 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Josephine
Date: 2000-11-18 22:29
I have had my clarinet for a little over three years. It is a Normandy 4 made by Leblanc. My problem is that the keys are not shiny. The parts of the keys where I put my fingers are shiny. But that's it. I've taken it to music shops to get estimates on how much it will cost to get it dipped in acid. It costs probably more than I am willing to spend. I've also tried jewelery polish and cleaner, tarnish remover, etc. Nothing has helped. Does anyone now of an inexpensive way to make the keys look less dirty? Also, I don't want to march with my wooden clarinet anymore. Does anyone know which plastic clarinet would be of the best quality?
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Author: Willie
Date: 2000-11-18 22:53
I use Happich Simichrome Polish. You can find it at the better Harley shops and just about any motorcycle shop that sells European bikes (BSA, Triumph, BMW, etc). I just finnished an old Pedler and the keys look great! I use it with a small piece of old t-shirt to buff and the rest of the shirt for the final wiping.
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Author: THE Big J
Date: 2000-11-18 22:54
Didn't you have a posting up also at the Selmer board? Also, have you tried a bit of lemon juice on a rag? sometimes that does the trick. Good luck!
-Jeanie
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Author: Susan L.
Date: 2000-11-19 01:40
I also use Simichrome Polish. I got this from my husband who uses it to polish guns that are nickel plated. You can get it at most sporting goods/gun shops. Don't get your keys too shiney as your fingers have a tendency to slip off.
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Author: Willie
Date: 2000-11-19 04:30
Actually all my old "HOG" t-shirts have gone to Hog Heaven, but I had a chuckle as you reminded me of when my wife used my ultra sacred RED DOG SALOON (Juneau, Ak.) t-shirt to shine some silverware she inherited.
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Author: Willie
Date: 2000-11-19 04:37
Just wanred to add that if you don't feel confident to remove the keys for polishing, you can tear thin strips of t-shirt to polish in those tight places. Just be very carefull of the springs. I also want to add that I advise against using "silver dips" used for cleaning and polishing silverware and other kitchen goodies as they almost always have a mild caustic solution that will flat ruin your springs.
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Author: Aaron
Date: 2000-11-19 05:23
The Buffet B-12 clarinet is a good plastic horn..I use it for marching band in college. A great student line horn, marching horn.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-11-19 12:34
All of the big four (Leblanc, Buffet, Selmer, & Yamaha) make fine student model plastic instruments. Since you already play a Normandy (made by Leblanc), you might want to try out the Leblanc Vito. You can often find a used one in good condition for quite a reasonable price.
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Author: Daniel Bouwmeeszer
Date: 2000-11-19 15:21
Are the keys chrome platted or silver plated ?
If it's silver, you need to use Silver shine.
If it's chrome, you need to use use chrome shine.
Don't try making your life easy using dip shine stuff.... This stuff is soo strong, it will occidate your springs.
Then... another thing.... you have the choice of dismantling all your keys to clean them individually, or do the best you can, polishing the visible surfaces.
Anyway..... the best solution is to POUTZ IT (polish it for a while) ! using a bit of energy and patience..... and anyway..... you will be able to train your wrist muscle, which is also usefull for trills and stuff like that..
Salut !
Daniel
(Geneva - Switzerland )
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Author: Kristen Denny
Date: 2000-11-19 20:45
Rolite is used in many music stores to shine up the keys. It comes in a squeeze tube. You
just put a little on a rag and polish away. The drawback is that it is not a permanent fix. You
have to keep it up. Otherwise, you could have the keys buffed by a local repairman. Just ask
around for estimates. But, as most clarinetists will agree, it's not how the horn looks--it's how
it sounds that matters the most! Good luck.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-11-19 21:07
No matter what approach you take to polishing your keys, nothing is permanent. They will get dull again and you will be right back in the same boat. I wouldn't worry about it.
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Author: DLE
Date: 2000-11-20 11:32
I know I'm a bit outof my league here, but does polishing the keys actually make a difference in the sound or the playability of the clarinet? Since I started I have got nothing but warnings about polishing a clarinet, so I haven't bothered (Warnings of damage + doom mostly).
DLE.
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2000-11-20 14:31
The only effect on the sound is the psychological one on the player. It's possible that someone might perform better knowing that their instrument looks pretty.
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Author: Meri
Date: 2000-11-20 15:06
DLE: I agree with you. The most important thing is how the keys function, not how shiny they are. I personally do not polish my keys, because no-one really cares whether your keys are shiny or not, they care about how you play, which can be partly influenced by how you take care of your instrument!
Meri
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Author: Willie
Date: 2000-11-21 04:44
Shiney keys are only cosmetic. Some of the best musicians I know play with some really grodey looking horns. They may be good and be clean, well maintained, but never polished or lacqered.
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