Smoke sensation & how to clean?

[iiipopes]

Whatever is expelled in the breath will make its way through the horn eventually. Yes, with all the foul components of cigarette smoke that stick to the avioli in the lungs, it can be expelled to stick to the inside of the brass tubing in a tuba.

[oldbandnerd]

I agree. I have also played the horn of smoker. You can smell it .

[tubatooter1940]

I used to smoke and my wife still does.
You can detect smoke in a smoker's horn, car, living space or whatever.
If you tooted my old Eb King, you would get a definite beer aroma.

[Dan Schultz]

As a reformed smoker... (I quit about 15 years ago)... I HATE working on the instruments of smokers. That smell permeates the case badly and also will get into the lacquer finish. I've tried everything from complete chem cleans coupled with hours in the sun and then giving the case a bath with Fabreeze. The horns still stink. A fellow repairman is a smoker and I've heard folks complain that their horns stink after he works on them. Once that smell is in the horn, it's hell to get out. Nasty stuff!

[Art Hovey]

My father did not smoke, but frequently played gigs in smoke-filled rooms. I remember how his tuba smelled on the mornings after. That tarnished satin silver plating absorbed smoke and released it slowly for weeks. It really stunk up the house, but we never complained.

[Rick Denney]

Cigarette smoke includes partly combusted tar. It's called tar because it's black and sticky, just like the stuff in pavement. The particles of tar in the smoke attach themselves to surfaces and built up over time. It takes a very strong organic solvent to dissolve that stuff and clean it away, which is not the same stuff used for a chem clean. Acid doesn't seem to do the job.

Just yesterday, I was cleaning out the ashtray in one of our utility pickups (I want to put coins in it). The vinegar-based glass cleaner didn't do a thing I couldn't also do by wiping with a dry cloth. The only thing I had that even put a dent in it was brake cleaner, which is a very strong degreaser. And even with that, it took repeated applications to make much headway. A dip in carb cleaner might work.

Frankly, the notion of a tuba player smoking cigarettes just seems nutty to me. That's a tuba player who won't be playing into old age, at least not with the ability to hold a note more than a beat.

Rick "noting that the hands of tobacco workers get coated and stained with the tar, too" Denney

[DavidK]

My parents were life long smokers, so everything we owned smelled of smoke. It permeats everything. As an adult, I remember following one visit to my dad, when I returned across country, the inside of my briefcase and work papers smelled of cigarette smoke.

You might be able to get the stench out of a horn, that would include replacing all corks and felts, waterkey corks, anything non-metal. Then you'll have to scrub every nook and crannie, inside and outside. Think of the tiniest remotest or most difficult to reach places on the horn. Get in there with toothpicks and tooth brushes, I guarantee that you'll hit tar.

Like Dan said, you'll never get the smell out of the case.

And if you have a strong stomach, then look down the backbore of a smoker's mouthpiece. But hold your nose, first!

Good luck!!!

[MikeS]

It could be worse. I guy I know is a fine clarinetist and a big fan of New Orleans music. He once managed to purchase a clarinet once played by one of his heroes, Irving Fazola. The instrument needed a good bit of work before it could be played, and he sent it off for an overhaul.

He had a party to celebrate it's return. The big moment came and he started playing. After about five minutes I and the other guys in the band noticed a smell. Five minutes later, everyone in the room noticed. Apparently, Fazola enjoyed his garlic; frequently. If you think silver plate absorbs odors you should experience what warm, moist grenadilla is capable of. The new owner took it very philosophically. He says, "Fazola lives, every time I play his clarinet."

I once was offered a really good deal on a Yamaha 621 CC owned by a fine player who is a heavy smoker. Great horn, great price, but I just couldn't do it.

[Rick Denney]

I wonder, from Rick Denney's comment about needing an organic solvent, if something like Nature's Miracle or Simple Solution wouldn't work (from pet stores).

I was thinking more like benzine, MEK, or carbon tetrachloride. Stuff you don't want to breathe, or even be close to. The brake cleaner I was using required dozens of applications to make any headway (though it was an ash tray), and that stuff has tetrachloroethylene and dichlormethane. Nasty stuff, use outdoors, wear rubber gloves, and if you're really careful, wear a NIOSH mask rated for organic solvents.

Rick "who doesn't think pet pee remover will do the job, unfortunately" Denney

[Tuba Guy]

Well...you could inhale something that smells better and push that through the horn for a little while (non-toxic, of course)...replace the smoke smell with something better.