Cleaning

[burningchrome]

Well, my horn needs a thorough cleaning. When I worked in a shop we used trichloroethylene to degrease and a diluted HCl bath. Since this will be a home job, what do people recommend for degreasers? I think I've heard people use Simple Green for a dip; any better household items I can use?

Thanks!

[smitwill1]

There are a number of older threads on horn cleaning, but I'll wade in with my preference for dish detergent, warm water, a soft wash cloth, and a couple of different sized bottle brushes. I wash out my horns (and my daughter's horns) quarterly, so the greasy buildup is never too bad. We have really hard water where I live, so every few years (when the valves stick even after a thorough cleaning) I swab down my valves and valve casings with dilute (1-2 tablespoons per gallon of water) phosphoric acid prior to soaping down the horn. So far, so good...