Klarinet Archive - Posting 000675.txt from 1996/03

From: Nick Shackleton <njs5%cam.ac.uk@-----.BITNET>
Subj: Re: First Appearance of Plastic Clarinets
Date: Tue, 26 Mar 1996 13:02:29 -0500

>Ebonite may have some similar properties to some plastics, but it is actually a
>form of hard rubber. Ebonite clarinets were made largely for use in tropical
>countries, as the material is much less likely to warp in hot and humid
>conditions than wood. Keywork on ebonite clarinets is generally stainless
>steel, as the sulphur content would rapidly turn a copper-based alloy black.
>After a while, the surface of an ebonite instrument acquires a rather pleasing
>yellowish-green patina, presumably produced by excess sulphur oozing out of the
>material. Some plastic instruments acquire such an appearance too, but the
>cause must be different.
>Roger Shilcock
Roger S has saved me the trouble of explaining what ebonite is (I believe
the process of hardening rubber was invented in the middle of the last
century) and I'd only add that there is an excellent article on the plastic
saxophone and its invention in Clarinet and Saxophone (the English Clarinet
Magazine) 10 no 4 Dec 1985 which makes the point that synthetic plastics are
really a hallmark of the post-2nd world war years. Nick

   
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