Klarinet Archive - Posting 000235.txt from 1995/10

From: niethamer@-----.BITNET
Subj: Re: Finish on keys
Date: Tue, 10 Oct 1995 13:06:12 -0400

On Mon, 9 Oct 1995, John Baetens wrote:

> At 01:11 PM 10/9/95 -0800, Merrill Mitler wrote:
>
> >I have a 4-year-old Buffet Bb professional level instrument.
> >The plating on the many of the keys is worn-off. My repairman
> >says that I, like many people, must have a high level of acid
> >in the oils on my fingers. What has been the experience of
> >the group with this phenomenon? With what material should I
> >re-plate? Can I get stainless steel keys?
> >
> Most of the clarinettists I know who claim to have a lot of acid
> in the oils on their fingers are the ones who practice 4 hours
> a day! Consequently, most of the clarinets I have seen with
> the finish worn off the keys sound a whole lot better than me
> and my shiny keys.

I regularly wore through the plating on my Buffet's, but have had no
problems with my silver plated Yamahas. According to my basson colleague
in the RSO, there are different alloys of silver, and the thickness of
the plating enters into the equation as well. If you tarnish or wear
through silver as well, there is chrome, which is slippery but almost
indestructable.

I think one of the mechanical points to replating keys has to do with
preventing the wear on the 5 rings and LH thumb ring, which becomes
excessive once the plating wears away. It then becomes harder to get the
keys to cover properly, and those rings bend and go out of adjustment
more readily.

David Niethamer