 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: MrRussianPlayer
Date: 2020-02-16 19:49
Hi folks, a quick question regarding long-term instrument maintenance. Say you have a clarinet that is completely playable with nickel-silver keys which have become a bit dull, not shiny, and also have a weird feeling when you touch them.
It has been lightly used and not outdoors in the elements.
What course of action could be recommended for dealing with these dulled keys? And... more importantly, is there a way to prevent future tarnishing?
Thanks in advance.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2020-02-16 20:29
If you mean unplated nickel silver keywork, then you can use a silver polishing cloth to go some way in making them look a bit brighter. Also an old T-shirt will do in the interim to keep the keys clean.
If the keywork is nickel plated and has turned dull grey, then any surface bloom can be wiped off with a silver cloth, but that won't restore the shine once the nickel plate has turned grey.
In both cases, machine polishing them is the most effective way of bringing them up to a bright shine, but that will run the risk of dirtying, damaging or destroying the pads and silencing materials (cork, felt, etc.) glued to the keywork. Machine polishing is best done with all the pads and key corks/felts removed, then thoroughly cleaned afterwards to remove all traces of polish.
You won't be able to prevent the keywork from tarnishing, but wiping things down after playing will keep things looking better. Sometimes the case lining (fabric, adhesive or foam) used can cause plating to tarnish or at worst, become pitted and rough like the surface is covered in barnacles.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2020-02-17 01:27
The present Buffet I use for concerts is 21 years old and other than some "red" on the key rings, looks brand new. After each time playing I use one of those felt instrument cloths to wipe the keys--after exhaling hot air on the keys.
The Most Advanced Clarinet Book--
tomheimer.ampbk.com/ Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001315, Musicnotes product no. MB0000649.
Boreal Ballad for unaccompanied clarinet-Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001314.
Musicnotes product no. MNO287475
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2020-02-17 03:18
Buffet use a ton of copper plate under the top layer of silver (or nickel) plate which may be the red areas showing where the silver plate has worn off. I've seen that on many Buffets and in some cases the copper has also worn through right down to nickel silver which is the base metal.
You can see how the thick layer of copper plate has built up on the edges of the keywork as all keys with flat surfaces have a hollow look about them where they appear to dip in the centres - that's most obvious if you look at the LH levers and trill keys which have deeper flat-sided keys.
Same thing with pad cups where the plating has gone on thicker around the edges and corners which is why 8.5mm cork or synthetic pads are a better (but still loose) fit in the top joint pad cups compared to the 9mm ones which they should be as the plating has also gone on thick on the inside edges of the pad cups.
They can be opened up to 9mm by grinding out the insides of the pad cups without any risk of the sides becoming thin as there's plenty of silver and copper to be removed before hitting the nickel silver.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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