Restoring an Olds Recording - maybe someone clear coated corrosion??

[ryebrye]

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I assumed those red spots were just oxidized brass where the lacquer had worn through - so I put some Blue Magic on a rag and started rubbing in the area. Normally, the telltale black residue appears and the metal gets shiny as it gets polished... In this case, the stuff on the rag just stayed the blue color and nothing changed on the bell.

(well that's not totally true... a couple of very small spots did shine up like normal brass - but it was only a few small spots)

Looking at it more, I THINK that maybe at some point in the past someone saw this bell oxidizing and wanted to keep it from "getting worse" so they maybe sprayed some kind of clear coat over the entire thing?? It's got a really interesting even shine over it.

I'm probably not going to deal with it any more, since it was given to us for free (story in another thread) and we're re-gifting it to one of my son's trumpet / french-horn player friends who has been wanting to buy a trombone for a while. If they were raw oxidized spots, I was going to shine it up for him first...

To actually do a good job at this now seems like it'd take stripping whatever the heck is coating it off as well as whatever is left of the original lacquer.

At some parts of the bell, it actually looks kind of cool - almost like a bowling ball or a marble with multiple layers of colors swirling together...

I figured I'd ask on here - if the consensus is that stripping it would be not too bad to try (throw some chemicals on it, let it sit, wipe it off... repeat) then maybe I'll give it a go - but I'm assuming it could be quite involved (especially since I have no idea what was put on top of the other layer).

Would something easy, like boiling water, be worth a try? (if it doesn't work, it would just waste time and wouldn't actually harm it any, would it?)

[tbonesullivan]

If it's "old school" lacquer, that's usually cellulose based, and it is actually somewhat porous, and degrades over time. It can get to the point that oxygen can pass right through little cracks, and then you can have corrosion happen right under it.

If it was my horn I'd just leave it. It's part of the history of the horn. Won't play any better if the bell is shiny.

[cb56]

I've de lacquered a couple Olds trombones by applying citristrip and letting it sit overnight.
Wash it off and wipe with rag. Actually I used a scotch pad because I wanted a satin finish.
Wear rubber gloves. Do this in a well ventilated area.
Disclaimer: this worked for me but do it at your own risk.

[ryebrye]

I tested out the tuning slide in boiling water. The laquer came off pretty easily, so then I hit it with blue magic (on the external parts - I didn't touch the inner parts of the tuning slide) and noticed that not all of the laquer came off yet.

The brass section went from looking like garbage to looking shiny. (You can see the difference between the section I stripped and polished and the section I haven't touched yet)

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Doing the bell in boiling water seems like it'd be a bit of a pain. I've got a big stainless steel pot I could use and maybe do half of the bell at a time by dipping it in there and holding it, but I think I'll try something easier.

If it came off so easily with boiling water, I imagine citristrip should do the trick pretty easily. I'll grab some of that tomorrow and some #0000 steel wool to wipe it with too get the laquer off.

I got out my heat gun just to see if it would work - I was impatient and set it too hot and instead of stripping it, the laquer became more opague and started to bubble a bit - but it didn't come off when I wiped it with a paper towel. Maybe steel wool would work with a heat gun, but I think citristrip sounds a lot easier.

Anyone tried a heat gun before?

[Doug Elliott]

Unless you actually want a brushed finish, don't use steel wool, even 0000. A non-abrasive Scotch-Brite pad (the non-abrasive one sold for dishwashing) would work well and keep the shine. Let the Citristrip do its thing, it works.

[ryebrye]

Unless you actually want a brushed finish, don't use steel wool, even 0000. A non-abrasive Scotch-Brite pad (the non-abrasive one sold for dishwashing) would work well and keep the shine. Let the Citristrip do its thing, it works.

Good to know. I'll go with a Scotch Brite and not steel wool.

[Doug Elliott]

Make sure it's the non-abrasive one...

https://www.scotch-brite.com/3M/en_US/p/d/cobnbw853084/

[ryebrye]

It took me most of the day, but I got it stripped and polished

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. Turned out pretty well.

There are a few darker spots that magic blue or mother's mags couldn't get to come out. I'm guessing I'd need to hit them with something more significant like polishing compound and a buffing wheel - but they are only visible from up close. From a few feet away it looks much better.

[Posaunus]

Aren't the Olds Recordings beautiful instruments?

[ryebrye]

Yeah the engraving on it really is nice.

Stripped, I think it would look better if the bell was rose brass or red brass. Yellow brass just seems too light a color for it. I think this one will look better with a patina over time rather than trying to keep it shiny and polished... Time will tell.

[Doug Elliott]

Recordings have a form of red brass - bell, braces, and slide too if it's an early one.

[CharlieB]

Good work !
The horn looks to be in very good condition and worth the effort
These old Recordings are very good horns, and it would be a good candidate now for a light buffing and lacquer.
But if this is to be a budget horn for a newbie student, a good coat of auto wax every few months will keep the tarnish under control. The hard work is done; new lacquer can come later, (or not).
we're re-gifting it to one of my son's trumpet / french-horn player friends who has been wanting to buy a trombone for a while.

[ryebrye]

Recordings have a form of red brass - bell, braces, and slide too if it's an early one.

Yes, you are right. This one does have the red braces. The slide is chrome duo octagonal.

Actually, on looking at it, it might be a red brass bell after all. I looked at it in different lighting and the bell matches the braces and when I put it next to yellow brass it is way more pink.

Good work !
The horn looks to be in very good condition and worth the effort
These old Recordings are very good horns, and it would be a good candidate now for a light buffing and lacquer.
But if this is to be a budget horn for a newbie student, a good coat of auto wax every few months will keep the tarnish under control. The hard work is done; new lacquer can come later, (or not).

Yeah I've thought about laquer for it, but it's not the easiest season to spray rattle-can stuff (20°F here today) I have not sprayed a horn before, but I've got a fair amount of spray experience from painting or other things.

I've got some Renaissance wax coming this week for another horn that's got a stripped bell, so I can at least give it away with a coating of that and some basic instructions to the next owner.

I'll have my younger son send some pictures to the teacher who gave it to him so she can see what it looks like now.

[JohnL]

Actually, on looking at it, it might be a red brass bell after all. I looked at it in different lighting and the bell matches the braces and when I put it next to yellow brass it is way more pink.

I've always thought it was 85-15 (what Shires calls "gold brass" and Edwards calls "rose brass"). It's not quite as red as red brass (90-10), but noticeably redder than yellow brass (70-10).

Olds called it "golden Re-o-loy", for what it's worth.

[Posaunus]

Whatever the name of this alloy (Re-O-Loy is pretty cool, eh?) and its composition, the Recording bell looks gorgeous and (to my ears) sounds great.

[ryebrye]

Whatever the name of this alloy (Re-O-Loy is pretty cool, eh?) and its composition, the Recording bell looks gorgeous and (to my ears) sounds great.

Yes it's a great instrument. It's got a very nice tone to it.