Klarinet Archive - Posting 000932.txt from 2000/11

From: "Tony Wakefield" <tony-wakefield@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Corrosion
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 09:06:58 -0500

What a wonderful man Michael!?!
You probably won`t remember my LL Leblancs, but soon after I acquired them,
(used) in the early 70`s I noticed that
the silver plate was becoming discoloured - blackened. Peter Snowden
reckoned it was the corrosive excretions from the skin, which causes it. He
has polished them up 2 or 3 times since with quite good results.
But the same is happening to my opus Bb. It`s only 2 1/2 years old and
already some keywork is becoming orangey brown, tho` I reckon that could be
due to a period when I used to keep it overnight on the peg. I havn`t tried
to polish it up, as I will leave that to Dawkes, for it`s first service
soon. I`ll be able to see what kind of success they have first. I think the
LL`s <had> started to actually corrode, but only discolouring on the opus.
I think the only remedy <is> to regularly clean & polish. Silver quite
naturally tends to discolour anyway, depending on it`s quality I s`pose.
I would think that the manufacturers, once they have the "hardness" required
for the metal, they are then not too particular what quality or thickness of
silver they deposit upon the key. Different thickness' perhaps, for
different keys, to cope with usage and balance(?).
Keep your mitts clean then, and I would suggest, as you`re a bass
clarinettist also, wicket-keepers, not surgical gloves would help. Watch the
occasional googly tho` from some klarinettists. They`ll have you back in the
pavilion as quickly as you can say Boosey and Hawk it. (Have I got that
right?)
Met one or two of your colleagues briefly at the Thameside choir last week.
I`ll probably saunter on down there on Thurs also, with my <goalkeeping>
gloves. But then I don`t play bass!!!??!
Best,
Tony W.
Tag line:- Is corrosion as abrasive as collusion?

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Bryant"
Subject: [kl] Corrosion

> I have just had a long and fruitless discussion with
> the Head of R and D/Quality Control/Customer Liaison
> at Boosey and Hawkes HQ, (he probably has many other hats),
> about deep key corrosion on my R13s
> They don't actually "do business with the public".....
> That is not the end it .
>
> He says it is not a widespread problem, like cracking.
> Green Line has solved cracking.
> Replacement keys are very expensive.
> Replating is expensive and requires extensive post-production
> work - filing and repadding.
> My skin pH is non-typical. That is the main problem.
> Must I play in surgical gloves?
> Monkey metal will do.
> They are not researching the metallurgy of corrosion resistant keys
> Try "nickel" or "silver", - - - "trade abbreviations".
>
> It is almost the moment to decide to buy a pair of Howarth's
>
> What I lack is his overall perspective.
> How many people really suffer from key corrosion
> after 5-10 years of use of a Buffet, a Selmer, a Leblanc?

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