Trombone wax
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Trombone wax
I have a trombone that I stripped the lacquer from. While I'm fine with polishing it every once in a while, it doesn't last more then a few days between polishing before it stops looking decent so I've been trying to figure out how to wax it to protect it. I've tried turtle wax after seeing it in a few other posts, but it really doesn't seem to do very much- it still starts to tarnish wherever I touch it and any condensation on the bell just soaks right in. What am I doing wrong here? I think I'm using the wax right, but I'm not sure I even bought the right wax to begin with now.
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Re: Trombone wax
I polish my stripped horns with Flitz. Lasts a couple of weeks and leaves behind a thin coating that deters tarnish.
https://www.amazon.com/Flitz-Plastic-Fi ... 7525354483
https://www.amazon.com/Flitz-Plastic-Fi ... 7525354483
"When in doubt, blow out" - MSgt M.A. Mayo, Marine Band
The contest entry form said "Void where prohibited", so I peed on the Captain's desk.
The contest entry form said "Void where prohibited", so I peed on the Captain's desk.
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Re: Trombone wax
I worked in the musical instrument shop of The Smithsonian Institution for a couple of years. They used a particular type of wax to preserve the finish on brass instruments because they were played with some regularity. Check with the Musical Instrument Division. I'm sure they'd be willing to tell you what the stuff is.
- ithinknot
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Re: Trombone wax
Renaissance Wax works for this sort of thing, though depending on your body chemistry it might be a losing battle at contact points
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Re: Trombone wax
Im Quite sure: what works for vehicles should work for Instruments too…
Played on an newly Build for 8 montags and protected it with AdBL Synthetic Spray wax.
Worked fine
Played on an newly Build for 8 montags and protected it with AdBL Synthetic Spray wax.
Worked fine
- harrisonreed
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Re: Trombone wax
Renaissance Wax:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax
It needs to be applied correctly. They use this to keep armor and swords looking great in museums.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax
It needs to be applied correctly. They use this to keep armor and swords looking great in museums.
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Re: Trombone wax
I thought the whole point of stripping lacquer was to achieve the tarnished look. The advice I've seen was to strip it, then put it in a closet for 6 months so the patina can develop without any fingerprints.
Is the wax being discussed just a poor man's relacquer job?
Is the wax being discussed just a poor man's relacquer job?
- ithinknot
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Re: Trombone wax
No, just makes the patina develop more slowly, and significantly reduces the immediate fingerprint/waterspot issues
- BigBadandBass
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Re: Trombone wax
Myriad of reasons to strip. The bell i currently play was stripped because of was converted to a cut bell. I’ve also heard people say it changes the feel of horn, the natural hand patina looks better or that they just know the lacquer is gonna come off eventually. It can also protect the horn, serving as a barrier to prevent rust or corrosion (citation needed, heard this from another player).AtomicClock wrote: ↑Sat Oct 21, 2023 10:03 am I thought the whole point of stripping lacquer was to achieve the tarnished look. The advice I've seen was to strip it, then put it in a closet for 6 months so the patina can develop without any fingerprints.
Is the wax being discussed just a poor man's relacquer job?
- ghmerrill
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Re: Trombone wax
Try NuFinish? (Not really a wax, but it can be amazing stuff). Auto people say it effectively protects bare metal for some time, but I don't recall every using it on bare metal.
Gary Merrill
Amati Oval Euph
1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba
Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone
M/K nickel MV50 leadpipe
DE LB K/K8/110 Lexan
1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Bach 12c)
Amati Oval Euph
1924 Buescher 3-valve Eb tuba
Schiller American Heritage 7B clone bass trombone
M/K nickel MV50 leadpipe
DE LB K/K8/110 Lexan
1947 Olds "Standard" trombone (Bach 12c)
- ssking2b
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Re: Trombone wax
NuFinish works very well. I also have a couple of bottles of liquid Blue Poly polyglycoat car wax put away. I’ve been using my open one for 15 years. Looks great and very protective on the horns, and a little bit goes a long way!
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XO Brass Artist - http://www.pjonestrombone.com
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XO Brass Artist - http://www.pjonestrombone.com
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Re: Trombone wax
Can't wait for the wax vs no wax sound quality fusillades. And whether a counter weight should also be waxed.
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Re: Trombone wax
Nu-Finish has worked great for me, and as an added benefit it also will work as polish with enough elbow grease.
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Re: Trombone wax
I've heard of luthiers using Meguires car polish with carnauba
Non-abrasive for sure!!
Non-abrasive for sure!!
Eric Edwards
Professional Instrument Repair
972.795.5784
"If you must choose between two evils, choose the one you haven't tried yet."
"Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud." -Sophocles
Professional Instrument Repair
972.795.5784
"If you must choose between two evils, choose the one you haven't tried yet."
"Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud." -Sophocles
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Re: Trombone wax
If a stripped horn were played and there were no one to see it, was it waxed or not?
Richard Smith
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
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Re: Trombone wax
We used Renaissance wax on a raw brass bell. It has a natural patina when we bought it, and I didn't mind the look - but my wife thought it looked hideous. My son prefers it shiny - it polished up very easily to a bright shine.
It didn't take long for us to realize why people use wax - any little water drop or finger print would show up and you'd have to polish it again to get rid of them.
We put on a couple layers of Renaissance wax (it's very easy to apply, and a little goes a long way) and it's been pretty much maintenance free since then (just wipe off water spots with a microfiber towel every once in a while.)
People are usually very surprised to find out the bell is raw brass because it's so shiny still.
It didn't take long for us to realize why people use wax - any little water drop or finger print would show up and you'd have to polish it again to get rid of them.
We put on a couple layers of Renaissance wax (it's very easy to apply, and a little goes a long way) and it's been pretty much maintenance free since then (just wipe off water spots with a microfiber towel every once in a while.)
People are usually very surprised to find out the bell is raw brass because it's so shiny still.