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Hey folks,
I added this post below to the hang cleaning set thread, but I'm not sure how many people go there as I have not had a response. I thought I would try again as a new topic, because I need assistance sooner rather than later...we have a TV interview tomorrow and I would like the hang to shine at its best...

Here is the request...

I have been meaning to ask advice about cleaning the hang without this cleaning kit from the hanghaus.

Mine needs a clean, and I remember asking Sabina last year what to use, and I can't fully remember her answer and I really don't want to guess.

I think she said any oil would work, but I don't know if i should clean off the surface first with something else and then oil it to finish, or whether oil would help strip off the build up of the thin layer of grime.

The only oil I have here where we are staying temporarily is olive oil and soya oil (though I also have Rosehip essential oil which I think would be too concentrated...?)

Otherwise I could go and buy something, but I am allergic to synthetic chemicals so it needs to be something natural.

Any advice appreciated...

Be careful how you clean the Hang, the simple recommendation from Felix and Sabina is to wipe down the Hang after use with a soft cloth, and keep it dry. That should be it.

If it is really dirty I've heard that they recommend that one uses alcohol to clean, but in my experience it tends to remove that protective layer of oil they apply.

If there are signs of rust us a 'scotch bright' type pad to remove the raised pitted rust areas and re-apply a layer of Biofa Hard Oil.

I know there are quite a few folks who used to use wax based sealers to protect the Hang (and some still do). Sealing the hang with Wax changes the texture of it though, so it can modify some of the sound potential.

Hi,

if the Hang is very dirty you can test water with a little bit soap. But after that you must dry the Hang! And no water inside.
Felix told me, that alcohol is ok. But not very often, because you can remove the hart oil layer on the Hang, as Gothang says.

Dont use special cleaning oil for metall music instruments. You remove the hard oil for sure. PANArt use Biofa oil to protect the Hang. Here in germany i can buy this oil online. But this is maybe needfull after a lot of cleanings and after maybe years. It is not good for the Hang to make a to thick oil layer on it. The Biofa ist not for cleaning. Only for protect the Hang against rust.

Greetings
Frank

Hey Maia, how is everything?

The alcohol is probably the best thing you can get there for cleaning your Hang, but like was said before it will remove the protective layer of the Biofa Hard Oil. Also I noticed once that the alcohol might also start to affect the general colour of the Hang so you shouldn't rub it to hard against the surface, just pour some alcohol onto a cloth or piece of cotton and rub it lightly, just applying a bit more pressure against the surface if there's an area where the Hang is really dirty (probably in the areas where you touch it more, in your case should be the tone fields).
If you are going to try the alcohol I recommend you start on the Gu side, this way if you see it is affecting the Hang in any way you can stop and think of something else.
After this you'll really need to oil it, the olive oil is probably not a bad idea, I remember PANArt saying something like any natural oil is ok for the Hang. Maybe Cedar Oil is a good option since the Biofa is made to be used in wood, you'd probably be better of with some other oil also meant for wood.

Hope I could help,
Sérgio

Thank you all for your suggestions.

I will keep the information and will arrange something for ongoing care of my artpiece
For the TV thing, because I had very little time and no alcohol, I wet the little eyeglasses cloth I keep in the hang case with the intention of adding some soap...but I noticed that it had an effect a bit like a shammy, where it is wet without dripping, so before trying soap I just used the damp cloth and I was surprised to see that it worked quite well. I then dried the hang off (with a soft woollen shawl) and it came up really quite well - so much so that I didn't feel that I needed to do it again with soap.

So I thought I would add/share this in case it is useful to others.