Joker Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Anyone had this happen, heard of it, or have information that would be useful. We now think this may be part of dd's issues lately. No one I've talked with seems to have ever heard of it or know anything. No one seems to be able to tell the composition of her mouthpiece either, so I'm not sure which metal/composition is the problem (we rent her instrument). I'll be researching that and figure it out eventually. She had a worsening of her ulcers and swelling after playing for a longer period of time than normal. We switched to a plastic mouthpiece and she's had no more ulcers/swelling. TIA!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 It's possible, clear nail polish is my best friend. I have metal allergies and just put a few coats of clear nail polish on any metal that might touch my skin (like my glasses) and avoid somethings like underwire bras :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 What instrument and what brand of mouthpiece was it? Mine are silver-plated but I know some people are allergic to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 It's a trombone. I think both are Yamaha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 It's a trombone. I think both are Yamaha. Most Yamaha mouthpieces are brass with silver or gold plating, or silver. I play a Yamaha trumpet, but use a Bach mouthpiece. Are there any dings or scratches along the rim or in the cup? Apparently the raw brass can be irritating if exposed, but I've never heard of anyone having a problem with it. I'd try a new silver plated mouthpiece, and if that's still a problem, try a gold-plated one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Nickel can be part of the metal composition, many people are allergic to nickel in jewelry. It is possible this is the cause of her allergies. It may be very difficult to find a fully nickel free mouthpiece. You can try, but gold or silver plate doesn't always mean nickel free. Your best bet is to coat the metal with something like clear nail polish as mentioned a previous post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 My dd has nickle allergies. Playing a flute causes her lip/chin area to break out. Some instruments have alternate mouth pieces in non-reactive metals. I agree that nail polish is helpful as well although I'm not sure how it would work on a trombone mouth piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Vaseline might work as a temporary solution on the mouthpiece. I have issues with both metal and nail polish. Vaseline work for me for my horn's mouthpiece when I was in school band. I wore marching band gloves so I don't know if my hands are just as sensitive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 I know with earrings, nickel is a frequent culprit of allergic reactions. eta: if fingernail polish isn't workable, would clear contact paper work? it's very flexible, and wouldn't show very much. she might need to replace it periodically, but it would keep her from touching metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 These guys will plate a mouthpiece for you (not the rental, she'd have to buy one) in anything, up to and including pure silver or 24 karat gold. http://www.andersonsilverplating.com/band_instrument.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 I know with earrings, nickel is a frequent culprit of allergic reactions. eta: if fingernail polish isn't workable, would clear contact paper work? it's very flexible, and wouldn't show very much. she might need to replace it periodically, but it would keep her from touching metal. Any mouthpiece you are buzzing into, there's no good way to put a barrier between the skin and the mouthpiece. You really do have to touch the metal. There are a lot of options for mouthpieces in other blends. As far as nickel, if it is a genuine Yamaha mouthpiece, they don't use nickel (there might be nickel on other parts of the horn, like the spit valves). If it's a metal allergy, it's either the silver or copper/zinc of the exposed part where the plating has come off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Would a P-bone mouthpiece work on a metal trombone? I heard a P-bone played IRL recently, and was surprised at how good a bright blue plastic trombone can sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThatHomeschoolDad Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 There are plastic mouthpieces and plastic or nylon-rimmed metal mouthpieces. Prob not the most awesome for sound, but cheap enough to be worth investigating. I always wanted a plastic rim for those last few marching band shows in November (yikes). Edit -- also add-on rims. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted December 7, 2013 Author Share Posted December 7, 2013 As far as nickel, if it is a genuine Yamaha mouthpiece, they don't use nickel (there might be nickel on other parts of the horn, like the spit valves). If it's a metal allergy, it's either the silver or copper/zinc of the exposed part where the plating has come off. The mouthpiece says Yamaha Japan 48 and it looks silver. I do see two dings or scratches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alef Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 As my dd is horribly allergic to the metal on her chin rest on her violin, I think it definitely could happen. She has gone through all sorts of things to try to cover the metal. Has she tried a hypoallergenic chin rest? This is the kind we use http://www.swstrings.com/product/accessories/viola/GP-CR14 There is no exposed metal. I realize your daughter has been playing for a long time and probably knows about these already, but just in case they haven't crossed her radar... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbmamaz Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 Nickel is silver color. My mom has a nickel allergy too, and had to get a special mouthpiece for her flute. Silver, i think - but not just looking silver, kwim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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