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Rudy finish question - cleaning

1K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Squeakie 
#1 ·
Hi,
I've got my Rudy on the way, and have been looking at other Rudy's for sale, just for comparison.
What I was wondering, does someone know what finish my sax has? I have seen many silver plated Rudy's being described as "Satin" finish with shiny engraving. Is this the standard finish? I simply can't tell from the pictures of the sax I bought, if it's satin, tarnished and dirty, or what. I really don't think it's all that bad looking, but i want to do what I can myself to take care of it the best I can.
I would like to preserve it as made, so I'd like an idea of how to clean it without damaging it. I went to the "finish" forum and was reading about satin finishes, but thought I better check here first to see what I really have. I know others here own silver Rudy's, and can advice me as to what finish it has, and the best care and feeding of a silver Rudy.
I don't want to strip all the keys off, i'd rather use q-tips and small bits of cloth. And sending it out to be done is out of my budget at this time, so i'm looking for something I can do myself at home. As I live in a small town, if I can't buy the product at Menards or Walmart, i'm going to have to special order it. That's why I'm asking now, so I can order something from Amazon or wherever, if need be, and have it here by the weekend so I can start cleaning it right away.
Thanks for any advice, Lisa
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#2 ·
silver plate ... silver tarnishes in the presence of sulfur.

1) don't store hard rubber mouth pieces with your silver plated saxophones.
2) you might get some bags used for storing silver from bed bath and beyond. Turn the bags inside out and put them in the case with the saxophone.

for this sax.... notice the pad in the top photo... it might be original...
 
#3 ·
For silver plate, I take the horn apart and with the body in a tub, I rub Tarn-X on with a toothbrush and then wash it off. Then I use Wenol paste polish (red tube) and go at it. Use the polish on the keys but NO Tarn-X as it can gum up the hinge tubes.
Tarn-x is everywhere...walgreens, walmart.....
Wenol usually at a hardware store or ebay. Any silver polish will work but the liquids tend to leave a lot of dust.
 
#6 ·
Here's what the finish will look like. My horn looked terrible when I bought it. I didn't disassemble...I wasn't confident in my ability to put back together. I instead used a lot of q-tips. :) Looking at your pics, your horn looks pretty decent already.
+1
Like Bruce says, it's best to take the horn apart but in lieu of that, I use ragging strips for the hard to reach areas (you can make your own or Ferree's has them)

Also, as mentioned above, go easy on the bell; if it has a gold color, it's probably "gold wash" and wash is a pretty accurate description as it's quite a thin layer (probably just use soap/water?).

For storage, those 3M silverware strips (Ferree's/Mall-Wart) are supposed to be good.
Have fun/be patient; not necessarily in that order...:bluewink:
 
#7 ·
Thank you all for your advice. Tomorrow by noon, the UPS guy should be delivering it, as it just left Sheboygan Wi a few hours ago, so it's in the home stretch! I'm so excited, I hope it plays enough for me to get a feel for it. The pictures don't look like it's all that bad, just a little clean up, and will a little luck,maybe just a few pads need to be replaced. fingers crossed!!!
Lisa
 
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