Klarinet Archive - Posting 000279.txt from 2005/05

From: Fred Jacobowitz <fbjacobo@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Gungy green stuff on keys
Date: Tue, 17 May 2005 17:11:23 -0400

Dan,
The green stuff is copper oxidation. I have done repairs on saxophones
and clarinets with "nickel silver" keys. Both are made of brass, which
is a copper alloy. While it can be mostly washed or wiped off, some
will need to be buffed off, either with a rag or with a buffing wheel.
If you leave a piece of brass around long enough, it will discolor and
'rust'. That 'rust' is the green stuff. Just like iron, a layer of rust
can build up which can be rubbed or scraped off. Luckily, it takes an
awful lot of decades for that stuff to weaken brass, unlike iron.

Fred Jacobowitz

Kol Haruach Klezmer Band
Ebony and Ivory Duo
On May 17, 2005, at 6:38 PM, Daniel Fairhead wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Sorry if this has already been asked before (I'm sure it has) but
> as I don't know what to call it, my searches on the archive have been
> in vain. What do you call the nasty vile-green (about #00e6a9) organic
> looking stuff which "grows" on keys, and seems to cause (or grow over)
> holes in the plating? And what is the best way to remove it? Is there
> any way to prevent it in the future?
>
> Dan
>
> PS - (I got my first clarinet to repair/overhaul today! Woo!)
>
> --
> http://www.madprof.net
>
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