Give me lacquer no more!

[fpoon]

So my old York Master play pretty well now after an acid bath, new felts, etc. Next step is to get some more spit valves put on (thing gets spit in EVERY pipe...) but here's what I'm thinking for now...

Most of the horns lacquer is either off 100% or coming off now. This results in the horn looking "spotty" and me getting black lacquer residue all over my hands when I play. I would really like to just get it all off. Yeah, the horn would be a sort of bright brown then, but I think it would just add more character...

So what is the best way to go about this? A friend recomended a really hot water bath. Is this the way to go? And it getting the lacquer off going to affect the sound?

[Rick Denney]

So what is the best way to go about this? A friend recomended a really hot water bath. Is this the way to go? And it getting the lacquer off going to affect the sound?

The old air-dried nitrocellulose lacquer, which seems to be what's on the York Masters, will come off with hot water. The water out of the hot tap should be hot enough. If that doesn't do it, judicious use of a water-soluble stripper (like Woodworker's Friend, if I'm remembering that label correctly) should work fine. You'll need a thorough cleaning afterwards, though. Some newer horns have epoxy lacquers that are much harder to remove, and then there's the orange King lacquer that is a special case not germane to your York Master.

Then, polish the horn once using a good brass polish (my favorite for this purpose is Wenol, which works well on all non-ferrous metals), or, if the finish is eroded in any way, a very fine polishing compound such as red rouge. That will make it uniformly shiny. If it's just a bit brown, Nev-R-Dull might be enough to make it look pretty even. Then, you can let it age naturally.

It will not change the sound in any discernable way.

I prefer an unlacquered horn to one that has lacquer falling off of it. But if most of the lacquer is still sound, you can polish the bare bits with somoething like Nev-R-Dull and that will even it up somewhat. There is a line, though, beyond which it's easier just to take off the rest of the lacquer.

Rick "whose YM has no lacquer" Denney

[Chuck(G)]

Sorry to differ with Rick, but forget about water-based solutions. There's a good reason that methylene chloride based strippers still outsell the "green" variety: they work.

If you want to get the job done, either use an aircraft stripper like Klean Strip Aircraft Stripper (available from your NAPA Auto Parts store) or a regular varnish remover like Bix Tough Job or Jasco Premium Paint and Epoxy Remover. Follow directions, wear eye protection and gloves and use it in a well-ventilated area. Be responsible about disposal of the residue.

Ferree's Tools also sells a stripper if you want to use a product made for the music trade. Use one of those plastic scouring pads to ease the stubborn stuff off. An old toothbrush will help get into the crevices between valve casings.

A little warm water and detergent follow up will help get any stripper residue off.

Follow up by polishing with this stuff:



It will live a decent shine with a layer of protectant on your horn.

[Rick Denney]

Sorry to differ with Rick, but forget about water-based solutions.

I agree that they won't remove the stubborn stuff, but they have always worked for me on thin, clear finishes that were in need of stripping anyway. And they are very much safer. I'd try it first and use the other as a backup plan.

Rick "acknowledging that it won't work on epoxy or King orange finishes, but recognizing that a YM doesn't have either" Denney

[Tubaryan12]

Most of the horns lacquer is either off 100% or coming off now. This results in the horn looking "spotty" and me getting black lacquer residue all over my hands when I play

Could this be just tarnish from the raw brass? If so, wouldn't stripping it make it worse?

[Rick Denney]

Could this be just tarnish from the raw brass? If so, wouldn't stripping it make it worse?

I get green rather than black marks on my hands from bare brass. Black is common if there is a lot of polish residue on the instrument, but that seems more common with silver instruments than with brass. Tarnish itself doesn't seem to rub off onto my skin.

Flaking lacquer will come off in chips, making it look like you've been covered in brown hanging chads.

Rick "who thinks white shirts and silver instruments are incompatible" Denney

[TubaRay]

Flaking lacquer will come off in chips, making it look like you've been covered in brown hanging chads.

Please, Rick, don't bring the state of Florida back into our discussion. We're supposed to be discussing lacquer and such.

Noooooooooooo!

[Chuck(G)]

Please, Rick, don't bring the state of Florida back into our discussion. We're supposed to be discussing lacquer and such.

Noooooooooooo!

This attempt to smuggle politics onto the main list smells pretty fishy to me:



Oh, wait--that was hanging chad--never mind!