Author: mschmidt
Date: 2006-05-08 19:15
The key to distinguishing between tarnish and plating wear is the color that you see. Silver oxides tend to be blackish--this is tarnish. If the silver plating is wearing away, then you will see the underlying metal, which may be brass, bronze or nickel silver. My old Prestini has a lot of brass or bronze showing. With nickel silver it may be harder to tell.
I don't think a very thin plating of silver would flake off, if the plating were properly done. The reason that plating, soldering and brazing works is that metal atoms bond well to other metal atoms. If you have a thin coating of metal flaking off, it means that it was applied over an oxide layer--most likely to occur with something like plated steel, as with my old Plesnicar mandrel.
Replating of keywork can be done, but it is hardly ever worth it, as it involves removing all the keys AND the pads, cleaning the keys, replating them, and then putting the whole thing back together. Worn keywork doesn't affect the sound quality at all, to my knowledge.
Mike
Still an Amateur, but not really middle-aged anymore
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