I think this has been discussed a few times however my geezer mentality could not remember the answer. 

I have some alto mouthpieces (mostly hard rubber)with various degrees of odor. 

What can I soak them in to neutralize the smell and not discolor the mouthpiece itself.

Thanks in advance.

Mike Vaccaro

I use Rum . I also wet my reeds in rum before and after I play.

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, "mvprod7991" <mike@...> wrote:
>
> I think this has been discussed a few times however my geezer mentality could not remember the answer. 
> 
> I have some alto mouthpieces (mostly hard rubber)with various degrees of odor. 
> 
> What can I soak them in to neutralize the smell and not discolor the mouthpiece itself.
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> Mike Vaccaro
>

Some folks use Vodka since it's essentially odorless.  I use a mild 
toothpaste and a soft toothbrush with cold water to clean my pieces out 
with.

On 3/6/2011 4:04 PM, jamesm wrote:
>
> I use Rum . I also wet my reeds in rum before and after I play.
>
> --- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com 
> <mailto:MouthpieceWork%40yahoogroups.com>, "mvprod7991" <mike@...> wrote:
> >
> > I think this has been discussed a few times however my geezer 
> mentality could not remember the answer.
> >
> > I have some alto mouthpieces (mostly hard rubber)with various 
> degrees of odor.
> >
> > What can I soak them in to neutralize the smell and not discolor the 
> mouthpiece itself.
> >
> > Thanks in advance.
> >
> > Mike Vaccaro
> >
>
> 

I've also used the toothpaste method with success. I experimented on a
no-name m/p of poor quality with a gentle rub with fine steel wool. It did a
good job with no effect on the playing qualities of the m/p. Your mileage
may vary.

Tony F.

 

From: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com [mailto:MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Robert W. Smith
Sent: Monday, 7 March 2011 5:33 PM
To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
Cc: jamesm
Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Re: Rubber Smell

 

  

Some folks use Vodka since it's essentially odorless.  I use a mild
toothpaste and a soft toothbrush with cold water to clean my pieces out
with. 

On 3/6/2011 4:04 PM, jamesm wrote: 

  

I use Rum . I also wet my reeds in rum before and after I play.

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
<mailto:MouthpieceWork%40yahoogroups.com> , "mvprod7991"  <mailto:mike@...>
<mike@...> wrote:
>
> I think this has been discussed a few times however my geezer mentality
could not remember the answer. 
> 
> I have some alto mouthpieces (mostly hard rubber)with various degrees of
odor. 
> 
> What can I soak them in to neutralize the smell and not discolor the
mouthpiece itself.
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> Mike Vaccaro
>




  _____  

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Some of the burnt rubber smell is just a result of the age of the rubber, and cannot be gotten rid of.

BUT, you can clean the mouthpiece and help get rid of other odors.  You can make it more attractive so that you are not afraid of catching a disease from it by playing on it.

A 30 second soak in a solution of 90% water - 10% bleach, or spray with Clorox Cleanup, will kill bacteria and viruses, even the AIDS virus.  Don't get the solution on your clothes and rinse the mouthpiece and your hands well.

Next, soak in lemon juice to dissolve any white calcium deposits, mostly on the sides and in the chamber of well used mouthpieces.  This may take from 30 minutes to overnight.  You may need to use a mouthpiece brush in the chamber.  A Gerber Baby Bottle Nipple Brush is ideal as to size, and the wire shank is covered with plastic tubing so it cannot scratch the tip rail.  A small juice glass will minimize the amount of lemon juice used.  Vinegar also works but leaves an odor of its own.

Once this is done, under lukewarm running water (never warm or hot) clean the mouthpiece with a sponge known as the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.  This is very mildly abrasive material that can take off much of the brown or green oxidation.  This will take from 5 to 10 minutes of hand work.

At this point the mouthpiece will be clean, but dull looking.  We can fix that.  You may use a plastic polish sold at automotive shops or auto department at Walmart known as Kit Scratch Out.  Look for the yellow plastic bottle.  It is used for polishing plexiglas motorcycle helmet face shields, windshields, or other plastics.  There are other brands of similar plastic polish that will work well, too.  You may also use Flitz Metal Polish.  DO NOT USE a powered buffing wheel or Dremel tool.  If you do, you will certainly damage the side rails.  Polish by hand, as if putting on paste wax on a car, followed by buffing with a soft cloth.

At this point the mouthpiece will be clean and have a fair shine, and there will be no damage from the process.

I do this several times a week with customers' mouthpieces sent to me for refacing or other work.  I know it works.

Paul C.

AFTER you do all this, seal it with Burt Bee's Wax Lip Balm or Walgreen's equivalent. An EDIBLE Carnuba would be an even stronger wax, but I'm not experimenting with eating car waxes. The wax helps keep the oxidation away. Re-apply periodically. It also help keep calcium and gunk from sticking inside and out. 

E ve r e t t F i d l e r

--- In MouthpieceWork@...m, "tenorman1952" <tenorman1952@...> wrote:
>
> 
> Some of the burnt rubber smell is just a result of the age of the rubber, and cannot be gotten rid of.
> 
> BUT, you can clean the mouthpiece and help get rid of other odors.  You can make it more attractive so that you are not afraid of catching a disease from it by playing on it.
> 
> A 30 second soak in a solution of 90% water - 10% bleach, or spray with Clorox Cleanup, will kill bacteria and viruses, even the AIDS virus.  Don't get the solution on your clothes and rinse the mouthpiece and your hands well.
> 
> Next, soak in lemon juice to dissolve any white calcium deposits, mostly on the sides and in the chamber of well used mouthpieces.  This may take from 30 minutes to overnight.  You may need to use a mouthpiece brush in the chamber.  A Gerber Baby Bottle Nipple Brush is ideal as to size, and the wire shank is covered with plastic tubing so it cannot scratch the tip rail.  A small juice glass will minimize the amount of lemon juice used.  Vinegar also works but leaves an odor of its own.
> 
> Once this is done, under lukewarm running water (never warm or hot) clean the mouthpiece with a sponge known as the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.  This is very mildly abrasive material that can take off much of the brown or green oxidation.  This will take from 5 to 10 minutes of hand work.
> 
> At this point the mouthpiece will be clean, but dull looking.  We can fix that.  You may use a plastic polish sold at automotive shops or auto department at Walmart known as Kit Scratch Out.  Look for the yellow plastic bottle.  It is used for polishing plexiglas motorcycle helmet face shields, windshields, or other plastics.  There are other brands of similar plastic polish that will work well, too.  You may also use Flitz Metal Polish.  DO NOT USE a powered buffing wheel or Dremel tool.  If you do, you will certainly damage the side rails.  Polish by hand, as if putting on paste wax on a car, followed by buffing with a soft cloth.
> 
> At this point the mouthpiece will be clean and have a fair shine, and there will be no damage from the process.
> 
> I do this several times a week with customers' mouthpieces sent to me for refacing or other work.  I know it works.
> 
> Paul C.
>

Printed & posted!  Thanks Paul!

On 3/7/2011 8:35 AM, tenorman1952 wrote:
>
>
> Some of the burnt rubber smell is just a result of the age of the 
> rubber, and cannot be gotten rid of.
>
> BUT, you can clean the mouthpiece and help get rid of other odors. You 
> can make it more attractive so that you are not afraid of catching a 
> disease from it by playing on it.
>
> A 30 second soak in a solution of 90% water - 10% bleach, or spray 
> with Clorox Cleanup, will kill bacteria and viruses, even the AIDS 
> virus. Don't get the solution on your clothes and rinse the mouthpiece 
> and your hands well.
>
> Next, soak in lemon juice to dissolve any white calcium deposits, 
> mostly on the sides and in the chamber of well used mouthpieces. This 
> may take from 30 minutes to overnight. You may need to use a 
> mouthpiece brush in the chamber. A Gerber Baby Bottle Nipple Brush is 
> ideal as to size, and the wire shank is covered with plastic tubing so 
> it cannot scratch the tip rail. A small juice glass will minimize the 
> amount of lemon juice used. Vinegar also works but leaves an odor of 
> its own.
>
> Once this is done, under lukewarm running water (never warm or hot) 
> clean the mouthpiece with a sponge known as the Mr. Clean Magic 
> Eraser. This is very mildly abrasive material that can take off much 
> of the brown or green oxidation. This will take from 5 to 10 minutes 
> of hand work.
>
> At this point the mouthpiece will be clean, but dull looking. We can 
> fix that. You may use a plastic polish sold at automotive shops or 
> auto department at Walmart known as Kit Scratch Out. Look for the 
> yellow plastic bottle. It is used for polishing plexiglas motorcycle 
> helmet face shields, windshields, or other plastics. There are other 
> brands of similar plastic polish that will work well, too. You may 
> also use Flitz Metal Polish. DO NOT USE a powered buffing wheel or 
> Dremel tool. If you do, you will certainly damage the side rails. 
> Polish by hand, as if putting on paste wax on a car, followed by 
> buffing with a soft cloth.
>
> At this point the mouthpiece will be clean and have a fair shine, and 
> there will be no damage from the process.
>
> I do this several times a week with customers' mouthpieces sent to me 
> for refacing or other work. I know it works.
>
> Paul C.
>
> 

Golfsmith offers a 5 minute shafting epoxy which is colored black.  And 
it has a 3600 psi sheer strength to keep those driver heads from 
twisting off the shaft!  It may be too flexible for repairing tip chips, 
but it's good for filling tooth gouges.  I had some around because I 
also build custom golf clubs.

Robert

On 3/7/2011 10:47 AM, Paul C. wrote:
> You can sand out scratches, after cleaning, the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser 
> bit, by sanding the area with silicon carbide paper.  Start with 600, 
> then 800, then 1000, 1200, and finally 1500.  Then polish with the 
> Scratch Out.
>
> If there are teeth gouges, before you polish is the time to fill those 
> grooves with epoxy.  Some say there are bad chemicals in epoxy, but 
> you will cover that with a clear or black rubber patch.  You can file 
> and sand the epoxy smooth.  5 minute epoxy works just fine.
>
> If you want the trademark to show rub it with a gold or white crayon, 
> and lightly buff off the crayon leaving it in the grooves.
>
> This is all just cosmetic, and does not make it play a bit better, but 
> my customers will think I did a better job when they get back their 
> old, nasty mouthpiece refaced and looking a lot better than when it 
> left their hands.  Just a little pride in craftsmanship.
>
> Try it, it is easy, and takes only minutes.
>
> Paul
>
> *In God we trust.*/- The United States National Motto./
>
> Link to Paul's articles from Main page of "Saxgourmet":
>
> http://www.saxgourmet.com <http://www.saxgourmet.com/>
>
> Paul Coats is the sole US importer of */SaxRax/* products from:
>
> http://www.saxrax.com <http://www.saxrax.com/>
>
> For SaxRax products, email Paul at saxraxus@... 
> <mailto:saxraxus@...>
>
>
>
> --- On *Mon, 3/7/11, Robert W. Smith /<rwpsmith@...>/* wrote:
>
>
>     From: Robert W. Smith <rwpsmith@...>
>     Subject: Re: [MouthpieceWork] Re: Rubber Smell
>     To: MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com
>     Cc: "tenorman1952" <tenorman1952@...>
>     Date: Monday, March 7, 2011, 8:25 AM
>
>     Printed & posted!  Thanks Paul!
>
>     On 3/7/2011 8:35 AM, tenorman1952 wrote:
>>
>>
>>     Some of the burnt rubber smell is just a result of the age of the
>>     rubber, and cannot be gotten rid of.
>>
>>     BUT, you can clean the mouthpiece and help get rid of other
>>     odors. You can make it more attractive so that you are not afraid
>>     of catching a disease from it by playing on it.
>>
>>     A 30 second soak in a solution of 90% water - 10% bleach, or
>>     spray with Clorox Cleanup, will kill bacteria and viruses, even
>>     the AIDS virus. Don't get the solution on your clothes and rinse
>>     the mouthpiece and your hands well.
>>
>>     Next, soak in lemon juice to dissolve any white calcium deposits,
>>     mostly on the sides and in the chamber of well used mouthpieces.
>>     This may take from 30 minutes to overnight. You may need to use a
>>     mouthpiece brush in the chamber. A Gerber Baby Bottle Nipple
>>     Brush is ideal as to size, and the wire shank is covered with
>>     plastic tubing so it cannot scratch the tip rail. A small juice
>>     glass will minimize the amount of lemon juice used. Vinegar also
>>     works but leaves an odor of its own.
>>
>>     Once this is done, under lukewarm running water (never warm or
>>     hot) clean the mouthpiece with a sponge known as the Mr. Clean
>>     Magic Eraser. This is very mildly abrasive material that can take
>>     off much of the brown or green oxidation. This will take from 5
>>     to 10 minutes of hand work.
>>
>>     At this point the mouthpiece will be clean, but dull looking. We
>>     can fix that. You may use a plastic polish sold at automotive
>>     shops or auto department at Walmart known as Kit Scratch Out.
>>     Look for the yellow plastic bottle. It is used for polishing
>>     plexiglas motorcycle helmet face shields, windshields, or other
>>     plastics. There are other brands of similar plastic polish that
>>     will work well, too. You may also use Flitz Metal Polish. DO NOT
>>     USE a powered buffing wheel or Dremel tool. If you do, you will
>>     certainly damage the side rails. Polish by hand, as if putting on
>>     paste wax on a car, followed by buffing with a soft cloth.
>>
>>     At this point the mouthpiece will be clean and have a fair shine,
>>     and there will be no damage from the process.
>>
>>     I do this several times a week with customers' mouthpieces sent
>>     to me for refacing or other work. I know it works.
>>
>>     Paul C.
>>
>>     
>

Thanks everyone. The alcohol method seems the most fun. 

 

Mike Vaccaro

www.MandMMouthpieces.Com

 

If you're only using it for cleaning, i can't see much fun in that, unless, like a good cook, some of the wine is for the dish and some for the chef.    I have also used a little olive oil on old green mouthpieces, rubbed on with a piece of 0000 steel wool. It improves things quite a lot though it is not 100%   Peter


      

Thanks all for the good information. 

 

Mike Vaccaro

 

I am wondering - lemon juice has been brought up as an agent that will clean hard rubber mouthpieces, with an acidic quality that does not harm them. Is lemon juice an OK cleaning agent for brass metal mouthpieces though? Will the lemon juice hurt the brass? I had a lot of calcium buildup in my bras mpc, so I tried the lemon juice. It worked OK (didn't remove all of it), but I think it plays a little different now too. It could've just been removing all the tarnish on the bare brass though, which I also did that day...  
Thanks,

Matt

--- In MouthpieceWork@yahoogroups.com, Peter Deley <pfdeley@...> wrote:
>
> If you're only using it for cleaning, i can't see much fun in that, unless, like a good cook, some of the wine is for the dish and some for the chef.    I have also used a little olive oil on old green mouthpieces, rubbed on with a piece of 0000 steel wool. It improves things quite a lot though it is not 100%   Peter
>

 Lemon juice, or vinegar , both mild acids, is good  for removing calcium deposits from dried up saliva  without having to scrape away at the mouthpiece.  I suppose if you leave it long enough, you might at the least discolor the  brass. If the calcium doesn't come off the first time, try a second or third treatment, scrubbing with a soft brush such as a tooth brush. Rinse thoroughly afterwards to  prevent   discoloration  of metal pieces.    I don't think lemon juice does anything for rubber smell, or taste. The green on  mouthpieces is actually  caused by  the long rubber molecules binding with chlorine molecules in the air, especially if it is exposed to a lot of direct sunlight, or from hot tap water. Peter