 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: gykosa
Date: 2011-07-05 13:19
Hi,
I have read that some has silver allergy thus they should select nickel-plated clarinets.
Is there some kind of medical allergy test that could show if I has such allergy?
Thanks.
Br,
gykosa
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2011-07-05 16:42
Do you have any cause to believe this is the case?
IIRC, if I see a person with a silver allergy wearing some silver jewelry, their skin is significantly discolored where the item sits.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2011-07-05 17:04
Nah, that's not necessarily an allergy but rather the skin chemistry that reacts with silver.
A person allergic to silver would probably know by then and eg bring their own cutlery to a restaurant, just in case - a silver spoon in their mouth would be a zillion times worse than merely touching silver.
--
Ben
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-07-05 17:21
Metal allergies (usually silver or nickel) are only of any real significance where flute lip plates and jewellery are concerned.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: ThatPerfectReed
Date: 2011-07-05 20:39
Of course if money is no object, for a mere $500/clarinet, gold is available
http://www.backunmusical.com/clarinets.html
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Author: Michael E. Shultz
Date: 2011-07-05 20:44
It is much more likely that a person would be allergic to nickel, rather than silver. Nickel is often alloyed with silver, gold and platinum in order to increase hardness.
It is the nickel salts formed from corrosion that cause the problem. 18k gold (or higher) and stainless steel are corrosion resistant (passive) and are unlikely to cause contact dermatitis, even though they may contain nickel.
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
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Author: gykosa
Date: 2011-07-06 07:43
> Do you have any cause to believe this is the case?
Yes. I was using a cosmetic containing silver molecules and it was irritating.
Now I have a nickel plated clarinet and I have no problem with it, but I've heard that there are benefits of silver, e.g. being not so slippery as nickel.
Thanks.
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Author: ThatPerfectReed
Date: 2011-07-06 15:23
One of my first teachers--and this is a common story I'm sure--suggested my application of some of the normal grease our skin accumulates, particularly from the back of the ear, on the D#/E flat///G#/A flat key, to faciliate the pinky sliding off the key, and on to the C3/D flat/// F#/G flat key, as indicated by the music.
Of course that would serve the opposite effect of the grip you voice concern over. But with that delberate loss of key grip (the clarinet kind, not the Hollywood kind), created the need for the opposite effect in some situations. To which I have found weightlifters/gymnasts chalk (available in any decent sporting goods store) pretty good. Just dab a bit of it on a finger, and then apply it sparingly to slippery points on the instrument.
I hope that helps. If not consider this.
About 5 years ago I treated myself to a complete clarinet overhaul featuring key replating. Being from the metro NY area, finding a very competant service tech wasn't the issue. What was difficult was finding a tech in my area that also did his/her own in-house plating, rather than "turf it out" to another firm.
Long story short, it seems such processes are highly EPA regulated--perhaps due to the use of some quite nasty chemicals in the electroplating process, making ther cost/risk of providing this service less attractive to repair shops that don't otherwise specialize in replating.
Anyway, I found a whole bunch of techs outside of the Elkhart, Indiana area--remnants I suspect of Selmer's instrument creation facilities that I understand were once there.
The person I dealt with was outstanding--both as tech and electroplater. They, or someone they know, may be able to plate keys with a metal or mix of metals that won't cause dermal contact irritation or that are known to be slippery.
Contact me outside the bboard by email if your interested in a name. This bboard's rules-and I understand/respect why, foster spirit and intent to avoid just such name dropping here.
Best of luck!
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Author: BobD
Date: 2011-07-06 21:53
I think you've got it backwards. It's nickel that is the problem for some people.
Bob Draznik
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