Week 4- Disassembly and Cleaning

We hit the chem room for a thorough cleaning of keys and clarinet bodies.  We began by letting the keys soak in a cleaning and degreasing bath for 15 minutes.  Our choice was ZEP Industrial Purple.  This basic bath rids the keys of oils and gets them prepped for the next bath.  After a cold water rinse, The keys went in the 'pickle.'  A phosphoric acid, Milkstone Remover & Acid Rinse, cleans the keys up in 1-3 minutes.  While you can use phosphoric acids with concentrations up to 75%, you will want to put water in to reduce the concentration.  After a warm water rinse and pressurized air dry, the keys were ready to go.

We then headed to the sink to clean the bodies of the clarinets using Dawn dish soap.  After a thorough scrub and a pressurized air dry, our cleaning process had come to an end. Next step, key adjustments!