You can help prevent it by reducing the acids you introduce into your instrument.
If it is localized then you may be able to patch the part and extend its serviceable life. Once you have Red Rot, there is nothing much you can do about it. There are also acids used in instrument cleaning procedures. But acid levels can be increased by consuming certain foods, especially sodas. There is acid in one’s breath, naturally. Copper is more resistant to reacting with these mild acids. The acid reacts with the zinc and causes it to come out of the brass. Red rot is caused by a reaction with acidic solutions, usually the aspirants from the player’s mouth. You can put a probe on the spot and push all the way through without effort.
It is identifiable as a reddish patch on outside of the tube, roughly circular, with a pin-point dark spot in the very center.Īt this spot the alloy has failed completely, leaving a weak structure of copper behind. In this case, the loss of zinc from the brass is substantial and throughout the thickness of the part. True Red Rot is the complete breakdown of the alloy, and it occurs from the inside of a tube and proceeds outward. However, sometimes the de-zincification is extensive.
Only a very thin layer of zinc has corroded away, and the part will likely continue to perform well. If this happens on the surface of the part it is relatively harmless. As the alloyed metal, most often zinc, is corroded out of the brass, a lattice-work of copper is left which is reddish in appearance. Red rot is found in brasses, which are alloys of copper and other non-ferrous metals, such as zinc. However, this loose usage covers two distinct but related conditions, surface corrosion and deterioration of the alloy due to de-zincification. “Red Rot” is commonly used to refer to any reddish patch of corrosion on a copper-based alloy, such as brass.