Repairing an old satin silver Besson euphonium for Grandpa to give to a grandson

[bloke]

Yeah, I removed all the dents - and all that mess - and I put it in the acid and then I rinsed it off and then I put it in the silver brightener - and all that mess - and rinsed it off...

... but I decided that it needed to have the intermediate size receiver bored out to large shank, so a kid could use it. I took the receiver off and soldered it to the outside slide tube of a busted off trumpet mouthpipe - so I'd have a handle. I even had the finger hook there to help me hold it better.

All I'm really posting about is that I got to use my Jarno reamer in my lathe that's up to a half inch and then the other one that's a half inch and larger. It was just nice - after the whole summer of just whacking on school horns - to actually get back to using the lathe a little bit and feeling metal being turned off of a round object. I forgot that it was sort of pleasant, and it is.

[York-aholic]

I find turning long curls off of a nice piece of maple on my wood lathe to be quite therapeutic, so I understand what you’re saying.

[Mary Ann]

.....in I put it in the silver brightener - and all that mess - and rinsed it off...

And what, pray tell, is the "silver brightener" that you put it in (not on) and rinsed off?

[bloke]

.....in I put it in the silver brightener - and all that mess - and rinsed it off...

And what, pray tell, is the "silver brightener" that you put it in (not on) and rinsed off?

I actually put on rubber gloves and sponged it on.
It's a rotten-eggs/sulfur-smelling milky chemical which dissolves silver oxide.
It's purchased from a chemical supply place (not otc).

I've done a bit of polishing (just using Wright's) after having dissolved the silver oxide chemically.
It's to this stage, now.
Polishing the valve section will require using some supports and hooking it to the ceiling with some wires.

I wouldn't have been able to strip the old-old silver enamel paint from it, were it not for a friend who still had some paint stripper left from before Al Gore - et al - ruined everything. I forgot how amazingly well/fast that stuff works/worked.

[arpthark]

.....in I put it in the silver brightener - and all that mess - and rinsed it off...

And what, pray tell, is the "silver brightener" that you put it in (not on) and rinsed off?

I actually put on rubber gloves and sponged it on.
It's a rotten-eggs/sulfur-smelling milky chemical which dissolves silver oxide.
It's purchased from a chemical supply place (not otc).

I've done a bit of polishing (just using Wright's) after having dissolved the silver oxide chemically.
It's to this stage, now.
Polishing the valve section will require using some supports and hooking it to the ceiling with some wires.

I wouldn't have been able to strip the old-old silver enamel paint from it, were it not for a friend who still had some paint stripper left from before Al Gore - et al - ruined everything. I forgot how amazingly well/fast that stuff works/worked.

Wow, Grandpa's old satin silver Besson euphonium is sure lookin' funny these days. I think you might have stretched it out a bit.

[bloke]

Wow, Grandpa's old satin silver Besson euphonium is sure lookin' funny these days. I think you might have stretched it out a bit.

Yep. The euphonium is long gone, but I used the same technique with this thing that I'm currently trying to clean up.

[arpthark]

Wow, Grandpa's old satin silver Besson euphonium is sure lookin' funny these days. I think you might have stretched it out a bit.

Yep. The euphonium is long gone, but I used the same technique with this thing that I'm currently trying to clean up.

I figured. Just kiddin'.

[bloke]

known

[UncleBeer]

It's a rotten-eggs/sulfur-smelling milky chemical which dissolves silver oxide.

Wouldn't be similar to Tarn-X, would it? I also know of stuff called "Empire" that works like this.

[TheHatTuba]

Tarn-X sure smells the part

[Dents Be Gone!]

I agree, guys. This is the way to go.

[bloke]

Yeah. I've had it so long I just forgot the name and brand of it.