Mouthpiece Care

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PaulT
Posts: 376
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2018 9:55 pm
Location: North Dakota

Mouthpiece Care

Post by PaulT »

Is there any maintenance associated with mouthpieces?

I usually rinse mine out after playing and run a brush through it. Don't know if it matters, but it's a easy habit I don't think about.

Do minerals or scale ever build up and need to be removed? Vinegar soak good or bad?

Does the silver plating ever need any attention?
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paulyg
Posts: 684
Joined: Thu May 17, 2018 12:30 pm

Re: Mouthpiece Care

Post by paulyg »

If the plating tarnishes you can hit it with some silver polish. Brings it right back.
Paul Gilles
Aerospace Engineer & Trombone Player
Doubler
Posts: 393
Joined: Mon Jan 07, 2019 8:56 pm

Re: Mouthpiece Care

Post by Doubler »

I twist a facial tissue into the mouthpiece after every use to dry it out. Once a week I rinse the mouthpiece with 91% rubbing alcohol.
Current instruments:
Olds Studio trombone, 3 trumpets, 1 flugelhorn, 1 cornet, 1 shofar, 1 keyboard

Previous trombones:
Selmer Bundy, Marceau
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BGuttman
Posts: 6354
Joined: Thu Mar 22, 2018 7:19 am
Location: Cow Hampshire

Re: Mouthpiece Care

Post by BGuttman »

The silver plating will eventually wear off. I have a Doug Elliott LB114 rim that needs replating. But it's 30 years old.

If you rinse your mouthpiece out after every use I don't expect you to ever need to remove a scale deposit.
Bruce Guttman
Merrimack Valley Philharmonic Orchestra
"Almost Professional"
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Burgerbob
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Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 8:10 pm
Location: LA
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Re: Mouthpiece Care

Post by Burgerbob »

I wash mine out (mouthpiece brush, hot water, dish soap) every couple weeks. Nothing more.
Aidan Ritchie, LA area player and teacher
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Conn100HGuy
Posts: 114
Joined: Mon Oct 22, 2018 5:56 am
Location: York, PA
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Re: Mouthpiece Care

Post by Conn100HGuy »

I wash my Wedge regularly, run a brush through it every week or so, and every couple of weeks, polish it with Wright's Silver Cream. It looks like new after almost 6 years of constant use.
Onward and Upward
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MahlerMusic
Posts: 79
Joined: Tue May 07, 2019 10:18 am
Location: Canada

Re: Mouthpiece Care

Post by MahlerMusic »

I run hot water through the MP maybe 5 - 10 times a year pretty much to warm it up in the middle of winter when I left my trombone out in the car during the day. Other then that I will wipe chucks out of the cup when needed with my finger. I give the MP rim one wipe with the palm of my hand before I play, or the bottom of my shirt if needs a deeper clean. After playing I just throw it loose into a large pocket that has my other MP's, tuner, slide oils, a rag, spray water bottle, a few of those Silica gel packages and my trombone stand (It's a really big pocket)...

I'm not joking be the way.
I think I will give all my MP's a good clean tonight.
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ArbanRubank
Posts: 424
Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2019 7:50 am
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Re: Mouthpiece Care

Post by ArbanRubank »

Washed and towel-dried before I play, however many times a day that might be.
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