I recently got this bad boy. Any tips on how to keep it nice and shiny?

I got here late but... if you take the time to read this comment then it might possibly help you now or in the future. Being a trumpet player, probably know most of this stuff but you might find something useful.

I didn’t see this mentioned yet so... you can buy hand covers to protect the valve bodies from your hands. Old trumpets are worn in these areas and silver trumpets show it more. If you decide to buy covers DO NOT buy cheap ones, make sure you get good leather ones with a cloth or soft inner layer to protect the trumpets silver finish. Most cheap covers just scratch up the finish or add wear marks to the silver finish.

Congratulations on the new trumpet, it looks great! To keep it nice and functional it needs to have routine maintenance. You will need to buy a trumpet cleaning kit (snake and a couple trumpet wire bottle brushes), and a polishing kit.

Make a trumpet maintenance schedule. Daily: Before every use inspect the valves & slides then add oil and grease. After every use drain the spit vales and wipe your oily fingerprints off of the trumpet with a soft rag made to wipe brass instruments. Every week or once a month (depending on how often you use it), clean the trumpet in water. Place a towel in the bottom of the sink then submerge the trumpet so it won’t get scratched. Use the brushes to clean the valves and tubes. Let drain, do not swing the trumpet around to help it drain, trust me. Dry it, add oil and grease then tune it to B flat. NEVER use hot water on a brass trumpet!!! Most brass trumpets have a clear coat finish and hot water will make it peel off, if it doesn’t peel off then it for sure loosened it a little and it will start to peel a year or two later ( like an old car in the hot sun with clear paint peeling off).

Polishing: Before you clean the trumpet with a polish you need to look at the owners manual or call the maker to see if the trumpet has a clear coat finish or not. Most silver plated instruments do not however, you need to make sure!!! Honestly you will probably need a simple trumpet silver polish kit. You clean the trumpet, apply the polish then wipe it off.

If your silver trumpet for some wild reason does have a clear coat protective layer (if likely will not), then you just get a regular brass instrument polish kit. Most brass instruments have a clear coating to protect the brass layer, this is called Lacquering or a lacquer coating. The material used is generally a form of UV resistant clear coat but sometimes other materials are used. Some brass instruments (non silver plated), do not have a clear coat....that’s why you should find out about your trumpets finish before you buy a polish kit.

An extra tip: buy a cheap $35 craigslist trumpet to use everyday, only use the nice silver one for

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