 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: fuzzystradjazz
Date: 2015-10-08 20:33
So, in light of my earlier post - I began cleaning the lower joint keys for my 1922 Conn, and I've become less satisfied with my cleaning technique.
In my online search for "how to clean nickle silver" I ran across the following page: http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/111990
The article pertains to building structures, and not specifically to music instruments. It mentions things like "...Degreaser/standard solvent such as turpentine, phosphoric acid alcohols, mineral spirits or vinegar..." as the more aggressive cleaning materials to use, or even "Non-ionic detergent such as 'Environtex Zyfo Cleaner', 'Tergitol'"
Would something like white vinegar be safe to use on instrument keys? Would it provide the desired results? If the estimated 4% acetic acid is too weak, would something like a watered-down glacial acetic acid be a better option?
(I had been hoping my original Internet search would produce some type of chrome-polishing product I could use. For those who didn't see my original post, I have historically been using a product called "White's Silver Cream" and hand-buffed the keys with a rag. I'm looking for a solution which will be gentler on the keys...if there is one.)
Fuzzy
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2015-10-08 20:54
Hand polishing nickel keys with a cloth and polishing cream is the best method and provides the best results. There is no "quick and easy" method I know of that gives you the same results. Polishing keys is the most labor intensive part of clarinet restoration, nobody likes to do it. But nothing looks better than a clarinet with nice shiny keys!
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Author: MichaelW
Date: 2015-10-08 20:56
Attachment: Kruspe B_rep.jpg (248k)
Depends on the degree of dezincing. Once I tried to clean heavily dezincated (is that right?) 19th century keys with normal brass or silver polishing fluids or "Nevr dull" without success. So I first used a small rotating brass brush in a Dremel, then a polishing wheel and polish. Result: see photo. I think we are talking about ungalvanized nickel silver ( in my experience the easiest and best basis for restoring jobs), not nickel plating.
Post Edited (2015-10-08 21:02)
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-10-09 01:52
I have always used a Selmer Silver Polishing Cloth on unplated nickel-silver (Maillechort) keywork and that works great for me. You will not get a mirror finish using this method, but the keys will look and feel like very clean pewter. I find this an ideal surface under the fingers--no grippy sensation as with clean silver plate, and no slipperiness as with bright nickel plate.
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Author: fuzzystradjazz
Date: 2015-10-09 03:00
Hello everyone!
Thanks for the great responses! The buildup/degradation of the keys is bad enough that the keys have quite a dull green, sticky, finish to them. (Not quite as heavy as in Michael's picture above, but getting there.)
Do those of you who use the Silver Polishing Cloths think that the cloths could manage such a job? (I have a couple cloths in storage somewhere, but it will be a task to find them.)
In the meantime, I decided to create some cotton cloth strips (I had been using a large section of cloth before), and try it in combination with the Wright's Silver Cream, and wow! That made things WAY easier, and the finish looks much better.
I appreciate everyone's time and patience in answering my basic questions.
Fuzzy
PS: Michael - thanks for the photo! I love the keywork on that clarinet (0 rings on top and two on bottom) - that's my favorite layout. Have you played that clarinet? I'm curious about the right hand roller keys...most of the simple systems I have are Bb models, and the left hand C#/F# lowest tone hole is directly across from the right hand C/F tone hole...but I notice on the instrument you posted photos of - the two tone holes are offset quite a ways. Is the clarinet you posted photos of an Eb clarinet? (I love the wood mouthpiece cap!)
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Author: fuzzystradjazz
Date: 2015-10-09 05:11
Hi Silversorcerer,
Do you happen to remember the "#" of your Herco cloth? I've never used one before.
Thanks,
Fuzzy
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-10-09 06:01
Fuzzy,
I've been using the same Selmer cloth since 1994 to polish all of my clarinets, a euphonium, and a tuba. It's still as functional as when new.
Brasso, if the fumes don't bother you, is another option for cleaning Maillechort keywork. In my experience, it is far more effective than Wright's Silver Cream or 3M Tarni-Shield at removing crud from nickel.
The best approach may be to clean with Brasso, then polish with Wrights, and finally buff with a Herco or Selmer cloth.
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Author: Robert Warren
Date: 2015-10-09 13:14
I am sure that the silver cloths that some use to wipe down chrome finishes take the fingerprints off, but the oxidation of chrome and silver produce two different oxides. If you REALLY want to see for yourself, treat a small, unseen area of your chrome instrument with Tarn-X and let it sit for a few days. The Tarn-X (which is meant to clean silver) will actually corrode the chrome in time.
I found this out after I was brought a beautiful Vito whose owner tried to shine up her keys with Tarn-X. It was a mess, and she was in tears. The best product for cleaning chrome is Simichrome Polish, imported from Germany by Competition Chemicals, Inc. Iowa Falls, Iowa.
It's available in 1.76 tubes as well as in cans and tubs in various sizes. (You can find it very easily online and it is also available in professional culinary equipment stores). Only a small amount is needed to clean the area of a key, and a buffing wheel might be helpful, though I cleaned the clarinet keys by hand, using a Q tip and a rag. It continues to be an effective cleaner even after it turns the rag black!
Williams-Sonoma carries a product called Wenol which may be the same product. It too is made in Germany.
I hope this helps.
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Author: MichaelW
Date: 2015-10-09 23:28
Attachment: C-Klappe.jpg (225k)
@ fuzzy, o.t.: It's a German system Bb from about the 1880ties. I think it plays quite nicely, but haven't used or compared it extensively. It doesn't have the more recent F#/C# trill mechanism for L5. So it has one F/C-cup for RH5 only (red arrow), and the LH5 F#/C# cup lies 3 cm more downward from it. In comparison a German C-clarinet, also by C. Kruspe, ca. 1925, has this mechanism which includes an extra F#/C# trill cup on the right side above the C-Cup (green arrow). Here the LH5 F#/C# cup indeed lies across the F/C cup. Might it be that your Albert shows a similar mechanism? I've read about a "three in a row" layout on Alberts, but don't know them myself.
Post Edited (2015-10-09 23:40)
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