 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: clarigurl
Date: 2003-02-25 22:30
i am a student. and i have a Bb buffet E11 silver-plated clarinet that is a little more than a year old. and just recently (about 2-3 months) ago, my clarinet has been tarnishing very badly. a black/purple/blue color has appeared on my "pinky" keys. i have tried many ways of getting it off, but non have worked successfully. i've tried a soft cloth, and a light polishing cloth, but neither seem to be working. besides going to the extreme by using full on-polish, any ideas on how to get this tarnish off? my private teacher and i have come to the conclusion that i have really "acidy" fingers. so, any help would be GREATLY appreciated. thank you so much.
any ideas?, please send to clarinet24rock@aol.com.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jeff Forman
Date: 2003-02-25 22:50
You can use a product called Weenol or Simichrome polish which you can get at most hardware stores. These are polishishes that take tarnish off of various metals such as silver, brass, etc. Don't rub too hard. The stuff (like all polishes) work as much chemically as they do hard rubbing. So just let it sit for a bit and then use moderate polishing action.
Then, the key is to keep it from coming back. You should get some 3M anti tarnish strips. I have searched the web and found the best price st:
http://www.asacredstone.com/antitarn.htm
These strips prevent tarnish. You put one in the case - I lay it right on top of the clarinet. It needs to be changed every 6 months or so. A package has 8 strips in it and at ASacred Stone, a pack goes for $4.95 with free shipping.
Jeff
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Nate Zeien
Date: 2003-02-25 23:31
Greetings. In addition to the nifty little 3M strips as prevention, I'd also recommend keeping rubber bands out of the clarinet case, as well. If I remember correctly, they have sulfides in them. Either way, they will tarnish silver. A basic prevention measure, but I am still surprised by the number of times I've seen rubber bands in cases containing silver or silver-plated flutes. :-( -- Nate Zeien
Another idea, though perhaps getting a wee bit off the subject: In the case "acidy fingers", does anyone know of any buffer that might be put in a clarinet case? (other than the 3M strips, which I believe buffer sulfides) More of something to combat the acidity. (A box of baking soda doesn't practical) I know of such things for archival documents, though I know not whether they do any real good or not. Perhaps the good Doctor would have a thought or two...
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2003-02-25 23:45
Use silvo very carefully and a silver cloth, UMI make a good double sided cloth for this purpose. More than likely the purple/ blue tarnish is caused by the underplating of copper oxidising. If it is only a few months old maybe this is a warrantly issue so avoid doing too much until you have contacted your supplier. The presence of sulphides as mentioned above may have something to do with the problem but I will bet London to a brick that the underplating is lifting or oxidising in some way. This can happen under a number of circumstances. It is one of the prime considerations when stripping a plating especially nickel or gold. Sometimes the top plating does not strip but the underplating goes pear shaped. Contact the supplier you have a right to expect an instrument of merchantable quality fit for the intended use, they should fix it if it is under warranty. They will of course give you a lot of crap because they already have your money.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bradley
Date: 2003-02-26 03:14
This happens with my Leblanc as well- but I have a certified Leblanc dealer that will fix ANY problem I have with it for free ( so i got really lucky lol)
but I suggest you get it professionally cleaned, and then you buy the anti-tarnish things so it stays as beautiful as the way you got it back from the cleaner.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2003-02-26 03:31
Some very good suggestions and astute observations about plating. For people with very acidic or salty sweat it may be a good idea to use a non-slippery wax on the keys to keep the tarnishing elements away. I keep a piece of anti-tarnish cloth (sold in better jewelry stores and silver sections of department stores) over the horn - one layer thick. This cloth actually has micro-particulate silver particles embedded in the cloth that act as a sacrificial agent to absorb the sulfides and other tarnishing agents in the air - it is not cheap however.
I have recently done some experiments to help students that have the same problems with tarnish using some sealants for the keys. As luck would have it I had a bottle of Rain-X (the stuff that you put on your car windshield to sheet water) which I use on outdoor brass carriage lamps around the house to keep them from tarnishing after the weather wears away the lacquer finish (just too lazy to completely remove the lamps, take out the glass and re-spray them). I tried it on some silver keys and it seems to work fine and does not have a slippery finish. The jury is out on the long term results and durability of the sealant in these experiments, but untreated silver keywork in my sulfide gas chamber tarnishes very quickly but the treated keywork (so far) remains shiny.
The Doctor
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2003-02-26 14:08
I one of the lucky ones with non-acidic sweat, so my keywork has dulled down very nicely. However, I know a fine player in New York whose sweat removes the silver plating within a year. His sweat actually ate through the pad cup between his left index and middle fingers, and corroded the rings to tin-foil thickness. Al Gallodoro has the same problem. Many years ago, he told me it got so bad he had to have all his instruments heavily gold plated.
As usual, the Doctor has a great idea. I use Rain-X on my car windows, but it had never occurred to me to use it on clarinet keys.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Eileen
Date: 2003-02-26 17:57
I had the same experience with a sudden huge tarnishing of the keys on my E11. I used a jewelry polishing cloth which took the tarnish off with a lot of work. It's great to have one anyway; I now rub most of my silver jewelry before putting it on and everything looks great. I also keep an anti-tarnish strip in my clarinet case and it has really worked. You don't need to special order these items. Stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond, Linens & Things and the Container Store carry both jewelry polishing clothes and anti-tarnish strips, usually stocked next to the storage containers for silver flatware. Each should be around $5.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob A
Date: 2003-02-26 20:14
Eileen : "You don't need to special order these items. Stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond, Linens & Things and the Container Store" Unless you live in BellyButton, Iowa.
Bob A
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2003-02-27 14:03
Judging from the short life of silver plating on some 'reputable makes', I suspect that the thickness of the plating is of the very inferior, thin, 'decorative' grade.
i'm curious as to why it is just (?) your "pinky" keys. Perhaps you are using a "pinky" finger to apply an acne preparation. Many of these preparations contain - or at least used to contain - sulphur compounds which corrode silver to dark grey or black. For flute players this can show as a black patch on the skin where the flute rests against the chin!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2003-02-27 14:30
Like the NYC pro that Ken mentioned, I suffered--as a result of overly acidic fingers--the actual loss of my Eb/B/ pad cup due to corrousion. It had to be replaced with a new cup. At the same time (1970'ish), I had all of the keys on my R13 clarinet silver plated (prior to that, they were nickel). Since then, I have either purchased or had all of my clarinets silver plated (as well as one R13 plated in gold) and began the practice of covering my clarinets, while stored in their cases, with a linen cloth (I like the old calender hand towels). And curiously, since I began keeping those cloth coverings in my cases, I've had no tarnishing or corrosion of either my silver or gold plated keys--even the rings or the A & Ab keys. No "scientific" basis for this--just my own experiance for whatever it is worth for the good of this discussion. Good luck.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2003-02-28 01:30
Could you have once usd a wool fabric? Wool contains sulphur compounds, which tarnish silver.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Benni
Date: 2003-02-28 01:43
Gordon (NZ) wrote:
> Could you have once usd a wool fabric? Wool contains sulphur
> compounds, which tarnish silver.
>
And yet they make marching band uniforms out of wool . . . ![[huh]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie11.gif) I guess they're just asking for tarnished flutes and clarinets! *sigh*
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: PJ
Date: 2003-02-28 03:00
I'm so glad to hear that someone else's hands are eating their clarinet keys. For years I thought I was just a freak!
Now, here's a question that I'm curious to see the responses to:
Many clarinetist and saxaphonist have argued the effect of gold and silver, as well as some other metals, when it comes to ligatures and the tone characteristics they offer. (I even know a jazz saxahponist who won't have his sax re-laquered as he likes the sound of it better without. Talk about picky!) My question would be whether or not having the keys of my Bb and A gold plated would have some effect on the overall sound of the horn itself. Once I would have said no, but I recently had a ligature gold plated as my poor fingers were beginning to break it down as well and low and behold my tone had a different quality. I'm not sure if I'm happy about this or not (it is an old ligature that can't be replaced and never found another like it).
Additionally, what is the general price range (seeing that the price of gold fluctuates) of having this done and has anyone had to have pads readusted afterward? Any recommendations on who to have do this?
What says the board?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
