 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: wjk
Date: 2003-01-30 02:56
What are the advantages/disadvantages of nickel plated keys?
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-01-30 03:31
Advantages: Slightly less expensive than silver. Can make for a lighter key action.
Disadvantage: More prone to wear. Loses luster more quickly. Harder to keep shiny. Gives the horn a "cheaper" look and feel.
Just from my own experience.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-01-30 03:48
Depending upon the acidity in your hands, the nickel plating could wear very quickly.
The majority of players feel that silver keys are less slippery.
I have Buffets with both type of keys. I prefer the feel of the nickel...GBK
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Author: HAT
Date: 2003-01-30 04:06
I agree that the silver is less slippery.
I recorded some Jettel which required a lot of slides. During the time between when I started preparing it and when I actually did the recording, I bought a new clarinet which had silver plated keys. Made that one thing harder.
Nickel doesn't bother me, but then I am not one of those people whose hands eat clarinet keys. I know a few people that have to get new clarinets far more often than others because their own bodies eat away the rings so quickly, no matter what is plated there (although I heard that titanium plating would minimize that).
David Hattner, NYC
www.northbranchrecords.com
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Author: jez
Date: 2003-01-30 13:46
I am one of those people whose sweat tends to eat away plating. I'm tempted to have the rings and the keys I touch plated with something else next time I have a full overhaul on my favourite instrument (my E flat) because I don't want to have to replace it. I was thinking of gold. (wouldn't that look great?) Would that be more resistant, or is titanium better? I've never heard of that being used, sounds expensive!
jez
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Author: Bob
Date: 2003-01-30 14:14
Some people are allergic to Nickel. I've heard of titanium compounds being used as coatings(TiN) but haven't run across Ti plating. Don't know if titanium nitride coating is possible on clarinet keys but if it is it might last forever......and look neat.
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Author: tww
Date: 2003-01-30 21:28
I do not find silver to be more slippery. Also, nickel keys are more lustrous for me because silver seems to corrode very quickly when I touch it. So, nickel is definitely better for me.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2003-01-31 05:55
In the wrong environment, nickel playting corrodes much worse than silver.
The wrong environment can be simply the fumes given off by materials used to make instrument cases. Fox bassoons often suffer from this. A shipment of new Jupiter saxes had a hard, dull, off-white tarnish in patches over the nickel plated keys. I had some wire puzzles nickel plated them and put them into a wooden box, recent dvarnished with polyurethane. They got this same, very difficult to remove tarnish, overnight! .......
And some perspiration pits it very badly indeed, setting up a reaction with the base metal and making deep holes in this.
Nickel plating is often called more durable, but this is often NOT the case, expecielly inside some instrumetn cases.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2003-01-31 14:47
If I'm buying for myself I buy silver plated because they are less slippery, feel better and look nicer. If I'm buying for a student I buy nickel because most kids don't want to take the time to wipe the keys off when they finish playing and the silver gets nasty finger prints. The nickel needs some care as well, but is not as finicky about being wiped off all the time. Kids tend to get in a hurry.
Also, the nickel plated keys are usually a couple of hundred dollars less and that seems to figure into the equation most of the time.
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