[Mando]

I’m pretty certain my secondhand Yamaha yas23 would benefit from some attention to its exterior. It wasn’t “sparkling” when I bought it 3 months ago, and I’ve done nothing to the outside since (I am meticulous about swabbing the horn, neck, and mouthpiece every time I play, however). What’s the best way to clean up all the fingerprints, saliva marks, grunge, etc that inevitably appear on the surface? I’m not thinking about a full bath, but just careful wiping. Are there good sites or links that show what sort of cloths/brushes/tools to use? Soaps/cleansers? How to work around all the moving parts without damaging them? What to watch out for? I’m sure there are good sources of information, but I’ve only found basic how-to-swab info. Thanks in advance.

 

[soybean]

Use an soft paintbrush to get the dust off. Make sure you don’t dislodge any of the springs. Then just use regular water and Q-tips to get the hard to reach places.

 

[milandro]

Mando, a woolen cloth or the ones provided with the horns are perfect for the task.

This general questions , have been asked many times before and they are all in the archives, you can find the answer to most of those things in there and there is absolutely no shame in adding to an old thread , you will not only attract attention since it will be published in " last active threads" but also if the people whom contributed to the thread are still around, they will receive and alert.

I will look for a few more threads for you and publish here the links

https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?211609-Proper-way-to-clean-a-saxophone

https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?187295-Cleaning-Polishing-a-sax

https://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?46624-Sax-Cleaning

 

[Sigmund451]

I occasionally use pledge. Spray it on the cloth. Otherwise, it will gather in hard to reach areas in excess.

 

[1saxman]

I occasionally use pledge. Spray it on the cloth. Otherwise, it will gather in hard to reach areas in excess.

That's it - the best you can do, new or old. It will even make an unlacquered horn look better and resist tarnish to some extent. I do spray it on the horn with no effort to not get a build-up - it doesn't matter. It doesn't 'dry' before wiping and with a soft cotton cloth, a bunch of double-tip wood-shaft cotton swabs and maybe some 1" cloth strips, there is no problem quickly and easily getting every bit of wax off the horn. Takes about two hours. If you do this on a new sax every so often depending on usage, it will look new for a long time.

 

[saxoclese]

That's it - the best you can do, new or old. It will even make an unlacquered horn look better and resist tarnish to some extent. I do spray it on the horn with no effort to not get a build-up - it doesn't matter. It doesn't 'dry' before wiping and with a soft cotton cloth, a bunch of double-tip wood-shaft cotton swabs and maybe some 1" cloth strips, there is no problem quickly and easily getting every bit of wax off the horn. Takes about two hours. If you do this on a new sax every so often depending on usage, it will look new for a long time.

Good answer. I would only add to get the "dust bunnies" under the key hinges a long soft bristle brush can be used to dislodge the material followed by blowing, or better yet compressed air.

 

[Swaman]

I use Gibson Guitar Polish on a cloth. Works well.
George

 

[Sigmund451]

Good answer. I would only add to get the "dust bunnies" under the key hinges a long soft bristle brush can be used to dislodge the material followed by blowing, or better yet compressed air.

Haha, yes, I guess I do that too but I forgot. I suppose that means my horn needs cleaning.

 

[Mando]

Excellent! Thank you all very much! Of course, I’d rather be playing my sax than cleaning my sax, but the time for cleaning has come. Your replies are quite helpful.

 

[Mando]

Worked like a charm! Thanks so much!