[bvin7749]

I recently bought a new unlaquered custom z alto and it has started to develop its patina and get a couple green spots but it has a few places where there are very dark spots or lines, specifically on the left hand palm keys and some other areas. It almost looks corroded to me so I was wondering if this is normal or if it is actually damaging the saxophone. I wipe the outside every time after I use it but I am not sure if I am doing it enough because sometimes I do not have enough time. I f anybody has any advice that would be great.

 

[buddy lee]

Most likely very normal. If you’d said it was covered in patches of red that’s different (maybe).

 

[turf3]

Well, you're starting to see why saxophones since about 1928 haven't been left bare brass, not till the new fad. It's annoying, it'll make your hands turn green or red, the stuff can come off on your clothes. It won't "harm" the saxophone, in that it'll retain its function. That corrosion is unlikely to affect the function of the instrument for the next several hundred years.

My lacquered and silver plate horns don't require constant cleaning and wiping down. I play the thing, I finish playing the thing, I bung it into the case, ready for the next time. In real life, after a while you're going to do the same thing, and it'll get however grotty it's going to get. Lots of people SAY they're OK with the lifetime wipe-it-down-every-time-you-look-at-it commitment, but few of them really do it, not after the first few months.

 

[JohnInDenver]

This topic has been discussed endlessly here on SOTW. You can read many threads with opinions both for and against bare brass. As with most things, SOTW members are divided evenly and both opinions are well-represented! One thing you can do is apply some light wax...I think even lowly Pledge has been suggested and approved...to protect the finish and slow the tarnish effect.

 

[bexleystorme]

Any chance you can post a pic? I have an unlaquered old Yani alto 901. I love the look of it. But it does need more upkeep. And its hard to get under some of the rods and keywork. If I leave too long it begins to look organic and maybe in decay But then I get some polish out and it looks lovely again.

I am sure there are lots of threads, but any fast tips on getting into those hard to reach bits.....

 

[hnthere]

My tenor provides the best of both worlds. There's enough lacquer loss to allow for plenty of bare brass patina, but that bare brass is in the most accessible places. And, because it's a student horn (Conn 16M), it has nickel-plated white metal keys and a white metal thumb hook, so my fingers and thumbs don't turn color. And, better still, it's one of the early 16Ms, with nitro lacquer, so a lot of the remaining lacquer has darkened quite a lot.

I almost always wipe it down after playing, but I also stop to pet the dog when walking by. Why wouldn't I?

 

[Guto]

Wipe it dry every time you play and this process will slow down.

If these things worry you why did you buy an unlacquered sax? Turf3 is right on.

 

[Dr G]

You either accept the inevitable or develop a care routine. Or just say no.

Whether you get a patina or a grungy collection of various oxide states depends on your local environment and care routine. Some horns look alright, and others look like an abandoned spitoon.

It‘s a thermodynamic fact of life - and it’s why I don’t own a UL finish horn.

 

[swperry1]

Unless you post pics I’d have to assume the lines are water streaks that dried. Basically, you bought an unlacquered instrument so it’s up to you if you want to keep it looking fresh and shined up or to let it age naturally. I’d read up in the archives on further care questions though, people get uneasy when unlacquered by choice is discussed as if it effects them somehow or they think we’re trying to get some kind of non-existent street cred for having a bare brass instrument. Very odd thing for folks to get twisted up about. Carry on.

 

[1saxman]

This topic has been discussed endlessly here on SOTW. You can read many threads with opinions both for and against bare brass. As with most things, SOTW members are divided evenly and both opinions are well-represented! One thing you can do is apply some light wax...I think even lowly Pledge has been suggested and approved...to protect the finish and slow the tarnish effect.

Pledge isn't 'lowly' - in fact, it is the best and easiest way to maintain any brass instrument regardless of finish or the lack of it.

 

[sinkdraiN]

I recently bought a new unlaquered custom z alto and it has started to develop its patina and get a couple green spots but it has a few places where there are very dark spots or lines, specifically on the left hand palm keys and some other areas. It almost looks corroded to me so I was wondering if this is normal or if it is actually damaging the saxophone. I wipe the outside every time after I use it but I am not sure if I am doing it enough because sometimes I do not have enough time. I f anybody has any advice that would be great.

I've had my custom z tenor ul maybe 15 years. Maybe once every 6 months i wipe it down with a plain cleaning cloth. I don't treat it any different than my gold lacquered 875 alto. I trust the natural process of the patina protecting itself.

 

[Homely Saxman]

I personally love the look of patina brass, so I just wipe my instrument down to avoid anything particularly unpleasant. I don’t really see the point in regularly polishing an unlacquered saxophone, as that would defeat the purpose of owning one imo. I don’t want a shiny instrument, and while unlacquered horns can develop in some, shall we say, surprising ways, even the ugliest patina will look orders of magnitude better than the fake patina you see on something like the Reference 54.