Posted by jlb on November 02, 2001 at 10:08:43:
Last night I tried a cleaning method that I read about here -- i.e., run a gallon of white vinegar through the horn and rinse. Tried this because I was starting to notice an unpleasant smell at the mouthpiece and I figured the vinegar couldn't hurt. I dumped the vinegar in the bell and turned the horn carefully, with much gurgling, until all (or most) of it came out the leadpipe. Then I filled the horn with very warm water and drained it through the leadpipe, also. I worked the valves to get the vinegar and rinse into the valve branches. Then I dried the outside and in the bell with a towel. It seems to have worked. At least there is no smell in the horn besides the vinegar and that is slight. I laid the horn out to air dry over last night and today, then I'll oil it up and get some face time tonight.
I do have a question for a chemist out there. When I drained the vinegar, the effluent was blue. Also a few little puddles dried blue. Would this be copper oxide being dissolved out? It was very light blue (no chunks of metal). Should I worry about this, or would you think it's a natural thing to expect?
John (with a clean smelling horn, I hope) Breyer