 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: manfred
Date: 2000-08-27 04:17
I was playing my Buffet B-12 (serial # 568212) today and i noticed something about the keys. They were turning a copper-like color. It was mainly on the lower joint where my fingers touch the keys, which are made of nickel. I polish the keys about once a week or so. I was wondering if there was any way of getting it fixed. Thanks for your help.
Manfred
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Author: mark weinstein
Date: 2000-08-27 06:37
Nickle plate is pretty tough stuff. I have noticed some (copper color) discoloration on my Buffet R-13 at the thumb hole. It seems to be harmless enough, as it has done no damage to the metal & each time I take a polishing cloth to it, it either goes away or is made much less noticeable.
On the other "mano", once a hand wears though (or eats through chemically like my daughter) silver plate, the only choice is to live with it or replate the key. My experience outlined here has been over a 1 year period with an R-13 of 1992 vintage. Hey there hasn't been a good argument on nickle plate slipperiness vs. silver plate tactile feel in awhile!!! :-) mw
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Author: Joris van den Berg
Date: 2000-08-27 10:41
The copper colour is of the material the keys are made of. The nickel is just a coating, it can wear of due to the sour moist from the fingers. As far as I know (and have learnt at tribology lectures) it's quite onpossible to get the silver of with polishing (with just a soft cloth). Polishing inmediately after playing (more removing the moist of your fingers) helps preserving the nickel. Once the nickel is gone it's gone
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Author: J. Butler
Date: 2000-08-27 12:32
The copper is a base plate for the nickel. You've worn away the plating material and are now down to the copper. I believe the newer Buffet clarinets have the thinnist plating of all the clarinet lines. I usually hand polish Buffet keys rather than put them on the buffing wheel because it doesn't take much to wear through the plating. LeBlanc, I believe, has the hardiest key plating on todays market. Please note that these are my personal observations and opinions and not an endorsement of any paticular clarinet brand.
J.Butler
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Author: Paul Lester
Date: 2000-08-27 14:25
I've worn through the nickle plate on a Buffet R13 in less than 4 months. The keys look spotted and on a few keys the copper shines through.
I assume that my finger acid reacts with nickle plate.
However, with silver plated keys they just seem to last for years before wearing through.
Paul
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Author: gRAHAM
Date: 2000-08-27 15:08
Hi,
On my Buffet E 12 the silver-plate is flaking off. the silver is literally pealing of the copper. So now half my trill keys are plain copper. Its very strange.
A note on Leblanc plating. I know a few people who have Leblanc concertos and the nickel plating on their clarinets have turned green. they all come from the same range in serial #s.
GRaham
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-08-27 15:41
gRAHAM,
Call or write Buffet; they've been pretty responsive in fixing that problem.
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Author: Eoin McAuley
Date: 2000-08-28 09:45
The keys on almost all clarinets are made of an alloy called nickel-silver. Nickel-silver contains Nickel, Copper and Zinc. It does not contain any silver, despite the name. This base metal is then plated with Nickel or with Silver. In some more expensive clarinets, it is plated first with Copper, then with Silver.
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