Tarnish

[DaTubaKid]

I've had my silver Miraphone 1291 for about 2 years now. For most of the past two years, I have had very little tarnish. A little bit poked up here and then, but nothing drastic. Towards the end of the school year though, I got my horn chem cleaned and have been seeing TONS of tarnish on my horn. It's been all over the place.

I do play outside twice a week, but I did that last summer (before the chem clean) and this summer (after the chem clean) with there being a lot more tarnish now.

I know tarnish has come up as a topic before. Is it possible that the chem clean is made my horn more susceptible to tarnishing? Is there something I should be doing to protect it (such as silver polish creme and stuff)?

What dost thou thinket, TNFJ?

[Chuck(G)]

I don't think the chem clean had much to do with it. Ostensibly, your tech thoroughly rinsed your horn out after using his cleaning solution.

Atmospheric sulfur is the culprit behind silver tarnish. If you live in an urban area or have heavy industry nearby (or even mineral springs), you'll get airborne sulfides.

I suspect that the factory used a coating to keep the instrument from tarnishing in storage. This may be anything from a low-tech wax to high-tech polymer coating.

When you store your instrument, you may want to toss a few anti-tarnish strips in the case. These act as sacrificial agents to combine and absorb the airborne sulfur before the silver on your tuba does.

[DaTubaKid]

Could the chem clean have removed whatever protective anti-tarnish coating it had?

I typically don't store my horn in a hard case a few reasons. My dad and I built a cubby for me to put it in to make it easier to practice, and my hard case is at school. Since I'm usually putting 2 or more hours of practice on this horn, it's in the nice carpeted cubby almost all of the time.

I live in a suburb outside of Chicago...darn Chicago...

[Chuck(G)]

Could the chem clean have removed whatever protective anti-tarnish coating it had?

That's what I was trying to say, even if I didn't succeed.

You may want to look for an anti-tarnish coating. Google around for "silver anti-tarnish coating" and see what comes up. Failing that, a good microcrystalline wax might work.

I typically don't store my horn in a hard case a few reasons. My dad and I built a cubby for me to put it in to make it easier to practice, and my hard case is at school. Since I'm usually putting 2 or more hours of practice on this horn, it's in the nice carpeted cubby almost all of the time.

Ask your dad to install a door on the cubby. Just cutting off circulating air will help a lot.

It could be worse--you could be living in Mexico City.

[MartyNeilan]

WWBW has tarnish prevention bags on clearance sale.
http://www.wwbw.com/Gillis-Tarnish-Prev ... 6xeZ9d9vMA
Not a bad deal for around 20 bucks, plus 5 for shipping.

[pulseczar]

You may want to look for an anti-tarnish coating.

Hagerty's boasts anti tarnishing properties in its products, and 3M makes some good anti tarnish strips.

[bill]

Hagerty's Silver Smith Polish is a really good choice for this type of application. It goes on clear (spray can application) and clouds up when it is ready to wipe off. You should have the best success wiping (and polishing) with a microfiber cloth. I have found these cloths at anywhere from Wal-Mart to the Dollar Store. They are very soft. The reason I use Hagerty's is their claim (and it seems to be true) that using it leaves a one molecule thick coating of new silver on the plating. Other polishes remove some of the silver when used. Use it in a well ventilated room, though.

[Dan Schultz]

Were you storing your horn in it's case during its earlier life... BEFORE you built the 'cubby'? Storing a horn in its case with stave off tarnishing quite a bit. It's exposure to atmosphere that causes the tarnishing. If you have gas heat in your home... ESPECIALLY if it's an unvented gas flame... you are going to get lots of sulfur in the air. If you keep your horn in the 'cubby', try putting a dry-cleaning bag over it.

[DaTubaKid]

When I'm at school, the horn is always in my altieri gig bag unless I am practicing it.

When I'm at home (summers, winter break, holidays), it's in the cubby and not in a bag/case. The first summer I had the horn I was on a tour with an orchestra in Europe, so it was in my hard case most of the time. Last summer was when my dad and I built the cubby, so last summer and this summer it has lived in the cubby.

In a couple days I'm going to take the horn at back and take care of business...by polishing it of course . I've got Wright's Silver Polish, so hopefully that should clear things up a bit.

On a barely relevant note, I finally got off my lazy *** and replaced the spring in my horn with yamaha euphonium springs and the difference is amazing! I've never enjoyed playing my horn so much (and when I take care of the tarnish, I'll enjoy looking at it too!) and it really makes working on band excerpts like the Hindemith Symphony a lot more enjoyable.

Thanks for your help/advice guys.

[sc_curtis]

Hagerty's Silver Smith Polish...

Watch out!!! If you live in Califonia, it will give you cancer!!!!

But, if you live anywhere else, you'll be ok...



At least, thats what the label tells me....right?

[oldbandnerd]

This is a surefire way to stop tarnish !!!!:

http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y23/jt ... IM0147.flv

[Chuck(G)]

You know, atmospheric pressure is about 14 lb/in². I wonder if a thin tuba bell could survive the seal-a-meal treatment.

[Dan Schultz]

You know, atmospheric pressure is about 14 lb/in². I wonder if a thin tuba bell could survive the seal-a-meal treatment.

Those things won't draw a perfect vacuum, but I think I would still be concerned about a 22" bell! I can tell you this.... if you put 14psi INSIDE a tuba, you are certainly going to challenge the integrity of the solder joints in the larger sections... and possibly split the stack and damage the bell!

Anyone out there willing to do a little destructive testing on a York, Martin, or Holton?

[DaTubaKid]

Ya know, we've got a seal-a-meal in my house, and I've sworn to never touch one after I move out of my parents house.

It's nothing personal about the product. It's a great idea and it works.

But we vacuum seal almost EVERY food product. Specifically, we get fresh meat in the forms of whole cows/pigs every once in a while, and that's a lot of meat. As the resident work slave (which I partly earned by not finding a summer job), the vacuum sealing all falls to me and my brother.

Again, cool product, I just don't ever want to see one again. It's on that list of things that my parents do that I plan on never doing...

Does anyone have a bag large enough to seal-a-meal a tuba?? Garbage bags would be the only thing I can think of, but they might be a flimsy. Plus, I'm not sure how the actually melting/sealing thing will work with them.

[Chuck(G)]

Does anyone have a bag large enough to seal-a-meal a tuba?? Garbage bags would be the only thing I can think of, but they might be a flimsy. Plus, I'm not sure how the actually melting/sealing thing will work with them.

There's a similar reusable product that has a permanent one-way valve that's used for sealing up clothes and bed linen and such. The vendors demonstrate by deflating a bed pillow and a pile of sweaters to a flat package.

A vacuum cleaner is used as the pump and the bag seals with a sort of Ziploc seam, so there's no machine, just the bags.

If you want to try this with your horn, be my guest.

http://www.merchantamerica.com/spacesav ... egory=4283

[Dean E]

Hagerty's Silver Smith Polish is a really good choice for this type of application. It goes on clear (spray can application) and clouds up when it is ready to wipe off. . . . The reason I use Hagerty's is their claim (and it seems to be true) that using it leaves a one molecule thick coating of new silver on the plating. . . .

I use Hagerty's also. However, Hagerty's is very pricey, and I've had trouble with the valves failing on two large spray cans. These days I save my receipts when buying, in case I have to return a can because of a bad spray valve.

Lemon Pledge aerosol furniture polish is what I prefer for occasional touch-ups. It has a very thin oil that protects silver from airborne chemicals that cause tarnishing.

[DaTubaKid]

I made sure to keep the old springs. I didn't want to buy new springs, find out they don't work (in the sense that it doesnt' work with the horn, not that the springs themselves don't function, that'd be fairly obvious), and be stuck with a non-working horn then. currently the old springs are in a little baggie in my gig bag (along with the old pads).

So far I'm still pleased with the new valves, so I don't planning changing back.

[Conn 2J CC]

Hi - I'm an amateur repairman, and new to this board. Although it would take quite a bit of time that you might not have to treat a Tuba this way, I've had really good results using Chroma 5000 to remove tarnish and brighten silver. I then follow it with two coats of 3M Tarni-Shield for Silver. I've used these on several Flutes and Trumpets. My wife and I also used them on her old Baritone Sax when we got it. The Bari has a frosted silver body which was heavily oxidized and polished silver keys and trim which were heavily tarnished. The Chroma 500 cleaned both types of silver great and the Tarni-Shield gave the horn a beautiful clear glossy look that has done an excellent job of protecting the horn from reverting back back to it's original ugly state for four years now, with some occasional followup with a silver polishing cloth. That Bari always draws attention when my wife plays it in public because of how great it looks and sounds, no bragging intended. And believe me, I've REALLY been glad we haven't had to take that horn apart every few months to repolish it, just to keep it looking that way. Again, it would take time to do this to your horn, but you might be really glad you took the time to do so. Best of luck -