Polishing my brass Shaw?

Whistle
1

I would appreciate your input on how to properly polish my brass Shaw low F.

It has lost it’s luster, seems a bit anodized. I was thoroughly unimpressed with the staff at Lark in the Morning (SF), who bumbled around until they suggested using toothpaste.

I’m hesitant to use water to rinse the toothpaste, fearing this would be unkind to the wood fipple.

I also want to avoid anything harsh enough to remove the lacquer finish.

Your kind thoughts and encouragement?
-Zazu

2

To your topic, if there is a laquer finish than you can’t polish it - and it shouldn’t be tarnishing. If it is not a laquer finish, there are a number of commercial brass polishing pastes, none of which I can imagine damaging your the whistle (if applied only to the outside by soft rag). Alternatedly, you could use a jeweler’s polishing rag - takes a little more elbow grease, but gets there eventually.

Is it just me, or did everyone know that Shaw made a brass whistle? I’ve never heard of such a beast - I must be really out of the loop.

Erik

3

Water gets on the plug anyway, from condensed breath (and maybe plain ol’ spit).

If it has a lacquer finish, and the lacquer is still intact, then nothing will work any better than soap and water. In fact, even toothpaste might be too harsh. However, from your description it sounds like the lacquer finish has already been damaged somehow.

Are you sure it’s lacquered?

4

Hi Zazu,I haven’t any suggestions on what to use,but do you really need to polish your whistle? I have a Shaw low D which I don’t polish- I think that an ‘antique’ patina sort of goes with this whistles classic ‘traditional’ look.I suppose it’s a matter of taste (especially if you don’t clean the mouthpeice -yeeuch!! :laughing: )

5

A Shaw out of brass :confused:

I thought they were all of nickel silver ?

6

Hi Zub.,Yes def. Nickel silver,and it looks just as good ‘dull’ as shiny(kind of goes with my playing :laughing: ).

7

For my brass Serpent I use a flute polishing cloth that has silver cleaner imbedded. It doesn’t scratch. At least it didn’t scratch mine. I’m not making claims for what it does to yours.

8

Okay, so I’ve further exposed my newbie status. Of course it isn’t brass, looks nothing like my Generations. [BTW, my WhOA status is currently 11]. It is a rolled tin, is that what the others have referred to as nickel?

Thanks for the plethora of ideas!
-Zazu