 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: elise
Date: 2001-07-14 22:58
Back again, following up on my key issue. I've been taking the precautions that everyone suggested, as well as Friedland's, and the situation is worsening. The silver is wearing away even faster than it did before, despite my meticulous cleaning and wipe-down of the keys even after minimal playing. As I have mentioned before and most of you know, the R13 has silver keys with a thin layer of copper and then the silver plate on top.
For a few months, the keys looked like they had touches of copper on the rings at least--mostly on the right hand and more so on the inside rim. I've been watching it closely, but after going away for 10 days on vacation and coming back, I've witnessed a most interesting (and sort of awful) aging process. My keys were "new penny" before I left and old penny on my return. It was like putting a 2001 penny on a coffee table, coming back, and finding one from 1969. What on earth is going on?
Bottomline: What's the deal with acidic fingers and copper? What more can I do before the keys wear away completely?
elise
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Author: connie
Date: 2001-07-14 23:52
Did I miss something in the interim? Did you talk to the dealer, or to M. Kloc? My daughter's R13 (purchased 9/97) began showing the same kind of wear after 2-3 years, and hers is nickel-plated. I'd like to know if the dealer or the company had any useful response.
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Author: connie
Date: 2001-07-14 23:54
PS and BTW, hers also involves the tenon ring of the lower joint, which should *not* be from acidic fingers!
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Author: elise
Date: 2001-07-15 03:37
As a matter of fact I did attempt to contact M. Kloc via email, but I did not receive a reply. That's actually very interesting--I'm a bit surprised that you're daughter is having a similar problem with nickel-plated keys--I have had a nickel-plated plastic student Bundy horn for 4 1/2 years that I used at school that showed no wear at all--and I took little care of it. What type of R13 has nickel plate on it, by the way?
Your issue has me doubly interested in investigating with Buffet. I have not yet, though attempted to communicate with my dealer--I'm trying to save that as a last resort--no news from him will be good.
elise
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Author: Karel Vahala
Date: 2001-07-15 08:21
You can buy a standard R-13 with either nickel or silver plating. Silver is slightly more expensive.
Karel.
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-07-15 14:05
Boosey & Hawkes' Francois Kloc is part of the North American dealer support network. (Francois has expertise besides Clarinet) B & H normally asks that a dealer get involved with any warranty effort. In fact, B & H wants to tread carefully, as the customer who buys a Buffet clarinet from a delaer is _really_ the client of that dealer. (Precious) Warranty time should not be wasted. Contact your dealer & bring them into the circle that is your instrument problem.
Best,
mw
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Author: Phil
Date: 2001-07-15 17:30
If you want to stop the platuing from wearing off, and I have this problem myself. What I have done is follow the advice of my repair tech, who has been great friends with Kloc since his early days in Paris with Buffet. There is nothing to stop it from happening. However, what i have done to prevent the furthering of the decay on the keys of my buffet is to coat all the surfaces I have alot of contact with(the keys where is brass is already showing through) with clear nail polish. I have all the rings and other high wear key parts coated lightly with it and have shown no further wear. Similarly with my A clarient I purchased about a year agao, I have used the nail polish on it since the first day, and have shown NO wear on the plating on any of the keys.
This is only a quick fix. And some people may not like the feel of the polish under their fingers, but it works fine for me. Plus if you don't like it, just get some of your wife's polish remover and take it off.
good luck...
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-07-15 18:22
Query: What does the putting on of Nail Polish remover to plated keywork, followed by the removal with Nail Polish Remover, do _to_ the plated keywork? (this is not a tongie-in-cheek query)
My wife's & daughter's Nail Polish Remover will cause all Males within 50 feet to run! Nasty smell! (females in proximity seem somewhat use to itl for males it is time to throw the ball around outside)
Best,
mw
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Author: elise
Date: 2001-07-15 23:16
Nail polish and remover? Now I'm highly concerned. I'm not one to be messing with my instrument - and this certainly sounds like a longshot. (Oh--and by the way, if any plating wears off, aren't I so thrilled that I bought silver plate.) Additionally, why is it, if nickel wears off just as quickly, does Buffet not use something else or warn you of this? On the other hand, why is it that I've had one nickel plated student Bundy with a perfect finish that I've owned twice as long as my Buffet? Questions, questions...
Can anyone give me the contacts of a reliable care specialist that I might get in touch with?
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Author: willie
Date: 2001-07-16 03:41
Nail polish remover is just acetone. We sell it in pts., qts., and gallons to various "nail shops" around here who then pour it into the fancy bottles they use in front of their customers. I use it for cleaning too sometimes but be careful with it on a plastic clarinet as it will melt and ruin the shiney finnish on some. I too am curious about the plating on some of the newer clarinets as I have some that are quite old and the keys still show no wear. The most expencive (time consuming man-hours) part of the plating process is the polishing and buffing of the part before and after each layer of plating. It seems to me with all the expence of this, they could leave the parts in the plating solution just a tad bit longer to get more metal to buff and last longer.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-07-16 12:14
If acid perspiration was the problem I would expect pitting, not wear.
We know from silver plated cutlery which gets significant wear, that this thick plating can last many years.
It seems very clear that you have a "decorative" plating rather than a servicable plating, which should be many, many times thicker. Get it replaced under guarantee, the sooner the beter. It is probably a bad batch that the manufacturer already knows about.
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