An Important Message For Brass Band Players Everywhere
From Picreator Enterprises, London

Do you know that acid is slowly but relentlessly attacking the instruments so central to your cultural life? Acid rain is now quite a familiar term and most people understand the damage it causes to our food sources and buildings. But other kinds of acid affect all of us in daily life and yet we accept them with a shrug or are unaware of them.

Those beautiful and costly instruments suffer each time they are handled. Players exude acid in sweat, so fingerprints immediately begin to etch their signature into the metal; breath and spittle encourage further acid attack. Additionally, there is abrasive wear from contact with clothing.

Most brass instruments are burnished to a high shine and then clear-lacquered by their manufacturers. Although modern lacquers are quite tough they eventually break down under constant handling and develop micro-fine cracks, which draw in the acid of human contact. The discolouration of tarnish and even verdigris is free to spread under the lacquer.

In professional fine-art conservation, the use of lacquers to protect historic metals, such as arms and armour in national collections, has long been discredited, as have oils and greases. Restorers know that any surface treatments which attract and hold dust can be hazardous to long-term preservation. When brass instruments become visually unattractive from intensive use, some manufacturers will accept them for refurbishment. This is usually an expensive process involving the complete dismantlement of the instrument, followed by immersion in a lacquer-stripping acid prior to any surface repairs, re-polishing and re-lacquering.

As a manufacturer/supplier deeply involved since 1968 in the restoration and conservation of artistic and historic objects, in both museums and private hands, our products are now specified world-wide by specialists in this type of work.

For the reliable protection of all metal surfaces, restorers confidently use our Renaissance micro-crystalline wax polish.

As an example, The National Trust in the UK once-annually waxes its brass and copper kitchen utensils in its historic houses and castles. Renaissance wax keeps it all in perfect, bright condition throughout the year, especially during the winter when most of the properties are closed to visitors and heating is at a low level or off.

Renaissance wax is truly universal in application and is used to protect and visually enhance every type of surface, from paper to stone, both inside the building and outside to guard against weathering. The wax protects a huge range of famous bronze statues and monuments in city streets and parks in the UK and other countries.

Before waxing any metal it is important to ensure that the surface is clean so that tarnish does not spread beneath the wax. Our Vulpex technical liquid soap, which can be diluted in water or white spirit (for non-aqueous cleaning), cleans and de-greases all metals with 100% efficiency, leaving nothing potentially harmful behind. Where there is tarnish or light corrosion, our Pre-lim paste gently burnishes to a bright, scratch-free shine, ready for permanent protection by Renaissance wax.
All three products are used by professional restorers of arms and armour of historic importance.

While museum exhibits are rarely handled, brass band instruments - by the very nature of their design and purpose - are far more vulnerable to surface degradation. For the relatively modest cost of our cleaners and wax polish, owners can greatly extend the service life of their instruments - and ensure the utmost visual beauty of the metal.