 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: kal
Date: 2005-01-20 01:03
What's a safe, effective way to clean solid nickel silver (German silver) keys with decades of tarnish and gunk on them? A search yields mostly info on plated keys, but a few people recommended Brasso for unplated keys. Your thoughts?
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Author: Douglas
Date: 2005-01-20 02:08
Try Simichrome polish. It works well on unplated clarinet keys, although you have to rub quite a bit.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2005-01-20 04:32
It's very hard work without resorting to a buff, which gives a finish like new coins, very similar in appearance to silver, but like coins, it fairly quickly tarnishes to a fairly stable 'dull'.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-01-20 10:24
My experience is the same as Gordons
Bob Draznik
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2005-01-20 14:38
Brasso is very abrasive. I would avoid it.
I never have my (German silver) keys buffed. It makes them too slippery. I prefer them dull.
It's all a matter of personal preference. Stanley Drucker has Jimmy Yan buff his keys to a blinding mirror smoothness and rub gold crayon into the trademarks whenever things start to fade.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2005-01-21 01:21
Nickel silver NEEDS something reasonably abrasive. Brasso (the opaque LIQUID polish - perhaps they make a variety of products) is quite appropriate. I have found many copper-alloy polishes to be far more abrasive than Brasso. Example, Flitz - at least the version I bought..
Some technicians reject reject Brasso because it is insufficiently abrasive.
Post Edited (2005-01-21 04:42)
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2005-01-21 06:28
I've saved a number of "basket" case clarinets and find that Turtle Wax Automotive polishing compound works well on German Silver. It comes in two flavors, red for really dirty keys and white for not so dirty keys. I use a 1" felt wheel on my trusty Dremel tool in lieu of elbow grease.
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-01-21 13:13
I so look forward to trying to find those tiny grits that are messing up the action....
Bob Draznik
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