The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2013-02-09 19:33
Leblanc Sonatas usually have silver plated keys which will progressively turn yellow, then brown, then to blue-black when they tarnish. This can be removed with regular use of a silvercloth which has silver polish impregnated in the cotton - wipe the keys down with a cotton cloth or old t-shirt after playing, then every now and then give them a buff up with a silvercloth.
Nickel plated keys will turn dull grey when they tarnish and it's not easy to remove unless you machine polish them on a buffing machine with tripoli and finish with jeweller's rouge - so it's an extensive and expensive job as it means stripping the clarinet down to do, plus replacing key corks and pads as they won't stand up to being machine polished.
I've noticed some Leblancs (and others) tarnish as a result of something used in the making of the case which most likely contains sulphur - either the chemicals used in the treatment of the leather used to cover the case with (or a leather mouthpiece bag), the glue used to stick the fabric lining into the case or the foam used to cushion the case. Some mouthpieces give off sulphur fumes which can also cause silver to tarnish when kept in close proximity.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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emrose19 |
2013-02-09 19:20 |
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Chris P |
2013-02-09 19:33 |
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DavidBlumberg |
2013-02-12 20:39 |
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BartHx |
2013-02-15 16:31 |
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Carl Maria von Weber |
2013-02-18 05:58 |
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KSL |
2013-02-18 23:48 |
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The Clarinet Pages
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