Felt washing?

[kegmcnabb]

Howdy Boys and Girls,

Gave the Marzan a bath today but was wondering...when you don't immediately have new felts, how do you best care for the old ones?

Do you simply put the old ones back on the horn?

Do you blot out any oil and put back?

Do you wash the old felts, dry them, and then put them back?

Or do you have another method? (Yeah, I want the Alan Baer mod, too, but can't do it right now! )

(I did a search but didn't have much luck.)

Thanks!

[druby]

I wash old felts in a mixture of hot water (tap heat, not boiling) and a bit of detergent. Gets the oil and scum out of the fibers. I then blot them with a clean terry towel and let them dry. This reinvigorates the felts, "Fluffs" them up a bit, and they will last a bit longer. However, this does not work as well after the first time as the felts get more and more worn....

Doug

[kegmcnabb]

Thanks Doug,

Sounds reasonable. Think I'll try it unless anyone else has a suggestion.

[WakinAZ]

I do the same thing as Doug, Craig. The recent discussion about Mr. Baer's replacement for felts confirmed my suspicions about how they hold up over time. Then again, we've all been using felt and cork for decades...

Cheers,
Eric

[windshieldbug]

Then again, we've all been using felt and cork for decades...

Except for those of us who like rotary horns, and have been using neoprene stops forever...

[MikeMason]

Just because we've used something for decades(really 100+ years) doesn't mean we have to keep using it,now that we have a better option.Every time that felt goes squishy then fluffs back,you have a different horn.Not to mention the valve oil/metal particles/gunk/felt fiber mixture that works its way between the valve and casing.The minute I read and understood that alignment thread,it was a done deal for me.No debate needed whatsoever...