Re-activating a long unused horn

[Coltasaurus]

I have just acquired a Besson 983 Eb that has probably sat in its case on a shelf unused for 15-20 years (guessing based on situation). It's silver but is so dark gray that it looks like something very old. The horn and case have virtually no signs of ever being used much.

My question is: How and what steps would you take to "re-activate" the horn for normal playing? I'm not a pro, just a hobby player, so I'm curious what others would do.

[DonO.]

The most important thing is to make sure everything that’s supposed to move actually does move. That’s slides and valves of course. I’d start with valves, make certain the tops unscrew and the valves can be removed- carefully! If they can be taken out then a careful cleaning with warn water and mild soap, then a thorough rinsing with clean water, carefully dry with a soft cloth and allow additional air drying time. Then it’s time for valve oil of your choice- lots of it!- and replace valves, working them up and down to distribute the oil evenly. Remember to put a little oil on the cap threads, and don’t forget the bottom caps! They need love too! Make sure every slide pulls, and if they do, clean in a manner similar to the valves, re-grease, and replace. I would do this one at a time, or lay out a towel to sit the slides on in a pattern that helps me to not get them mixed up. If ANYTHING is frozen, do not force it! That makes it a job for a professional. I used to have different techniques I used for freeing up my own slides, and they always worked for me, but, looking back, it was very risky behavior!

[bloke]

If (???) there appears to be no lime nor dried filth, I would avoid an acid/chem clean.

The interior patina protects the instrument...

Super-generous oiling (for a good while) will polish the internal patina in the casings (brass tarnish) nice and smooth.

[bloke]

Were it free of scale/lime on the interior (??), I might load up brushes (snakes and brushes with handles that fit casings or tubes) and very carefully scrub it out with lamp oil - rather than cleansers. If you have a compressor and a hose, you could blow out the oil (same consistency and basically-the-same-thing-as valve oil) with compressed air, so that any pieces of poop that you might free up find their ways out of the instrument.

The areas of tubas that "amateurs" always miss cleaning are the knuckles into the valve casings, as well as the connecting tubing between the valve casings. They are not easy to clean, and - again - it must be done with care, to avoid poking the edges of those knuckles (soft brass) into the casings and into the paths of the pistons.

[Coltasaurus]

The most important thing is to make sure everything that’s supposed to move actually does move. That’s slides and valves of course. I’d start with valves, make certain the tops unscrew and the valves can be removed- carefully! If they can be taken out then a careful cleaning with warn water and mild soap, then a thorough rinsing with clean water, carefully dry with a soft cloth and allow additional air drying time. Then it’s time for valve oil of your choice- lots of it!- and replace valves, working them up and down to distribute the oil evenly. Remember to put a little oil on the cap threads, and don’t forget the bottom caps! They need love too! Make sure every slide pulls, and if they do, clean in a manner similar to the valves, re-grease, and replace. I would do this one at a time, or lay out a towel to sit the slides on in a pattern that helps me to not get them mixed up. If ANYTHING is frozen, do not force it! That makes it a job for a professional. I used to have different techniques I used for freeing up my own slides, and they always worked for me, but, looking back, it was very risky behavior!

Thankfully. I was able to move all the slides, but it took some effort. Every component was completely dry. I loosened all the valve caps and put a good dose of valve oil around the top and left overnight before removing them. Not sure if capillary attraction works well on brass and stainless but I figured it couldn't hurt. Did same with slides, moving them slightly then dosing valve oil.

[Coltasaurus]

Were it free of scale/lime on the interior (??), I might load up brushes (snakes and brushes with handles that fit casings or tubes) and very carefully scrub it out with lamp oil - rather than cleansers. If you have a compressor and a hose, you could blow out the oil (same consistency and basically-the-same-thing-as valve oil) with compressed air, so that any pieces of poop that you might free up find their ways out of the instrument.

The areas of tubas that "amateurs" always miss cleaning are the knuckles into the valve casings, as well as the connecting tubing between the valve casings. They are not easy to clean, and - again - it must be done with care, to avoid poking the edges of those knuckles (soft brass) into the casings and into the paths of the pistons.

Thanks for the tip on using lamp oil! Just happened to have some in the garage and wouldn't have thought to use it. I also used my compressor to blow the oil through the horn. Whew, what a mess, but no garbage came out and everything appeared to be open.

[Sousaswag]

Check it over very carefully. When it’s heavily tarnished or has sat for a long time it will be hard to see broken things. Check each brace, make sure all moving things come out and go back in easily.

If the outside feels super gross, I’d put in the work to polish it up. I can’t stand when my instrument feels gritty and unclean. Even raw brass instruments can feel and look good if taken care of.

My own Willson F needed a complete rebuild but I didn’t notice a lot that was wrong with it because it was so filthy.

Sounds like you got a solid tuba that just needs to be played. Congratulations on the find. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

[Coltasaurus]

Check it over very carefully. When it’s heavily tarnished or has sat for a long time it will be hard to see broken things. Check each brace, make sure all moving things come out and go back in easily.

If the outside feels super gross, I’d put in the work to polish it up. I can’t stand when my instrument feels gritty and unclean. Even raw brass instruments can feel and look good if taken care of.

My own Willson F needed a complete rebuild but I didn’t notice a lot that was wrong with it because it was so filthy.

Sounds like you got a solid tuba that just needs to be played. Congratulations on the find. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

I'm dreading the polishing part. Definitely nasty on the outside.

[russiantuba]

This happened to me when I bought a B&S F. It was from the 1980s but sat on the shelf at custom music until 2010. It had been shipped out a couple of times and tested at the shop.

I had them replace the spring coils. I did get it cleaned about a year later, but that was more because the rotors were scratchy and my teacher, who was trained as a tech, said it seemed like the rotors needed dropped and cleaned.

[MiBrassFS]

If it were me, and it has been, I would use silver cleaner before silver polish. I would take the cleaner (stuff like Tarn-X is cleaner, not polish. There’s better stuff than Tarn-X, but it’s the one most people know.) and put it in a spray bottle like an old window cleaner bottle. Take the tuba outside and spray it down well. It will look streaked and funky, but this will knock down the tarnish to an easily (easier?) polished away level. Less wear on the silver than grinding away at it with polish first. Regardless of the claims of gentleness, all polishes are mechanical in nature and less chemical. The cleaners are chemical and don’t remove the silver the way a polish does. Lastly, I never wipe away polish. I always rinse it away with water then wipe/pat the instrument down with the softest cloth on hand.

[GC]

From watching a master repairman and restorer clean silver horns, I'd use a lot of strips of strong gauze or soft cloth to get around the valve tubes and knuckles in particular, and be patient to only do a little at a time. Don't be afraid to discare the used strips to polish, and then another to clean the polish. When doing the body and bell, work on fairly small areas a few inches across rather than big areas. He always produced beautiful results without wasting effort or getting frustrated in the valve sections.

[bloke]

There are chemicals that will dissolve silver oxide. The one that I have I think is an older type that stinks of sulfur. My container of it is only large enough for a trumpet, so I put on big black rubber gloves and use a sponge or a rag to pick some up out of the vat and go across tubas with it. It basically leaves the instrument white, and then you can go back over it with a polishing cloth and get the white to shine. If I had to shine a tuba up with silver polish today, I think I would call in sick, even though it would be myself who I would be calling to tell me that I was sick.

...Chemical tarnish removers are life savers.

[DonO.]

When I answered this post, I only gave advice about getting the horn working. I totally ignored the finish part. I love all these posts about restoring badly tarnished silver plate. They remind me why, throughout my playing career, I have ALWAYS said “NO!” to the seductive call of silver horns! It’s lacquer for me all the way. A little Lemon Pledge and you’re done!

[bloke]

When I answered this post, I only gave advice about getting the horn working. I totally ignored the finish part. I love all these posts about restoring badly tarnished silver plate. They remind me why, throughout my playing career, I have ALWAYS said “NO!” to the seductive call of silver horns! It’s lacquer for me all the way. A little Lemon Pledge and you’re done!

I currently own no silver plated instruments, and - though my group of instruments are not enough to rate as a "collection" - as they are all instruments that I USE to a greater or lesser extent - there are (well...) around a dozen of them.

Were it that I still used bags (I've moved to cases...as multiples in the back of the vehicle ride much safer in cases), I would never shell out the dough for leather, actually prefer cordura nylon (as the purpose of a container is to CONtain, and not to have yet another thing to MAINtain, and (though I have held onto all my bags - which are all premium grade) I would only be shopping (these days, with the crazy pricing) for used (yet premium-grade) bags.


yes...I used bags for decades, just as with most everyone else.
I remember - when I first bought a brand-new 186 in the early-mid 1970's (along with a USA-made wood case), a mentor advised, "You need to get a bag for that" to which my first reaction was "whaaaaaaa....????"