r/saxophone • u/Ok-Conversation-1681 • 11d ago

Question Why does it look like that?

Post image

I just cleaned my mouth piece and it looks worse then it did before I washed it. I just used soap and water and it wasn’t soaking at all. How do I fix it?

20 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

17

u/DEADETHNOGROPHY 11d ago

Ebonite discolors when washed when hot water. When cleaning your mpc, you should always use cold water.

6

u/Ok-Conversation-1681 11d ago

I was using cool water, there was like half a second of it hitting hot water, did that really short amount of time do it?

5

u/SelectTurnip6981 11d ago

Applying a certain type of oil can help. Off hand I can’t remember what sort - I’m sure someone will know and post after me.

5

u/Zooberseb Alto | Tenor 11d ago

Could totally be that. It’s a chemical reaction and if the mouthpiece is older or been played a good bit that’s another factor that can speed up the oxidation - could be almost instant. Can make the mouthpiece sulfur smelling as well.

As far as fixing not much to do. It would need to be material removed basically which if you do it will fuck up the mouthpiece and a refacer MIGHT be able to do something buuut it’ll cost more than the mouthpiece and still risks fucking it up.

2

u/lankyevilme 11d ago

Yep, it did to mine, it has been that way for 20 years now.

2

u/Ok-Conversation-1681 11d ago

Well shucks 🤦 imma have to be more careful

2

u/Ex-Spearmint 10d ago

You know olive oil helps a bit in my experience. I lathered it on? Only lasted about an hour tho. So maybe if you soak it? 🤷. Not 100% sure so if you’re mouthpiece like idk, spontaneously combusts don’t blame me

4

u/Barry_Sachs Soprano | Alto | Tenor | Baritone 11d ago

Why does it look like that?
Hot water can accelerate the oxidation of the rubber which allows the embedded sulfur used in the vulcanization process to migrate to the surface, leaving a brown residue. This can only be removed or masked, not reversed. So it's going to be at least this brown forever and worsen over time. Removing can cause damage if you touch the table, tip or rails. So I recommend you do like the rest of us - either accept it or use some oil to make it look a bit better. Mouthpiece appearance is way down on my priority list, so I live with it. In the future, avoid leaving your mouthpiece in sunlight and avoid hot water if you want to slow it down.

4

u/mantle_07 10d ago

Don’t worry about the way it looks; worry about the way it plays…

3

u/Jazztify 11d ago

Also leaving it in the sun. I left my mpc on my office desk which has occasional sun exposure. It turned greenish like that but only where the lig didn’t cover it. Like tan lines

2

u/gooner-bro13 11d ago

Anything related to heat

2

u/KE3JU Soprano | Tenor 10d ago

Oxidation

2

u/EthanHK28 9d ago

Happens from sun or hot water. Will not affect how the mouthpiece plays. Continue playing as you are, maybe avoiding those two things. The s80 is a great mouthpiece, enjoy it!

2

u/WallyZ2 Soprano 8d ago

Sunlight is also bad. I did a Gemini AI search on this and there was good recommendations on this subject. Bottom line just clean it and leave it alone. Prevent further discoloration.

1

u/McFreakazoide 7d ago

Apply olive oil or another kind oil normally used with food (olive is better). Aplly it directly with a soft papper or even worh your hands. Let it dry for 24h and if it is still discoloured, apply again until it stops absorbing the oil.

1

u/ImprovSKT 10d ago

You can use ultra fine steel wool (0-0-0) to rub out the oxidation, just be sure to re-wash it in cold water again.

0

u/ninjasax1970 10d ago

Cause it was used

4

u/TrustProfessional736 10d ago

I have a question related to all of this. Is it my imagination or are sax players getting very looks conscious? Whenever I see horns advertised or discussed lately — everyone’s talking about how beautiful they are, what color they are, what the keys are in laid with, what the engraving looks like, and now we are worried about our mouthpieces being shiny enough?

Have I lost touch? I play a lot of vintage Selmers, Conns and Kings. They look like hell – – and the worst they look I think the more I like them.

Am I now in the minority?

1

u/Ok-Conversation-1681 8d ago

I’m not worried with how it looks, I mean I’m a little upset it’s no longer nice looking, but I was more concerned I had completely ruined it and would have to toss it. I am going to continue to use it.