FAQ

• Cryogenics
• Maintenance and Care
• Precision Valve Alignment TM
• Packing and Shipping Instruments

MAINTENANCE AND CARE

Q:  How often should I have my instrument cleaned?

A:  This depends mostly on how much the instrument is being used. For the average player once every 2 to 3 years is a good idea. For the professional or very active player once a year is suggested. In our repair facility we use a state-of-the-art ultrasonic cleaning machine which cleans without the use of strong or harsh acids that most all repair shops use.

Q:  What can I do to maintain and keep my instrument clean?

A:  1. When your finished playing always empty as much of the moisture out of your instrument. This is very important if you know your not going play for a few days. The moisture is the source for most of the build up that occurs inside your instrument.

2. Always oil and lubricate the valves , rotors, and slides. Valve or rotor oil helps not only to lubricate the moving parts, but also to inhibit the build up of scale inside the instrument. Oiling your instrument after playing would  also help to keep the moving parts in good working order, specially if your not going to play for a few days.

3. Keep the leadpipe clean, this will help to prevent and lessen the build up you would get in the rest of the instrument 

4. Wipe down the instrument to help protect the finish. With lacquer instruments you can use lemon furniture polish to clean and protect the finish. Use silver polish for silver and gold plated finishes to keep these clean and polished. You also can use glass cleaner on plated finishes to help remove all the grease, oil, and finger prints.

Q:  How does ultrasonic cleaning differ from chemical or acid bath cleaning?

A:  Our new process which we call "Ultraclean" TM, is a custom designed ultrasonic cleaning machine made specifically for the cleaning of musical instruments. Everything from the dimension of the tank, the controls, and even the cleaning solution has been chosen to give  you the most complete interior cleaning ever done on a musical instrument.

The old method of chemically cleaning of instrument sometimes also referred to as acid cleaning, requires the use of sometimes very strong acids or long soaking times to clean out the organic matter that accumulates inside of all instruments from use. Up to now this was the best method to clean any instrument, but it did not clean the interior entirely. A dirty instrument negatively affects the response and well and the slide and valve action. In cases where extreme cleanliness is required, (i.e., the slides and valves) using ultrasonics has proven to be a more effective degreaser than mechanical or chemical means combined. Cleaning instruments with ultrasonics has the distinct advantage of penetrating complex geometry and removing tightly bonded contaminants from a variety of surfaces.

Q:  What is red rot? Where does it occur and why? How do I prevent it?

A:  1. Red rot (dezincification) is the result of corrosion breaking down the metal  alloy in your instrument. The brass used in the musical instruments consist of approximately 70% copper and 30% zinc. When the metal breaks down from all the acids in saliva, salts, and scale build up in your instrument. The zinc is eaten away first leaving the copper behind. This is the reason it is called red rot because of the reddish spots of corrosion.  

2. Most red rot happens in the leadpipe on most instrument. The leadpipe tends to always collect the most amount of build up, so the consistent exposure to moisture speeds up the corrosion process.

3. To prevent red rot from happening or to keep it from getting any worse, have your instrument professional cleaned to remove the scale build  up in your instrument. Soap and water will not remove this  kind of build up. Using grocery store bought cleaners will dissolve much of this stuff but, the phosphoric acid contained in these products will  leave the brass unstable which in turn can actually speed up the corrosion process once it starts again.

4. Make sure to oil your valves and rotors, you really cannot over oil your instrument. It would be also a good idea to place a few drops of oil into the leadpipe after you oil your instrument as this well help to dissipate moisture and retard the corrosion inside. When you done playing remove as much of the moisture as possible.  

5. Once every couple of weeks use a instrument flexible brush (snake) or leadpipe swab to clean the leadpipe and rest of the instrument with soap and water.  If you do this regularly, you will reduce the scale build up from forming inside your instrument.

Q:  I have acidic hands, and the finish on my instrument is being eaten away. What can I do about this?

A:  Everyone's body chemistry is different, some players can actually etch silver plating in less than a week. Wiping off the instrument after playing can help but the best way is to limit direct hand contact as much as possible. Using leather hand guards can help to a great degree. The use of double silver plating or gold plating provides a very good defense against this type of corrosion. We carry a full line of leather guards for most instruments.

Q:  How do I remove a stuck tuning slide or mouthpiece? 

A: 1. For stuck tuning slides try inserting a rag through the slide and pull the rag to remove the slide. Using penetrating oil on the slide tube should help to dissolve the corrosion that is holding the slide in place. You can  also lightly tap on the slide tubes with a raw hide mallet to aid in breaking the slide loose.

2. For stuck mouthpieces you can try tapping on the receiver with a raw hide mallet with a couple of sharp taps.  This works on occasion, but unless you have a mouthpiece puller do not try to remove the stuck mouthpiece at home. A mouthpiece puller is a special tool that pulls the mouthpiece out by applying direct force against the mouthpiece and the receiver. You cannot remove a stuck mouthpiece with a pair of pliers. If you do, I guarantee you will be in the repair shop having either your braces resoldered or paying them to replace the leadpipe you just twisted around.

The best thing to do is visit your local trusted repair person and have a professional do this for you.  We remove these stuck mouthpieces and slides with specialized tooling and equipment and most times do not charge for this service.

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EQUIPMENT AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Q:  How does a Precision Valve Alignment [PVA]TM differ from the manufacturers valve alignment?

A:  The Precision Valve Alignment (PVA)TM is the most accurate method for aligning valves. Using a precision gauge made specifically for this procedure, precise measurements are made of each valve and valve casing port, from which the up-and down-stroke positions of each valve is calculated. A fiber optic scope is used to view valve port alignments that are not normally visible. Horizontal (or rotational, or side-to-side) alignment is also examined and corrected as needed.

The most important part of a PVA TM, however, is the material that is used to correct the valve alignment. Instead of relying on felt, a special synthetic pad has been developed, which is unaffected by compression, moisture, and oil.  Using the extremely stable synthetic pad insures the the precise valve alignment will endure for many years before any replacement is required.

Manufacturers do not measure the valves nor do they check for accurate alignment.  Most use a specific felt and top cap bumper and just install them without any visual inspection or measurement.

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Q:  What is cryogenic freezing [Cryogenic Resonance Restoration TM] (CCR TM) and how does it improve a musical instrument?

A:  Cryogenic Resonance Restoration (CRR)TM is a dry process where instruments are placed in a specially designed and insulated chamber that is computer controlled to hold temperatures below - 325 F. The process itself is very gentle, with changes in temperatures occurring at approximately 1 degree per minute: it will not effect lacquer or plated finishes. By cryogenically processing instruments, residual and compressive stresses from the dislocation of the metal's structure is reduced. The metal itself becomes a better resonator by making its grain spacing smaller. This allows resonance to travel more freely through the metal.

Figure one: metal lattice - atoms of alloy metals such as brass line up imperfect rows stacked densely on top of each other. When the instrument is hammered & bent into shape, the atoms can get pushed apart ( stressed ) or whole planes can get knocked out of alignment ( dislocation ), as shown left.  Freezing the instrument reduces the residual stress in the metallic lattice.

Sound quality improves because the resonance character is not lost by dampening stress. The harmonic structure present before the process is enhanced and musicians often find a better core to their sound with a more even timbre throughout; dynamics and pitch center, as well as the efficiency, can also be improved. What Cryogenic Resonance Restoration TM will not do is transform a poorly made or designed instrument into a good instrument, but it can make a good instrument even better.

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MISCELLANEOUS

Q:  What is the best way to ship my instrument and how should I pack and prepare it for shipment?

A: 1. Empty your instrument of as much moisture as possible, nothing worse than to receive a bubble wrapped instrument that's all wet. The moisture can also stain the finish of your instrument.

2. Secure 1st and 3rd slides on trumpets from moving and remove loose object in the case because during shipping these items can end up roaming around inside the case or gig bag against your instrument causing damage. Secure these items and please do not use rubber bands  on trumpet slides as the sulfur content in the rubber of the band can etch the silver plating.

3. If shipping in a case, make sure the instrument does not move a round. If it does place an old towel in the case first, then the instrument and wrap the rest around it. Do not ship your instrument in just the case!

4. If your shipping the instrument without the case, wrap at least 3 to 4 layers of bubble wrap (1" bubbles) with even an extra layer around the bell flare put on prior to the layering.  If you have a tuning bell trumpet to ship, place foam, Styrofoam in between the bell and leadpipe (front and back) to support this fragile trumpet. You can also use a punctured tennis balls placed in between the bell and leadpipe. This is also good for carrying a tuning bell trumpet in a gig bag.

5. Place the case or bubble wrapped instrument in a box that's at least 6" bigger than any side of the case or bubble wrap. Use the Styrofoam peanuts or crumpled newspaper to fill in the space around your instrument. Do not use a box that the cardboard is damaged or crushed as this is not going to protect your instrument and makes it less likely any insurance you took out will cover your shipment.

6. Do not use duct tape, masking tape, or worse cellophane tape to secure the box. Use a good packing tape making sure you tape all seam and edges.  Double boxing your instrument would provide the best protection over all.

7. Make sure you insure you trumpet for the replacement value....not what you paid for it, but rather the full suggested retail price. This was you will be covered if the worst happens (shipper looses your instrument or if it gets damaged beyond repair during shipment)

8. Except for the US Post Office, most other shippers determine the cost of shipping by the size of the box. This method figures the cost by dimensional weight and not actual weight. Do not use a huge box to ship your instrument as it will cost you much more than needed.

9. Make sure you include a note inside the box with your address the address where your shipping this instrument. This protects you in case the address label get torn off.

10. Just so you no most next day air / 2nd day air/ 3 day select shipments do not include weekend days. US Postal service many times is the most economical way to ship a instrument. Like UPS and Fed-ex you can have your package tracked, but for an additional charge tracking.  The extra cost would be worth it if you are shipping an expensive or rare instrument.