Klarinet Archive - Posting 000525.txt from 1998/11

From: "Chuck Trimble CPA" <trimble@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] silver and rubber (was wolf tones)
Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 15:42:45 -0500

the keys on clarinets have been plated by either nickle or silver since
electroplating was invented in the 19th century. the plating is on all
sides of the metal and as a result, any sulfur or other reactant substance
would be reacting with the plating, not the underlying base metal of the
keys. i have observed hundreds of old rubber clarinets and have not seen
any reaction from rubber to metal.

chuck trimble
-----Original Message-----
From: Ed Maurey <edsshop@-----.ca>
Date: Saturday, November 14, 1998 8:52 AM
Subject: Re: [kl] silver and rubber (was wolf tones)

>Roger,
>For better or worse, I seriously doubt if there has been a single clarinet
>made with stainless steel keys. Those old hard rubber clarinets had
>nickel-silver keys. [There is very little nickel and zero silver in
>nickel-silver.] Howerver, some of them were nickel plated.
>
>Yes, the sulfur in hard rubber will encourage tarnishing of NS. The NS is
>an alloy of mostly zinc, copper and a little nickel. It's copper that
>reacts with the sulfur. Modern clarinets are still NS under their various
>platings.
>
>Ed Maurey

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