With one afternoon, less than a dozen hard working
students and some basic supplies, you'll be able to organize and isolate the
instruments that will need repair before the season begins. Not a bad
idea!
How to
organize your crew:
Recruit upperclassmen and brass section leaders. Ask them to identify and
contact some newer students with good attitudes to participate.
Divide the students into groups. Organize your groups in an assembly line
style.
Two or three groups will work best. That way only a few instruments are being
worked on at a time.
Supplies
you will need:
Plain water
One or two hoses
A washbasin or sink to clean pistons and mouthpieces
Large rubbermaid tubs for cleaning slides and body branches
Flexible bore cleaners
Mouthpiece brushes
Cotton cloths for slide swabbing
Trombone cleaning rods
Pieces of scotch brite - NOT FOR PISTONS - Only for inside slide tubes with
gross layers of GOO on them!
Tuning slide grease
Mouthpiece truing jig for end of mouthpieces
Rawhide mallet for stuck caps or sousa tuning bits
Mouthpiece puller
Small boxes
Masking tape
A small hand-held vacuum or shop vac to clean out the instrument cases.
Assign the
tasks:
#1- Disassembling and inventory control of parts
#2- Rinsing and snaking
#3- Making sure the parts are well rinsed and dry, and that the slides and valve
casings are clean and dry.
#4- Assembling- Grease the slides, oil the valves and put the instrument back
together.
Some helpful
hints:
Have small boxes ready to hold instrument parts. Use masking tape to label
the boxes. Write the instrument and serial number that the slides and
pistons are from. When the box is used for the next instrument, put
another strip of tape on.
To clean the slides and body branches, you may want to work outside with a hose,
or find a large sink, or use big, sturdy rubbermaid tubs. (DON'T USE METAL
TUBS.)
For the person working task #4, the re-assembly of the instruments, set up a
table with a large working surface. Use a large, clean towel (a beach
towel minus the sand is ok) so that parts don't roll off the table.
For the task assignments, you may want variations on the theme. If you have
enough workers, you might consider assigning one to the task of inventory
control and cleaning out cases.
A few reminders
about brass instruments:
Trombone slides should be dried thoroughly and
stored dry.
Trumpets and marching brass should be cleaned, dried and put away oiled and
lubed.
Rotary Valve Instruments: Leave these alone! Simply rinse with H2O,
and then thoroughly dump the water and lubricate the vales and slides.
If you have a successful Brass Instrument Cleaning
Day, tell us about it! And, if you are one of the many schools in our area
with a close relationship with ABI (and you know who you are!) :-)
tell us about your plans and maybe we'll pay for the pizza!
