Author: ron b
Date: 2006-02-08 05:18
What DO we use? I see your point. We haven't been overly specific or detailed.
As a brief personal example, I happen to be in the middle of doing a (nickel)silver C-Melody sax complete re-pad. The sandblast finish body and shiney plated brass keys are quite tarnished from sitting in a "closet(?)" for over forty years; dark and dull but not too badly discolored. All keys are off now and being polished with Brasso. The body will also get the Brasso treatment. Everything will then get a Simple Green bath and warm water rinse to remove polish residue and to de-grease the keys. Then, re-cork, re-pad, re-assemble. It'll look quite spiffy and play like it's supposed to. No buffing and no scratch brushing necessary on this one.
Next in line is a Tarogato with nickle-silver keys, unplated. The keys will get the Brasso treatment, then a very light buffing with a soft wheel - first, with white rouge - then degreased (Simple Green) and lightly buffed with black rouge, then red. A minor bell crack will be filled with blackwood dust and super glue, then the wood body oiled with Doc Henderson's wood oil. Must wait for all oil to absorb thoroughly before proceeding because we're using RooPads on this one.
Neither instrument is in bad shape so no solder cleanup or other intensive cleaning, aside from [ad]dressing the crack repair, should be necessary on these. The strategy is to use the least abrasive method that's best suited, in my estimation, to the materials we're dealing with.
A Buffet clarinet like yours, Corks&Pads, would likely be handled much like the aforementioned Tarogato, the keys getting a (customer pre-approved, of course) Very Light soft wheel buffing. Otherwise, the keys would be hand cleaned and polished only. Either way will give a nice final result.
r b
Post Edited (2006-02-08 05:21)
|
|
The Clarinet BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
