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So I organized my mouthpieces last night (don't ask how many I have) and some of them need to be de-tarnished. Any suggestions for a safe and effective removal method? Thanks in advance.

Get a glass jar and put a piece of tinfoil in it. Place the mouthpiece in the jar, touching the tinfoil. Pour a tablespoon of baking soda and a dash of salt over the mouthpiece. Pour hot water (close to boiling) over the top. There’ll be an electrochemical reaction that pulls the sulfide out of the silver and it’ll bond to the tin foil. It will not remove any silver, unlike polishes.

I’ve done this on a mouthpiece that was practically black with tarnish. Might take more than one go round if it’s really bad. Works like a charm.

Check this for more: https://www.instructables.com/Clean-Sil ... -and-Salt/

The above method works.

I find it easier to dip mouthpieces into a jar of Goddard's Silver Dip.

Goddard’s silver polish, a rag (to apply and polish) and ‘elbow grease’ work well for me.
https://goddards.com/products/silver-polish

Best way? I’m not sure what’s the best way but the way I use seems to work well for me and (apparently) works well for those that clean silverware.

The way we did it at the shop where I apprenticed is not a way you can do at home unless you have all the gear. However, I will throw this up here for people searching Google for ideas as some may find parts of it helpful.

Plating on mouthpieces is very heavy, in general, as compared with body tubes on instruments. I never worry about removing plating from mouthpieces unless they are very old, very beat, or have already exposed patches of brass.

Ferree's sells mouthpiece shank arbors and the tuba one fits most A or E shanks mouthpieces well enough.

I chuck the tuba arbor in the bench motor, gently tap or twist the mouthpiece onto it, and prepare an old diaper or some teeshirt jersey cloth (both need to be 100% cotton with no poly content) by wetting a bit with Brasso and rubbing it with a small bit of buffing rouge.

I spin the mouthpiece in the bench motor and polish away. The results are usually pretty remarkable.

Afterward, I thoroughly wash the mouthpiece with hot water and lots of Dawn dishwashing soap. Palmolive also works quite well. The rouge is what is used for the final "color" buffing prior to shooting lacquer on a horn. It is very mild. The Brasso is more of an ammonia-based cleaner than a metal remover… it is a *very* weak metal polish, so it also does not damage too much. Separately, these do not do so well. In combination, they work great on the surface of an old mouthpiece that is still basically intact.

I might remind you that you asked for the best method, not the best home method. And yes, it is *my* home method as I use it here at the house whenever needed. You could use a drill, but it would probably have pretty hilarious and unwanted results.

Otherwise, try this stuff. Apply. Rub. Wash off.

shovelingtom wrote: ↑Tue Jul 30, 2024 9:15 pm Get a glass jar and put a piece of tinfoil in it. Place the mouthpiece in the jar, touching the tinfoil. Pour a tablespoon of baking soda and a dash of salt over the mouthpiece. Pour hot water (close to boiling) over the top. There’ll be an electrochemical reaction that pulls the sulfide out of the silver and it’ll bond to the tin foil. It will not remove any silver, unlike polishes.

I’ve done this on a mouthpiece that was practically black with tarnish. Might take more than one go round if it’s really bad. Works like a charm.

Check this for more: https://www.instructables.com/Clean-Sil ... -and-Salt/

Actually washing soda, sodium carbonate, instead of baking soda, sodium bicarbonate, will produce a stronger catalytic reaction and get stronger results, no salt necessary.

Tarn-X in a spray bottle. Don't leave it on for more than a minute; rinse thoroughly. Quick, effective, and...stinky.

I found some silver polish wipes that works very well for mouthpieces. I got some mouthpieces from a friend that were heavily tarnished. One wipe lasted through a few mouthpieces. Wipe it on, rinse with water, dry/buff it with a cloth and bingo!

What I didn't say earlier is that all other processes for removing tarnish remove the actual silver in the tarnish, and eventually, no matter how thick, you will wear through the plating. The aluminum foil/sodium carbonate catalytic reaction actually frees the sulphur ions from the tarnish and sends them to the aluminum, re-depositing the silver ions in the tarnish back onto the silverplate of the mouthpiece. Then afterwards, when you dry off the mouthpiece and lightly buff it to shine with a proper silver polishing cloth, you are taking off much less silver than you do otherwise.

I'm 100% with Wade. I might use some paste polish on the inside of the cup (rubbing hard with a demoted-from-the-house washcloth), because people leave a layer of boogery stuff in there (me...??? NEVER !!! ), and I can't get the buffing machine inside there without changing to a cute little wheel that takes too long to install on the machine. The main reason I'm 100% with him - in addition to him being the only person who offered an answer that doesn't involve a bunch of dicking around - is because life is short.

bloke wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2024 8:09 pm The main reason I'm 100% with him - in addition to him being the only person who offered an answer that doesn't involve a bunch of dicking around - is because life is short.

Squirting liquid and then rinsing = "dicking around"?

I guess it boils down to (pun intended) a choice. Which is more important:
1) saving all the silver possible to prevent polishing through and having to re-plate; or
2) time, time, time, or the constraints of turning around a repair job?

UncleBeer wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01, 2024 4:30 am

bloke wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2024 8:09 pm The main reason I'm 100% with him - in addition to him being the only person who offered an answer that doesn't involve a bunch of dicking around - is because life is short.

Squirting liquid and then rinsing = "dicking around"?

I'm not going back and reviewing your particular advice, but a general remark doesn't necessarily refer to every single previous remark.
I do like to hit a just polished mouthpiece with Dawn and water as hot as I can stand as the last stage, because I really don't want any residue of anything left on mouthpiece. Personally, I don't do all that much mouthpiece polishing, because very few of mine are silver plated brass.

iiipopes wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01, 2024 8:10 am I guess it boils down to (pun intended) a choice. Which is more important:
1) saving all the silver possible to prevent polishing through and having to re-plate; or
2) time, time, time, or the constraints of turning around a repair job?

Washing them with hot water and detergent every few days sort of discourages tarnish. They're not going to glisten, but silver plated brass mouthpieces only glisten for a minute or two after they are polished, and then they get fingerprinted up again.

As long as they are sort of whitish, what difference does it make? Mainly, silver plated brass is a really soft and easy to scratch surface. Don't set that type of mouthpieces down on anything face down.

All the cool kids just throw away their tarnished mouthpieces and buy new ones that aren't tarnished.

bloke wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01, 2024 8:59 am

iiipopes wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01, 2024 8:10 am I guess it boils down to (pun intended) a choice. Which is more important:
1) saving all the silver possible to prevent polishing through and having to re-plate; or
2) time, time, time, or the constraints of turning around a repair job?

Washing them with hot water and detergent every few days sort of discourages tarnish. They're not going to glisten, but silver plated brass mouthpieces only glisten for a minute or two after they are polished, and then they get fingerprinted up again.

As long as they are sort of whitish, what difference does it make? Mainly, silver plated brass is a really soft and easy to scratch surface. Don't set that type of mouthpieces down on anything face down.

Well, yes, of course. Regular careful maintenance helps deter tarnish. But the OP was already there, so I answered his original question, then expounded on my answer, then pointed the issues raised by the various methods once the tarnish had already occurred. I recently purchased a NOS mouthpiece that was almost black when I opened the box. If I get a chance this weekend, I will take before, during, and after pix of cleaning it to show what I mean with my recommendation.

kingrob76 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 01, 2024 1:34 pm All the cool kids just throw away their tarnished mouthpieces and buy new ones that aren't tarnished.

I believe they have "18-24" mouthpiece on eBay (imported, no less) for $25.
I would probably charge $8 to polish a mouthpiece for someone else, so why not forgo polishing it twice and then just buy one?