Reply To: Used wood recorder smells of smoke

#1447
Ken In Dallas
Participant

Hey Ned… The kind of standard ‘homebrew’ disinfectant routine may be of some help with the last of the smoke. A quick White Vinegar wash of the inside once a day for a week followed by a final water rinse on day eight. That’s ‘quick flush,’ not soak. It’s said not to put alcohol on a recorder. Alcohol’s the lightest true solvent before water. Vinegar is a very light and edible acid that likely does more than water but less than alcohol. (that’s my opinion)

If the outside is at all sticky with the tar from the smoker, a quick Windex wipe is a good choice, again with ‘less’ being better than ‘more.’ I’m just remembering you may not have the product if you’re not in the States as I am. Windex is a glass cleaner with a touch of amonia and (I believe) mostly distilled water that leaves no streaks on glass. “Pledge,” a spray for furnature dusting, leaves a nice feel to wooden instruments and wears off with time. We used it all the time (very lightly) in an instrument repair shop I worked at.

I’ve successfully purchased a few Recorders on eBay and have used these techniques with great success. Congrats on your purchase. Enjoy!