In this episode of Instrument Repair Hospital, “Dr. Lissa” gives tips on how to clean and store your Orff instruments for the summer. Take good care of your Studio 49 Orff Instruments for their long lasting health and great sound!
Materials:
– Gloves
– Old English scratch cover
– Furniture polish
– Goo Gone
– Thin gold metallic pen
– Rags
– Towels
– Bungee cords
My Studio 49 glockenspiels have developed a bit of corrosion on the bars. How do I safely remove this before applying bore oil?
Hi Matt,
You can remove the rust from glockenspiel bars with Naval jelly. You’ll find it at the hardware store. Follow the directions on the bottle. Wear gloves, it’s caustic.
Sadly, once the bars have rusted the finish will never be quite the same. There currently is no way to restore the perfect shine of a new glockenspiel once rust has begun. You can prevent further damage by applying bore oil to the bars once the rust is removed. Use bore oil that is used for cleaning guns- not the type for clarinets. The sound will still be sparkling.
Let us know how this turns out
“Dr.” Lissa
Hi Lissa,
I just wanted to get clarification on the bore oil for maintaining glockenspiel bars.
In the above comment, you suggest using the kind of bore oil used to clean guns, but in the video posted for cleaning the glockenspiel, you used a Yamaha bore oil, which you said you could buy at a music store. I just wanted to make sure I buy the correct thing for my precious glockenspiels, which need some TLC! 🙂 Thanks!!!
Thanks for the great information! I’ve put all of this to use at the end of the year with my rosewood bars. I have a few instruments that have fiberglass composite bars. What is the best and safest way to clean those?
Greetings,
I have not cleaned fiberglass bars but I believe if you wipe them down with mild soap and water and the completely dry them they should be fine.
Good for you for keeping your instruments in good shape!
“Dr.” Lissa
Hi there!
Do you wrap your bars in towels over the summer also? Then take them out in the fall and put on the inst.?
Thanks,
Angie
If you clean with turtle wax, do you do that before applying bore oil, or does that take the place of the bore oil?
Hi Michaela,
The bore oil should not be used at all. We haven’t had a chance to edit that video. Using Turtle Wax Chrome Polish will clean and protect your glockenspiel bars. In case of rust, clean them first with naval jelly. Follow the instructions on the bottle. You can find it at a hardware store. Wear protective gloves-it’s very caustic.
I hope this helps!
Lissa Ray
Hello. I have a question for Dr. Lissa.
I have moved to a new school and I have an alto xylophone which has a pin broken off the low C. I thought I could just replace the pin, but upon further inspection, the wood inside the case has also broken away. I suspect the incident that broke the pin also broke the piece out of the case. The missing piece of the case is long gone. How would I ever go about fixing this?
Thanks,
Kellie
How do you remove permanent marker from glockenspiel bars (Studio 49)? Thanks!
12 Responses
My Studio 49 glockenspiels have developed a bit of corrosion on the bars. How do I safely remove this before applying bore oil?
Hi Matt,
You can remove the rust from glockenspiel bars with Naval jelly. You’ll find it at the hardware store. Follow the directions on the bottle. Wear gloves, it’s caustic.
Sadly, once the bars have rusted the finish will never be quite the same. There currently is no way to restore the perfect shine of a new glockenspiel once rust has begun. You can prevent further damage by applying bore oil to the bars once the rust is removed. Use bore oil that is used for cleaning guns- not the type for clarinets. The sound will still be sparkling.
Let us know how this turns out
“Dr.” Lissa
Hi Lissa,
I just wanted to get clarification on the bore oil for maintaining glockenspiel bars.
In the above comment, you suggest using the kind of bore oil used to clean guns, but in the video posted for cleaning the glockenspiel, you used a Yamaha bore oil, which you said you could buy at a music store. I just wanted to make sure I buy the correct thing for my precious glockenspiels, which need some TLC! 🙂 Thanks!!!
Thanks for the great information! I’ve put all of this to use at the end of the year with my rosewood bars. I have a few instruments that have fiberglass composite bars. What is the best and safest way to clean those?
Greetings,
I have not cleaned fiberglass bars but I believe if you wipe them down with mild soap and water and the completely dry them they should be fine.
Good for you for keeping your instruments in good shape!
“Dr.” Lissa
Hi there!
Do you wrap your bars in towels over the summer also? Then take them out in the fall and put on the inst.?
Thanks,
Angie
If you clean with turtle wax, do you do that before applying bore oil, or does that take the place of the bore oil?
Hi Michaela,
The bore oil should not be used at all. We haven’t had a chance to edit that video. Using Turtle Wax Chrome Polish will clean and protect your glockenspiel bars. In case of rust, clean them first with naval jelly. Follow the instructions on the bottle. You can find it at a hardware store. Wear protective gloves-it’s very caustic.
I hope this helps!
Lissa Ray
Hello. I have a question for Dr. Lissa.
I have moved to a new school and I have an alto xylophone which has a pin broken off the low C. I thought I could just replace the pin, but upon further inspection, the wood inside the case has also broken away. I suspect the incident that broke the pin also broke the piece out of the case. The missing piece of the case is long gone. How would I ever go about fixing this?
Thanks,
Kellie
How do you remove permanent marker from glockenspiel bars (Studio 49)? Thanks!