Antique Musical Instruments/antique german made? trumpet

Advertisement

Expert: - 4/13/2009


Question

trumpet
I have recently inherited from my father an antique trumpet.  I am curious as to what year it was made and exactly how to clean it without effecting its worth.  The trumpet has the German Eagle emblem stamped in the mouthpiece along with "RUBIER Nurenberg".  

I've seen numerous different methods of cleaning and would like to know the best to restore luster and lubricate the finger pieces...or even if I should??

Answer
Unfortunately, that is not enough information to make any determinations.  The mouthpiece is not a reliable source of information.  They are often swapped from one horn to another.  It is in an European style.  

If if has no engravings on the instrument, it probably is not terribly collectible.  

Unless, you know instruments, I would suggest you do nothing more than flush it out with warm water, and if the valve slides are loose, you could squirt some valve oil (oil specifically for brass instrument valves) into them to lub the rotors.

Antique Musical Instruments

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

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.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.