrote:Has anyone tried malt vinegar - will it work the same?

Probably, but try this before you do:

On a dinner plate, place approximately a half teaspoon each of white distilled and malt vinegar. Allow to evaoprate completely. Examine the residue.

I like malt vinegar on my fish, but I'd keep it out of my horn.

I've used vinegar on the inside of my tuba before. I poured about a quart into the mouthpipe and rotated the horn to different positions and let it sit in each position for about 20 mins.

Once I thought that the main tubing was "done," I poured some into each of the valve slides. After that I removed the rotors and let them sit in vinegar until they were clean. Everywhere I could see inside the horn was shiny and clean.

I used clear vinegar, undiluted.

The horn smelled like vinegar for months, totally obnoxious. I went to a repairman for a chemical dip the next time I wanted to clean my horn's insides.

Vinegar for the rotors is an OK idea.

When I vinegared mine, I was worried it might smell like vinegar, so I just followed the vinegar soak with a soak in lemon-scented dishwashing suds, followed by a thorough rinse. I wound up with no vinegar smell whatsoever.
___________________________
Joe Baker, who is coming up on a full year since he did this, and will do it again after his daughter's graduation hullabaloo dies down.

Vinegar is a great detergent to be used all around the household. I use vinegar essence (MUCH more concentrated than the stuff you use on salads) and it does wonders to fat burnt in your oven or chalk-covered faucets.
Back to the topic: after the vinegar bath I make sure I thoroughly rinse the horn with lukewarm water and maybe a little detergent. To deodorize my horn further still, I squirt some (very little) of a certain japanese herb oil down the bell. This way it won´t mess with the valves. It has a very intense menthol odor and works well on your breathing system, too.
(This stuff is recommended to be used in a hot bath or in the sauna to help with colds, so its vapor actually is meant to be inhaled)

Hans

Can slides or valves be soaked in Vinegar overnight or for several hours?? I soaked my valves yesterday for just shy of an hour and it did a good job, but I wondered if I could have left it in the solution longer for better results.

tubafreaks7 wrote:I was told by someone to use muriatic acid.

SOunds like a really bad idea to me especially if you don't know exactly what you are doing. Muriatic Acid is another name for Hydrochloric acid.

Amy

wes wrote:

tubafreaks7 wrote:I was told by someone to use muriatic acid.

Muriatic acid is an industrial form of hydrochloric acid. It will react violently with water if you attempt to dilute it.

No kidding...

Hydrochloric acid is NOT the way to go!!!!

However, if you do (for whatever strange reason) go this route NEVER add water to acid...always acid to water.

Acid will etch brass. I found that using acids (including vinegar) pose greater problems than it solves. You have to rince/flush every part that has been exposed with clean water until all the acid is gone, if not, watch out. If the point is to clean the horn, warm water and dish soap should work if done regularly.

Muratic acid is great to clean a limestone fireplace, bricks, etc.

Sylvano wrote:Muratic acid is great to clean a limestone fireplace, bricks, etc.

Not to mention that it's an integral part of this stuff (true!):

tubafreaks7 wrote:I was told by someone to use muriatic acid.

Death in a bottle. It's used to clean rock or concrete. Don't even think about it.

vinegar as was earlier discussed in this thread.