one time that to accelerate "patination", that you added milk to an instrument
and allowed it to sour.
Harold T. Brasch, my mentor, "Mr. Euphonium", former long time soloist with
the U.S. Navy Band, in D.C., one of the finest euphonium performers of any
age, and the person credited with introducing the large bore, upright bell, Besson euphonium to the U.S., mentions the following, in his book, "The Euphonium and 4 Valve Brasses, An Advanced Tutor", published and copyrighted
in 1971. pages 160/161, (Excerpted for brevity)
"Patination: Copper, bronze, or brass, is patinated when it is covered with a fine oxide or rust. This change in apearance is usually regarded by a layman
as a tarnish. However, in certain intances patination is highly desirable. Patination is beneficial to conical bore horns. The tone of a euphonium sounds
more mellow as the inside of the tubing becomes so coated. There have been
occasions when this patination has been hurried by an injection of a quart of
milk, allowing it to sour and then flushing clean. The action of a player's saliva
will patinate a new euphonium in about a years time, with good use. This coating will not be removed with washing or scrubbing, however it is removed
with a good brass polish, or an acid bath. (note, RBT, check with your repair
tech, as to the affect of their bath technique, on this). As a matter of long
experience, a new euphonium, or one that has been recently relacquered or replated, will not produce the fully sonorous tone that is expected, unitl it becomes patinated on the inside of all the tubing that makes up the instrument."
Arthur Lehman, and Karl Humble, also two of the finest euphonium players,
and former career members of the U.S. Marine Band, in Washington, D.C.
studied with Harold, and reviewed his text, for him, prior to it's publication.
It is my opinion that the study of a professional musician on a 4/5 valve
brass instrument, is not complete until they have studied Harold's text.
