Removing solder circles from removed attachments

[MartyNeilan]

In my quest for "resonance" on my 181 F tuba, I discovered that by unbolting one of the large tuning doo-dads, the horn seemed to come alive. It was enough to make an audible difference, promise!
So, tonight I got the torch out and removed all of the unnecessary tuning jiggers and slide stops (except for one that will require a brace to take its place.) The total weight was close to a quarter pound on the kitchen scale, and in addition to more "brilliance," all the buzzes and sympathetic vibrations are now gone from the horn. Yay!
Unlike previous botched jobs, I used as little heat as possible to pop each joint off. However, there is a noticeable gob of solder or silver circle where each thingamajig was attached. In my Heathkit building days, I used a desoldering braid from Radio Shack to remove excess solder. What would be the equivalent for brass instrument repair? I really don't want to go the buffing route and wind up removing any of the soft goldbrass along with the solder.
Thanks!

I think my hardware quest is now over, the rest is software.

[pierso20]

I'd like to know this too, because my 1290 has a few of those, and if I got rid of them, it may shine nicely as well as maybe not be a possible distraction from the sound.

[MartyNeilan]

I'd like to know this too, because my 1290 has a few of those, and if I got rid of them, it may shine nicely as well as maybe not be a possible distraction from the sound.

FWIW, I doubt the minute amount of solder remaining on the horn has any effect on the tone whatsoever. I am more concerned with cosmetics at this point.

[J.c. Sherman]

That grey/silver mark is called "tinning", and must be removed through buffing (sanding or filing as well) or strong acid, the latter is most inadvisable. It's pretty much harmless, except that if it's in an area that you touch regularly, you should have it removed to avoid lead toxicity.

J.c.S.

[The Big Ben]

That grey/silver mark is called "tinning", and must be removed through buffing (sanding or filing as well) or strong acid, the latter is most inadvisable. It's pretty much harmless, except that if it's in an area that you touch regularly, you should have it removed to avoid lead toxicity.

J.c.S.

Maybe you could get a bottle of gold colored lacquer from Allied (or someone) and carefully brush thin coats on the place until it looks the same color as the rest of the horn. That would take care of the toxicity problem, too.

If there are actual lumps of solder, perhaps you could use the same approach as the desolder braid. Use some fine brass wool and put it on the place and then heat it with the torch. The solder would stick to the brass wool and be gone.

[SplatterTone]

Wondering how it would work to heat and quick suction with a shop vac with a reducer nozzle on it. Like a giant version of your electronics desoldering sucker tool.

[Alex C]

Smart way to remove solder from a horn? Take it to a shop and get them to do it.

You've done the part that helps the horn play better, keep the re-sale value of your horn and get the solder removed by someone who understands the cosmetics.

--

By the way, this is a hopeless task on a silver plated horn, silver absorbs the solder and it is permanently in the finish for all practical purposes.

[pierso20]

I'd like to know this too, because my 1290 has a few of those, and if I got rid of them, it may shine nicely as well as maybe not be a possible distraction from the sound.

FWIW, I doubt the minute amount of solder remaining on the horn has any effect on the tone whatsoever. I am more concerned with cosmetics at this point.

Not quite what I meant.....but worth noting. Let me rephrase it.......those 6 or so spots annoy me while I play.... haha.

I am more concerned with cosmetics at this point.

A tuba player concerned with cosmetics??????????? Never heard of...

[Dan Schultz]

I found a mention in an old Erick Brand 'Band Instrument Repairing Manual' that says soft solder can be removed with a solution of 1 part nitric acid and one part water. I've never tried it though. I've always just scraped off all of the solder that I could and simply buffed away the rest. On a silver horn that probably won't work well since silver LOVES lead. You would probably buff away the silver before the darkness disappears. The higher the lead content of the solder, the worse it tends to leach into the silver. Someone mentioned the possibility of lead poisoning. That's not likely to happen from a brief exposure to solder. Although some people are extremely sensitive to many metals.

[MartyNeilan]

In our shop, we've developed a state-of-the-art solution to this annoying problem. In spite of what tuba players state in public, they are proud of their instruments and really want them to look good. The coloration of this application is very close to that of the brass, and the mood enhancement affect is nearly undeniable.
http://tinyurl.com/8kbukn

The tuba in question had its lacquer stripped long ago by a prior owner, and is presently in various shades of goldbrass. Several applications of Simichrome have made it slightly more presentable. Those stickers could also be useful for camoflaguing the logo of a "genuine Selman" when its owner takes it to a Big 5 audition.
I will most likely try the brass-wool-as-desoldering-braid route first and go from there. I will be happy if I at least get the circles flat and smooth, pulling all the remaining bumps of solder off.

[SplatterTone]

I'm not trying to second guess anybody here. I thought I would elaborate on the shop vac comment. Back when I did a lot of radio hobbying, the best way to desolder electronics was to heat with the soldering iron and then use a spring loaded plunger equipped sucker that you quickly moved near the solder and popped the release button on the spring to suck the solder out. It was much faster and far superior to copper braid at removing solder. It would quickly leave only the tinned parts behind. So it seems it should work on a larger scale with a shop vac with a reducer nozzle.

[Dan Schultz]

......It would quickly leave only the tinned parts behind. So it seems it should work on a larger scale with a shop vac with a reducer nozzle.

Getting the globs of solder off is the easy problem... just heat and wipe with just about anything. That's what I use those 'pad-savers' that I snitch out of clarinets and saxes for. Even though messing around with a shop-vac might be of some benefit getting globs of solder off, the tinning that's left behind is the difficult part to remove without buffing.

[MartyNeilan]

Heat and wipe, then very lightly sand, then strap with polish. That is it.

Sounds just like potty training!

[SplatterTone]

So, does NO one here use oiled Q-Tips for wiping? I highly recommend them. A shop vacuum? Why?

Every shop has one (right?), fast, can't smear. Sarah Palin uses a shop vac.

[windshieldbug]

Sarah Palin uses a shop vac.

I'm not sure that she does. But she can see one from her backyard.

[windshieldbug]

You can actually see Russia from Alaska...

...which is, actually, true:


The distance between the shown Russian island and the shown Alaskan island is 2.5 miles.

This can be determined in a number of ways but perhaps the easiest is by using Pythagoras theorem of right-angled triangles. Using this, the distance to the horizon is:

SQRT (h+2rh)

Where h is the eye height above sea level and r is the radius of the earth (roundly, 4,000 miles).


Using feet throughout (for a six foot eye height) the calculation becomes:

SQRT (6+(2*21120000*6) = 15920 feet.

Divide this by 5,280 (feet in a mile) and you get 3.01 miles

The principle assumes that the earth is a perfect sphere (which it is not). The calculation is the distance in a straight line from the observer's eye to the horizon and not the distance via the (curved) surface (which would be longer).

SNL, though, was funnier...

[Rick Denney]

...
Using feet throughout (for a six foot eye height) the calculation becomes:

SQRT (6+(2*21120000*6) = 15920 feet.

Divide this by 5,280 (feet in a mile) and you get 3.01 miles

The principle assumes that the earth is a perfect sphere (which it is not). The calculation is the distance in a straight line from the observer's eye to the horizon and not the distance via the (curved) surface (which would be longer).

It also assumes that the terrain of the distant island never rises above zero feet above sea level.

Rick "who can see mountains a heck of lot farther away than 3.01 miles" Denney

[J.c. Sherman]

I'll eat my hat if she's been to that little island and had international relations with the other...

J.c.