How To De-Lacquer, Disinfect, Clean & Polish a Trumpet, Cornet, etc.

Also watch me clean a horn in action at this newer vid: • DIY Initial Cleaning &...
This vid offers some tips on how to effectively clean (and disinfect) a brass instrument at home. Putting a horn back together (well and wisely), how to polish... It's about all here! Hope you enjoy, feel free to add tips and ideas. Thanks and, as always, continued best wishes! ~ Jonathan

[@Corvette0430]

So much info! Thanks for sharing your valve oil recomendations as well!

[@JonathanMilam1]

Hey, it's my pleasure! TrumpetHerald.com... It's a great place to learn, glean and share! Thanks for commenting! And have a great weekend!!

[@arts4691]

Thank you so much, Jonathan ! Some of the hints especially those for the delaquering had been all new to me. For cleaning horns I use and recommend big washbasins (dishes /lavoirs) made of transparent medium - soft plastic in the size of app. 21x13x6 inches. If users dont find them in big home worker tool markets or just those of an unneccesary big heights, look for it in household - tupperware - etc. plastic stores, originally designed not for washing but as boxes for the "under the bed storage" of childrens toys etc. they come with removable covers (caps) and with removable small 1 inch plastic wheels . For our special use remove the covers and the (just inserted) wheels please and check -still in the shop- if the boxes would be constructed as beein watertight too . Those washing basins are comfortably flat - but high enough for trumpets , fluegelhorns etc. Plus they are soft plastic - ideal for the thin brass of our instrument (not for the enviroment, sadly...) You can use them on the floor of your bathroom or in the shower cabin. For desinfection I would rather go to my pharmacy and use the products they recommend for the desinfection of hands and wounds . They should be bought with or filled in a pumping spreader. I am not so very shure if using just such tooth hygienic listerine products alone really would have the power to remove some of the viruses too, but some of the tested products are doing just that - according to their writings on some products of the European parmacy industry. But nevertheless the tipp with the listerin is somewhat that could be used weekly. Trumpets fresh as my teeth. Thank You again Jonathan for so many useful and some new insider hints for our trumpet/ brass - passion.

[@JonathanMilam1]

Some great ideas - ~ thanks for posting! :)

[@palletcolorato]

Thx for posting Johathan. I just got synthetic valve oil for the '55 Olds Ambassador. They work great! Lucky, lucky.

[@JonathanMilam1]

Very nice! How are you liking your Ambassador? I"ve come to believe that mine is one of the better horns I've had; it's a very nice playing horn.

[@palletcolorato]

@@JonathanMilam1 It's great! The loud pop from removing the sliders really surprised me. Very good compression. Whew!

[@Corvette0430]

Thank you so much!

[@JonathanMilam1]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching and commenting. :)

[@javery50]

Lamp wick works excellent for polishing.

[@JonathanMilam1]

I've heard this but haven't use it...Yet. :) Thanks for the tip! :)

[@jimflys2]

Some great information. Don't get too hung up on disinfecting a brass instrument. Brass is made of 80% copper. Copper is HIGHLY anti-microbial. Nothing bad lives very long (minutes) in a brass instrument. Decalcifying a horn with a chem flush is a good idea to remove the crusty that builds up. That stuff is the #1 cause of valves ceasing to function and locking slides in place.

[@JonathanMilam1]

Jim - very good info!! Thank you!

[@VideoNash]

thanks

[@JonathanMilam1]

You're welcome!

[@paulyfortissimo]

Thanks for all of the advise. You have a great head of hair by the way!

[@JonathanMilam1]

Oh thank you! I often say, 'With a face like mine, God felt obligated to give me lots of good hair'. :) I've got a live video up that shows more, and a regular vid too. Some similar info, but different presentations. Thanks for watching - and commenting. :)

[@jfisher2370]

Great stuff! Learned much - I de-lacquered a 50s Olds Ambassador trumpet about 20 yrs ago. I'll have to try Flitz on it. I love the older F.E. Olds horns. I have a 50s Ambassador cornet coming from online auction. Photos indicate much lacquer is gone & some light pink areas of mild dezincification on surface but no pitting. (doesn't look like red rot from interior). No major dents to the horn either. Have you removed dezincification from pipes/slides? If so, what did you use - or what process?

[@JonathanMilam1]

Flitz will probably remove the pink coloring. For a leadpipe with red rot, years ago I read Jason Harrelson pours a little rubbing alcohol, Isoprpyl, down the leadpipe and then cleans it out and spreads it with a snake once a week. This is a phenomenal way to clean a leadpipe. I think this halts red rot as much as anything can, and prohibits red rot from getting a start on horns as well. Good luck with the incoming Ambassador… They can be great horns. :)

[@andy-gt2kc]

exactly what I had done 4 years ago! Trying to get it cleaned up because it started to tarnish, and getting it relacquered by a person is expensive.

[@Hakan_Derin]

Hello Jonathan, after delacquering a horn how can you protect it from oxidation and rusting? Thank you!

[@JonathanMilam1]

I use nothing, but Flitz once or twice a year to cleans and shine a horn that has no lacquer. I know that some that use an automobile wax, this can protect form hand oils, tarnish, etc.

[@Hakan_Derin]

@@JonathanMilam1 thank you for the reply. So by using Flitz or wax you won't have green areas on the surface? I really wanna delacquer my trumpet but I'm not sure about the result. By the way aren't trumpet manufacturers crazy about lacquering and so. Most trumpets look alike and different products are rare. Thanks again for the video!

[@JonathanMilam1]

I only de-lacquer a horn for one of two reasons: If the lacquer is chipped in many places and very dirty, or if most of the lacquer is already gone. On new horns, the lacquer is actually cellulose, and is very, very hard to get off. :) I don't use wax because my hands don't sweat, get discolored or smelly, and don't turn green. But for people that have oily or sweaty hands, using auto wax preserves the horn from getting too much patina, and also protects their hands from reacting badly with the bare brass. Yes; when most horns are delivered they are most often lacquer or silver-plated. However, recently many botique horn makers (Andy Taylor, etc) do make horns in bare brass. It's often another $500 for lacquer to be applied.

[@robertjenkins2002]

That's Oil of Oregano one drop in lead pipe, blow through

[@JonathanMilam1]

Very interesting!

[@pascaldijkhuizen6600]

Hi Jonathan, I really like the black look it had before you got rid of it on the horn. Is the black look something you think I can achieve at home whilst still having the horn be playable?

[@pascaldijkhuizen6600]

I meant the blackness that originated from the delacquer

[@JonathanMilam1]

Yes, I understand. No, I don't believe it harms the metal at all. They 'fire' up some brass horns now to give the metal a darker color, the chemical use of darkening metal can't be any stronger than that. If I leave the 'Easy Off' oven cleaner on for a half-hour, the horn will darken in spots significantly. That's very quick! I've known guys that laid their trumpets on lawn mowers, because the gasoline and accompanying chemicals will darken a horn - but that method takes much longer. In time, on its own, a raw brass horn will gain a 'patina' as they call it. Again, this can take months. Or, if you want to keep a raw brass horn shiny and bright, you can apply automobile wax; that will delay the onset of a patina. Some 'gun metal chemicals' can darken brass as well; but it takes soaking and, frankly, I've not had much luck with that. 'Easy Off' has been my best bet. I have two horns at home I could take pics of to show you, but I'm on the road right now and don't have them with me. One was a cornet that is in a vid I'll be putting up in a day or two; comparing a cornet, flugel and trumpet sound(s).

[@pascaldijkhuizen6600]

@@JonathanMilam1 thank you! I own an olds ambassador from the 70s for some 4 years now and I really want to customize it a little and doing that with a professional just takes so much money. I want to do it safely ofcourse and this seems like a fair way to do so. Given ofcourse that it is already a slight darker tone than newer horns, but I love that. Can you give me the exact name of the stuff you use for that? Because I'm quite sure we don't have that in the Netherlands

[@JonathanMilam1]

I've never had an Ambassador! I've tried to buy several, but it hasn't happened yet. I'll send a pic of the oven cleaner when I get home, but meanhile, I googled " trumpetherald achieving patina trumpet " and these links came up. Trumpetherald.com is a great forum for all questions regarding trumpets. :) I wouldn't use the search engine at the site, it's weak, but googling or another search engine should give you some good info. Change the words up a bit, but here's a start... www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1386122 www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1360529 www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1179099 www.trumpetherald.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1498635

[@pascaldijkhuizen6600]

@@JonathanMilam1 thank you! You're too kind. I'll let you know if and when I do this and how it turned out.

[@cloakedbug4619]

Thanks for putting this out! Some great content and humor here. I'm going to go get some Flitz and brush my teeth with it, Jonathan Milam said to do it... Have you ever attempted to re-lacquer a horn yourself? That could be a fun video if you have any 'beater' horns lying around.

[@JonathanMilam1]

Michael; Hilarious!! I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. :) No to both, however; I don’t brush with Flitz, nor have I ever spray-lacquered a horn. But now that you mention it, I’m considering an attempt at one if these. :) I’ve got MANY vids I must put up, but a particularly irritating virus has my home overcrowded now; I can’t get free time for my vids!! Anyway, thanks for listening, loved your comment, but I know my limitations (and they are many). :)

[@spamgraveyard5012]

Whats the benefit of relacquering your instrument after doing this and how can i do that

[@JonathanMilam1]

Marissa; If the relacquer job is done well, it may add value. If don't poorly, it'll realy hurt value. To me, bare brass is fine - but my hands don't sweat. If a player has sweaty hands, a bare brass horn can get ugly quick; literally. It can turn hands a blue-ish color, and also smell bad. :) Some people are also allergic to the bare brass. Not me, fortunately; and I've sold scores of horns with bare brass, so it's not too much of a problem to most. Good question! :)

[@saifhussainamericanmusicpr3103]

Am I able to delaquer a nickel plated trumpet

[@JonathanMilam1]

I have in the past. In my experience, sterling silver and nickel silver look particularyly bad when the lacquer is old, worn and dirty. I've taken lacquer off Sterling silver bells, like the King Silvertone, and also off of Nickel silver trumpets like the Olds Special. I think I've removed the lacquer off of total nickel trumpets as well, but can't remember the models. I've also had my best results polishing them with Flitz afterward to bring, and keep, the best shine. Good luck! :)

[@Cantbuyathrill]

Getting the camera closer to the ingredients would be helped.

[@JonathanMilam1]

True. You could also take a camera pic of the picture and enlarge it? Or send me your email and I'll email you a pic of any of the chemicals that interest you.

[@jasonmelo9379]

Your voice sounds like Harry caray lol

[@JonathanMilam1]

"A one, a two, a three, a four... Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd...' :)