Does anyone do anything to care for brass and/or copper whistles? Like, besides blow them out, maybe? If you do, why? If not, why not? Are your reasons aesthetic/hygenic or do they have something to do with the well being/sound of the instrument? Being lazy, I’ve never done a thing except blow them out, but I’ve always had cheapy whistles until recently.
You don’t have to do much of anything, but I like my brass instruments to gleam, so I polish them on an irregular basis. Sometimes I use yucky Brasso, sometimes Cape Cod polish which doesn’t smell as nasty.
A solution of vinegar and salt is the best copper/brass cleaner I have found, but be absolutely certain thet you thoroughly rinse the whistle afterwards or corrosion will quickly begin.
Mostly I just make sure the windway is clean, because any crud in there can seriously affect tone and playability. I don’t polish the outside because I like the patina which results from handling and playing the whistle.
My only copper whistle (Elfsong) is painted on the body and clearcoated on the head, so it doesn’t really need polishing. I do wash the head in warm water occasionally, and clean it thoroughly with a pipe cleaner after each playing.
I don’t polish my brass whistles. I kinda like that “well-played” look they get.
Redwolf
Will polishing them reverse the well played look or only keep it from getting worse?
Polishing can usually make a brass whistle look like new unless it has scratches or dents.
I only clean out the inside. I too like the patina that develops on the brass.