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Antique Musical Instruments/Bugle
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Question
I bought 2 bugles from a second-hand shop. I know nothing about bugles or any brass instruments. My son has shown me how to make them sound. What I now want to do is clean them up because they are very grubby. The larger of the two is bound by narrow rope. Should I attempt to remove and replace this? Then how should I proceed to clean them. The larger one (52 cm) has the word "PERSIVAL" inscribed on it. The smaller one (26 cm) has a bit more writing which includes "COUESNON & CIE", also a circle which looks like a medal hanging from a banner with "1900" inside. There's also a thing a bit like a lotus leaf with a circle beneath it containing the number 32. Any information and advice would be gratefully received.
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The one bugle is clearly brass - and so you could use Brasso on it to clean it up
I can't tell if the other is silver or brass. If it is silver, use silver polish on it.
I'm not sure what to tell you about the rope. If it were mine, I think I'd not unwind it, but rather find a way to clean the horn without getting the cleaner on the rope, and try something separate to clean the rope, maybe just soap and water.
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Answers by Expert:
Kenton Scott
Expertise
Please note: My area is BRASS instruments, not other wind, string or percussion instruments. I will provide information on antique, obscure and out of production BRASS instruments. 1) Please don't ask for evaluations, I'll not provide them on this site. 2) I am often asked very similar questions, so I'd invite you to first check on Horn-u-Copia.net. Much of the information I have garnered about this topic, I have posted on this WEB site.
Experience
I perform in several historical bands, have informally researched the area, repair brass instruments, and operate a Forum dedicated to the topic at http://horn-u-copia.net
Education/Credentials
B.S. Ed, M.S.
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