Western Middle School
How to Clean Your Brass Instrument
Materials Needed: towels, instrument cleaning
snake, mouthpiece cleaning brush, slide grease, valve oil, and brass
polishing cloth.
To clean a brass instrument, you:
1. Remove all slides and valves (including the casings on the bottom
of each valve chamber) and place on a towel.
2. Fill up a bathtub with lukewarm (not too hot) water.
3. Place body of instrument and all slides in water and let soak for
around five minutes.
4. Get snake (in cleaning kit) and move in and out of all
chambers--you will see the grit and grime come out of the instrument
like little clouds.
5. Remove the body when cleaned out and dry off with towel, set on
towel and continue the procedure with all slides.
6. Remove the slides and dry off with a towel.
7. Clean mouthpiece in water with mouthpiece cleaning brush (the
inside and the buildup on the outside by where the mouthpiece goes
into the leadpipe).
8. Put a little slide grease on each slide and put back onto body of
instrument.
9. Reoil valves and put back into chambers. (trombones--apply
Superslick to slide and then a mist of water from spray bottle)
10. Polish the entire outside of the instrument.
That should do it.
To order a Brass
Cleaning Kit, click here |
Instrumental Music Directors
Kellie McInchak and Paul Bickel
Contact us here if you have any questions:
Paul Bickel
(517) 841-8851
Email:
bickel@westernschools.org
Kellie McInchak
(517) 841-8810
Email:
mcinchak@westernschools.org
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