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Monday, December 26, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Trumpet Care - The Care and Feeding of a Trumpet
As a band director, I've come to realize that most trumpet players don't clean their instruments often enough. I've actually seen trumpets that were almost totally clogged with crud. That is the "technical term" for the greenish, grayish, brownish sludge that forms inside an instrument over time. If it's been awhile since you cleaned your trumpet, prepare yourself for what will come out of it, but your trumpet will play better after it's clean.
Trumpets are fairly simple things. They are basically just 4 1/2 feet of brass tubing with valves and slides. It's the careful manufacturing and hand work that make it into a trumpet that plays well. A well-care-for trumpet of good quality will last minimally 10-20 years with a lot of playing. A trumpet cared for poorly will be trash in a short time.
Although this article makes it sound like cleaning a trumpet is a long and involved process, once you have done it a couple times, it will only take you 15-20 minutes to complete, and it will make your instrument last much longer.
Unlike woodwind instruments (flutes, clarinets, saxophones, etc.), trumpets can be given baths to clean them. In fact, it's the only good way to truly clean them. You could take them to a music repair shop for an "acid bath", but that's really not necessary if given baths once a month or so. Once you get accumulation of minerals in the horn, it will take an acid bath to remove them, but if you give the horn a bath often, your trumpet usually won't get mineral deposits.
You'll need a flexible cleaning brush or a cleaning snake, a valve casing brush, and a mouthpiece brush. You'll also need silver polish or a silver polishing cloth if it's silver plated, valve oil, and slide grease. I have always used liquid dishwashing soap in lukewarm water to clean my trumpets, but some manufacturers don't recommend the soap. Check with your product information or your manufacturer's website to make sure before you use it.
You'll also need a high-quality valve oil and slide grease if you want to make your trumpet last. Just like a car, the valves of a trumpet need a film of oil on them to work well. I've become sort of fanatical about how my trumpet valves work. I've tried just about every available brand of oil on the market, and I've decided that synthetic oils are the only oils to use. They last longer, and they minimize wear on the valves.
You also need a heavy grease for the main tuning slide and second valve slide. If you don't grease these slides, they will wear, and you'll start to see your slide moving when you least expect it throwing you out of tune...usually at the most inopportune times. They can also stick badly enough that it requires a trip to the repair shop to pull them. If you use a heavy grease, it will last until your next cleaning.
First, fill a bathtub with enough lukewarm water to cover the instrument. Hot water can damage the finish, so it's best avoided. Disassemble all of the instrument, but don't remove the water keys (spit valves), remove any triggers if so equipped, or disassemble the valves. If you have a trigger on the first or third valve slides, you'll need to remove the screw that hold the slide on, but don't remove any of the other parts of the trigger. Trust me, you don't want to try to put a trigger or water key spring back on without the necessary tool.
After it's disassembled, place all of the parts except the valves into the lukewarm water, and let them soak for a few minutes. After the soaking, run the snake through all of the tubing. Don't force it through any of the tight bends. Just go as far as you can. Then scrub the inside of the valve casings with the valve casing brush. After that, run clean water through all the tubing until the water runs clear.
Next, using a soft cloth clean between all the outer tubing to remove any dirt or tarnish. You might need to use silver polish to remove the tarnish on a silver trumpet. Never use silver or brass polish on the outside of a lacquered or "brass" looking trumpet. There is a clear lacquer protecting the finish, and polish can remove it. Next clean the inside of the bottom valve caps with a paper towel. A lot of the crud settles in these caps.
After all the tubing on the horn is clean, and the outer surface of the trumpet is clean, it's time to pay attention to the valves. I use one end of the cleaning snake to clean the ports of the valves, and rinse them off with soap and water. Be careful inside the ports, You don't want to damage the metal with the end of the brush.
After all that, it's time to reassemble the horn, oil the valves and 1st and 3rd valve slides, and grease the main tuning slide and second valve slide. No, grease does not belong on the third valve slide. it will move too slowly. Oil is all you need. I know that seems like a long process, but it actually takes longer to type it than to do it, and your horn will last longer and play better afterward.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Cleaning Your Trombone - Six Steps to a Smoother Trombone Slide
Does your trombone slide refuse to move as quickly as you want it to? Does playing feel uncomfortable because your slide is so rough? For most young trombonists, many playing problems can be solved simply by cleaning the trombone slide. After reading this article, you will be able to clean your slide and play trombone more easily.
The slide is the most delicate and important part of the trombone--it needs to move well for the player to change notes easily and play with good technique. Cleaning the slide takes about 15-30 minutes and only needs to be done once every two weeks, but can completely change the way you play. Cleaning the slide removes old lubricant, germs, and anything that you have blown into your trombone that shouldn't be there. Best of all, cleaning the slide can be done in six easy steps.
Step 1 - Gather your materials.
Start your trombone cleaning process at the music store. You will need to buy a flexible cleaning snake and a mouthpiece brush. Often, music stores sell "cleaning kits" with all the materials you need to clean your trombone. At home, get some gentle dish detergent, plastic cups, and a towel, and set your materials up around a bathtub or large sink.
Step 2 - Soak your mouthpiece.
Fill a plastic cup with hot water and a bit of detergent, and drop your mouthpiece in. Let it soak as you clean your slide, and then rinse it after you're done.
Step 3 - Clean the inside of your inner slide.
To clean your inner slide, pull your entire slide out of the case and lock your slide. You'll clean the inner slide with the outer slide still on, to protect it from damage. Put a drop of detergent into each tube, and then add a bit of warm water. Feed the snake down one tube, and gently scrub with an up-and-down motion. Pull the snake out and do the same thing with the other tube. Don't try to push the snake all the way through your slide--it might get stuck! After scrubbing, rinse the slide until you can pour out clear water with no soap suds.
Step 4 - Clean the outside of your inner slide.
This is the most delicate step of cleaning, because your inner slide can be easily damaged. Always handle your inner slide with great care, and be careful to keep it from hitting anything. Carefully pull your inner slide out and lay your outer slide gently on the towel. Put a drop of detergent on each stocking of your inner slide, and gently rub the detergent along the entire length of the slide. Rinse with warm water. When the slide squeaks when you rub it, it's clean!
Step 5 - Clean the inside of your outer slide.
Carefully place your inner slide on the towel and pick up your outer slide. Put detergent and water into your outer slide, and scrub and rinse just like you did in Step 2.
Step 6 - Finish Up! Clean your mouthpiece and tuning slide, and lubricate.
Take your mouthpiece out of the plastic cup, scrub it with your mouthpiece brush, and rinse with warm water. If your tuning slide is difficult to move, pull it out and clean it like you cleaned the outside of the inner slide in Step 3. Lubricate your slide and tuning slide with your favorite product. (Slide-O-Mix is great for slides and Selmer Tuning Slide and Cork Grease works well on tuning slides.)
After you've cleaned your trombone, your slide should move much more easily than it used to. If your slide begins to feel rough and slide oil doesn't help, you know it's time to clean your slide. Now that you know how to clean your trombone slide, playing your trombone will be easier and more comfortable.
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Saturday, December 3, 2011
MERKUR PROGRESS: SAFETY RAZOR SHAVING HOW TO LOAD BLADE, LATHER UP & PERFORM A 3 PASS SHAVE
CLICK HERE TO BUY : shavenation.com to Purchase the Merkur Progress Razor and Other Fine Shaving Items used in this video. This is an instructional tutorial on how to Install the Blade, properly, adjust, and shave with a MERKUR PROGRESS SAFETY RAZOR. Perform your shave from loading the blade, setting the adjustment properly to lathering up shaving cream & soap with a Badger Brush and performing a 3-Pass shaving Routine Completely. View it and follow along if you would like to learn How to Perform a Proper 3 Pass Wet Shave with the Merkur Progress Safety Razor.. Ihave safety razors by Merkur, Vision, Futur, Gillette, Parker, Weishi, and brushes by Rooney, Vulvix, Tweezerman, Silvertip badger, boar, and synthetic. Safety Razor Blades by Feather, Derby, Shark, Merkur, Gillette, and Wilkinson. I also own Straight razors by Boker, Wade & Butcher, Torrey, Geo Wostenholm & Sons, Nahoum Hatem, Thiers Issard, and Feather No Sharpen. Let me know if you would like to see a demonstration or tutorial on how to use any other razors that interest you. I also hone and strop my own razors if you have any questions about sharpening stones, blades, stropping, sharpening, paste, different grits etc. My favorite creams and soaps that I have used are by Proraso, Musgo Real, Taylors, Trumpers, Truefitt, Art of Shaving, Colonel Conk, and of course Old Spice!!! Best Wishes and " Go Get Your Shave On" !!! Check out my other videos for Safety Razor, Straight, Best Beard Prep, Cleaning new and used ...
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