Tuba Maintenance/Cleaning Oddity

[quinterbourne]

Hello there,

I own a CONN 3J tuba (laquer). I recently decided to give it a good cleaning. I put it in the tub (after removing valves and slides) and filled it with soapy (hand soap) lukewarm water. I proceeded to run cloth through the outer slide tubing and clean the valves (as well as inner slide tubing). I though I had done a pretty thorough job.

So, I took my tuba out of the tub and emptied the water. This is where the story takes a twist. I rubbed my hand along one side of my horn, and a layer of clear plastic-like substance came off. It was real super thin and brittle, hard to describe (almost like skin). Now it didn't seem to change the appearance of the laquer negatively (it mostly stayed the same - in some spots it looked better after it was removed).

So, no harm appears to be done, but I am still curious about what that substance was that came off.

What I thought it might be:
a) a layer of grime/dust/grease/oil/etc
b) some sort of outer (protective) layer applied to the horn by the manufacturer or last person to service the horn
c) a thin layer of laquer peeled off???

Do any of those sound right? Any other ideas? If this is a bad thing to be happening, do you know what I did wrong?

As you can tell, I'm not much of a tech person, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

ps the horn sounds significantly better, much more open sound!

thankyou very much,

[Z-Tuba Dude]

If you used HOT water, it is probably the lacquer that has peeled off!

It may look good for a while, but the bare brass will eventually oxidize.

The improvement of the sound may, or may not, be a result of the missing lacquer. It could also be because you cleaned some of the gunk out of the horn!

[Chuck(G)]

You stripped the laquer off of it. If it is playing better, it is because you cleaned all the "gook" out of it.

I like "goop", "gunk" or "crud", myself...

[quinterbourne]

Any advice on what (if anything) I should do now to repair any damage done? Should I have it relaquered (if so, now much should I expect to pay for this)? Should I take special handling steps (ie wipe the horn down frequently)?

If I leave it as is, what changes should I expect in respect to appearance and sound?

I honestly figured the water wasn't "hot." It was warm, definitely not hot. I guess moderately warm is too warm...

thanks,

[Tom]

Should I have it relaquered (if so, now much should I expect to pay for this)?

Unless the cosmetic aspect bothers you, it doesn't need to be relacquered. It's fine to leave brass unlacquered or unplated. If the damage is confined to a small area, you could spot lacquer the areas where is has come off pretty easily with a can of spray lacquer after polishing the area up and cleaning it off VERY well. It might not look "perfect" when you're done, but it would be lacqured and would likely pretty closely match the look of the rest of the horn.

Should I take special handling steps (ie wipe the horn down frequently)?

You don't need to do anything to the horn that you wouldn't normally do.

If I leave it as is, what changes should I expect in respect to appearance and sound?

If left as is, if it's really unlacquered, the area will tarnish to a brown or greenish patina. It's perfectly fine...it's just brass oxidizing because it's exposed to air now. You can always polish the area, but it will always go back to brown or green unless it's lacquered to preserve it.

As for sound, it may or may not change. Some people swear there is a difference between lacquer and silver or bare brass...I don't really know. I have a silver tuba that plays really well and a bare brass tuba that plays really well...that's about the extent of what I know on the subject from experience...

[Chuck(G)]

Your 3J is what, about 30 years old? The lacquer didn't need much persuasion to make an exit. As others have mentioned, you can spot-relaquer if you want. Or not.

Given the stuff you found inside, I'd start wondering how much calcium's been building up inside your slide tubes. Try this experiment:

Pull your #1 tuning slide. Run your little finger around the inside of the tube. Does it feel smooth or does it feel sort of gritty? If you peer down into it can you see any white deposits? Either may be a good indicator that your horn might benefit from a chem clean or at least a good soaking in white vinegar.