Tuesday, December 3, 2013

The Benefit Of Musical Instrument Cleaning

By Angela Briggs


Regular instrument cleaning and maintenance is essential to keeping them in proper working condition. It is advisable to have your instruments inspected and serviced by a professional on regular basis. The inspection is quite important because you will know whether or not your instruments need to be cleaned.

First, you need to keep the instruments dry at all times. Nickel or brass musical instruments can corrode easily if they are exposed to moisture. This is because moisture contains oxygen which causes oxidation when it mixes with water. You should always keep your instruments dry in order to prevent corrosion. Also, wooden instruments absorb water. This can make them expand thus distorting their original shape. Ensure that excess moisture is wiped out so as to make your instruments serve you for long.

The woodwind instruments have pads that are used to cover the holes so as to produce different sounds. If the pads absorb water, they become wet and may not be able to cover the holes well. This makes the instrument unable to produce high quality sound. To improve the quality of sound produced by the woodwind instrument, ensure that the pads are dry at all times.

Body acids are also said to be very harmful. They are said to attack metallic musical instruments through corrosion. Some of these body acids are hydrochloric, lactic, and many other acids. If perspiration occurs through your hands, make sure that you wipe it out immediately before it attacks the instrument you were playing.

The saliva from the mouth also contains some acids that may attack metal. For instance, carbonic acid is usually present in the saliva. Other acids are also formed in the mouth depending on the kind of food eaten and the hygienic condition of the mouth. Soft solder is affected by acids from saliva. Areas that are soldered can be eaten out entirely by these saliva acids. That is why the inside of musical instruments should be cleaned thoroughly in order to remove these acids.

There are people who use water instead of oil to lubricate their instruments. Hard water is not suitable for lubrication. This is because it has salts that can attack the devices and reduce their efficiency. They do this by forming white deposits on your musical instruments after use. You should opt for distilled water any time you want to lubricate your instruments. They water should be wiped out immediately after using them to prevent further attacks.

Unwanted materials can also affect your musical instruments. Foreign materials such as food particles can enter into your wind instruments and cause blockage. When blocked, these instruments cannot produce high quality sound. Also, such unwanted materials can enter into your lungs and cause health complications. So, it is important that you remove such materials from your instruments to keep them extremely clean.

Sometimes corrosion occurs on piston valves. Unwanted materials can also build up in the same valves making them not to perform their task. Dirt between the pistons can cause a lot of harm to the instruments. This calls for regular inspection of your musical instruments. If you want quality job done, consider hiring a professional to undertake the instrument cleaning task.




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