Proper Care for an unlacquered trombone bell

[Ch0ward]

I apologize if this has been answered ad nauseam, but I recently purchased a corporation Bach 42 with an unlacquered bell. The previous owner had been letting the bell patina, but the long-time owner before that had chosen to clean the bell regularly, to keep it relatively free of patina. If I wanted to keep the bell in a clean raw brass state without oxidization what would be the best course of action?

[Burgerbob]

Polish it every couple months.

[JLivi]

I find that Flitz is a great polish for unlacquered bells.

I like the patina look so I never polish my bell. But when I get my horn cleaned they polish it up. That's enough for me.

[BGuttman]

A friend of mine had an unlacquered tuba and polished it up with Nevr-Dull wadding. The thing stayed nice and bright for a year.

I had an unlacquered tuba that had the treatment that they used in the old days (called Chromating; it's not done any more due to health and pollution issues) and it stays a matte brass color forever.

[Kbiggs]

I find that Flitz is a great polish for unlacquered bells.

I like the patina look so I never polish my bell. But when I get my horn cleaned they polish it up. That's enough for me.

I used Flitz for a little while many years ago, until a repair tech told me it contains abrasives. I stopped using it, and started letting my bells develop patina.* I wouldn’t use Flitz on the slides, valves, or tubing regardless of whether it contains abrasive.

*Sounds like a disease when you put that way: “My repair tech just told me my horn has patina!! What do I do?!?”

[CharlieB]

Once you get the horn to the "clean raw brass state without oxidation", you might think about some rattle can lacquer on just the hand and neck contact points, (unless you don't mind stained hands and shirt collars).

[harrisonreed]

Just polish it and then buff with museum wax. "Clean raw brass state without oxidation" would only occur in space.

[cb56]

What about partial laquer?
My 94 year old horn has patches of
laquer loss. The back side of the bell looks like it has freckles.

[GabrielRice]

What about partial laquer?
My 94 year old horn has patches of
laquer loss. The back side of the bell looks like it has freckles.

If you try to polish it the rest of the lacquer will almost certainly come off.

[cb56]

I used some wright's silver polish on it and it didn't seem to do much at all.
Probably should just leave it be

[Ozzlefinch]

I clean mine with white vinegar to remove the browning and then coat the brass with a homemade polish/sealer of beeswax, turpentine and linseed oil. It keeps it nice and patina free for months at a time. It's a very old school recipe.

[Blabberbucket]

I apologize if this has been answered ad nauseam, but I recently purchased a corporation Bach 42 with an unlacquered bell. The previous owner had been letting the bell patina, but the long-time owner before that had chosen to clean the bell regularly, to keep it relatively free of patina. If I wanted to keep the bell in a clean raw brass state without oxidization what would be the best course of action?

Have it buffed and lacquered.

[tbonepreacher]

Flitz and a coat of Turtle Wax

[Geordie]

Got my first unlacquered horn recently. Reading this, and related threads, here in the UK I am not clear on a some issues. Want to avoid damage to the horn and avoid hazardous chemicals, while getting a good looking finish. I don’t want to develop a patina.
So after cleaning the bell with dish soap/washing up liquid and warm water:

Would using rubbing alcohol help after washing the bell in warm water?
Can I use Brasso (liquid or wadding) on the bell or is Flitz better?
Is Museum wax better than Turtle wax?

Grateful for any comments.

[BGuttman]

Got my first unlacquered horn recently. Reading this, and related threads, here in the UK I am not clear on a some issues. Want to avoid damage to the horn and avoid hazardous chemicals, while getting a good looking finish. I don’t want to develop a patina.
So after cleaning the bell with dish soap/washing up liquid and warm water:

Would using rubbing alcohol help after washing the bell in warm water?
Can I use Brasso (liquid or wadding) on the bell or is Flitz better?
Is Museum wax better than Turtle wax?

Grateful for any comments.

What are you expecting to happen?

Rubbing alcohol will cause any water to evaporate quickly. It will not provide any additional protection.

If you apply a wadding (here on this side of the pond it's called Nevr-Dull) it will keep the brass shiny. Or you can use a hard wax. Some like auto waxes and some like Museum Wax.

If you want it to just tarnish, do nothing. Try not to get fingerprints on the raw brass since they make black spots a lot quicker than the brass will color.