Horn Cleaning

[melligene]

Just curious as to how often you horn players clean your bugle. I'm talkin' about the inside.........(once you do the inside ....it doesn't make sense not to do the outside) DCI members would be the exception because their schedule is just to intense..........but......for those involved in Alumni and/or Senior corps'........how cruddy does your horn get? I find it necessary, and maybe I'm to fussy, to clean mine (and polish it) about once a month. Your thoughts.......( We have about 4 rehearsals and maybe 3 0r 4 shows a month.

[bssop97]

Just curious as to how often you horn players clean your bugle. I'm talkin' about the inside.........(once you do the inside ....it doesn't make sense not to do the outside) DCI members would be the exception because their schedule is just to intense..........but......for those involved in Alumni and/or Senior corps'........how cruddy does your horn get? I find it necessary, and maybe I'm to fussy, to clean mine (and polish it) about once a month. Your thoughts.......( We have about 4 rehearsals and maybe 3 0r 4 shows a month.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually I showered with the horn almost every day... The dirt killed my valves.

[KevinDCAChamp]

Just curious as to how often you horn players clean your bugle. I'm talkin' about the inside.........(once you do the inside ....it doesn't make sense not to do the outside) DCI members would be the exception because their schedule is just to intense..........but......for those involved in Alumni and/or Senior corps'........how cruddy does your horn get? I find it necessary, and maybe I'm to fussy, to clean mine (and polish it) about once a month. Your thoughts.......( We have about 4 rehearsals and maybe 3 0r 4 shows a month.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I find a good cleaning with white vinegar every 4-6 keeps the crude from building up inside my mello. Even then the stuff that comes out amazes me. I pour about 1/2 a bottle in the bell, turn her around and around to get it in all the tubing and let it stay in for 5-10 minutes. Pour it out and power rinse with a sink hose until the water is running freely from bell to reciever. Clear out the water, oil the valves and lube the slides and your good to go on the inside. Good silver polish on the outside and it will look and play great.

Guido

[Shadow_7]

Short Answer: Whenever it needs it.

Otherwise: A lot of it depends on rehearsal conditions. Dry, windy, and dusty is the worst. Probably once a day, at least for the valves, after days like that.

If it's just a storage horn, once every six months just to make sure the valves and slides still move.

For most all age rehearsal stuff I find once every 4 to 6 weeks and before major commitments works well enough. If it's my primary horn that I'm playing on 4 hours a day I find once a week will suffice. Or whenever the valves don't do as requested. If it doesn't have valves, then whenever the slide becomes as loud or louder than my playing. Or if it starts to sound like my pontiac.

S7

[sopchick_01]

i dont think that being a junior corps member exempts the reason to not cleaning the horn. when i marched i would try to wash it with me once a week and shined it when i got a chance or on a show day. even if you wanted to, its hard to neglet your horn because the valves would get dried one day, or there is some sunscreen on the bell, or theres dirt all over. cleaning is still going to happen on a daily basis or at least once weekly no matter what.

[JayM]

I marched three years in a championship junior corps.

During pre-tour, I would wash the horn a couple of times a week.

During tour, showering and polishing the horn were mandatory on show days.