TubeNet

This, applied to places where the horn makes contact with you, just might do the trick:

LV wrote:

DP wrote:wash the outside of your horn in the tube with a mild soap, rinse it thoroughly, dry it, and wax it with a good cream wax

I was wondering if that would help...

I doubt it--the stuff will wear off in no time at all. This stuff may be a little tougher, since museums use it on objects that are to be handled. It dries fairly hard and resists fingerprints:

DP wrote:Here's a thought: send it to Dan Oberloh for a chem clean, inside and out, and have it buffed and lacquered!

Great idea,, Dale, but then it wouildn't be a raw brass horn any more!

I'm thinking that the poster doesn't want to toss much money into the instrument and is looking for a "quick fix". How about this:

Wear long-sleeved shirts

Which reminds me of the cotton gloves I've seen some sensitive St. Pete owners wearing.

You might try Metalwax.com I think it might be like Rennaisance wax

Get some "Mystic" plastic tape from a stationery store and apply it to the parts that you normally touch. It will protect your hands and also will prevent your perspiration from corroding the brass. You have a wide choice of colors. You can always remove it if necessary. If any adhesive remains on the brass you can dissolve it with "goof off", available in any hardware store or Homey Depot. If you don't protect the brass in that way you can wear a hole in your horn just by holding it.

In college, I used to get a reaction from an old brass sousaphone, and it seemed to be triggered by
raw brass + sweat. Just handling it wasn't a problem, but after a few hours in the hot sun, it'd get annoying. It was a great playing old Conn though, so every year I'd just deal with it.

On my current tuba, there are a few spots where the lacquer has worn off, but I typically don't sweat when playing indoors, so it's not as big of a problem.

One problem I have had though is some skin irritation from the thumb ring (which is pretty worn down) - any suggestions specific to that (are they easy to replace - I have an MW 30)?