 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2015-06-13 23:57
Does anyone know for sure what year Buffet started plating keys on the R13 model. Thanks.
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Author: bradfordlloyd
Date: 2015-06-14 02:00
This won't narrow it down much, but I have a 1960 R-13 in Bb that has solid nickel silver keys, and a 1981 R-1 in A that has plated keys (I know for sure since I just had to have them replated last year).
So, sometime before 1981...
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2015-06-14 03:22
My 1963 R13 is nickle plated but I wouldn't be surprised to find that Buffet offered different options for key finish at the same time.
E.g. my 1960 Leblanc LLs have solid nickel (unplated) keys but I have also seen earlier Leblancs that were plated.
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Author: GLHopkins
Date: 2015-06-14 07:24
I'm currently in the process of repadding a 77,XXX R13. I believe that to be the end of '63 or early '64. The keywork is plated.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-06-14 12:09
I have a Buffet R13 full Boehm with the serial number F690xx which is nickel plated - all original from what I can tell.
But my Buffet Eb is 717xx and that was unplated (but I had it all silver plated when I rebuilt it).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2015-06-14 19:26)
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Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2015-06-14 13:11
The great Hans Moennig said that plating keys was a mistake and he would not work on R13's after they started to plate the keys. I was under the impression that they started plating keys around 1968 which would be around 100,000 serial number. Any instruments that have plating before that were not factory specs.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2015-06-14 23:28
I am interested in where the "impression" came from.
I think the fact that many R13s from early 60s have plating is a "fact" and the probabilty of them all, or even any of them, being non-factory plating jobs is vanishingly small.
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Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2015-06-15 12:30
Nickel plating. I currently have a 1962 R13 that has nickel plating. It did not come from the factory that way evidenced by the fact that the posts, trill guide, thumb tube etc. are unplated nickel silver. Why would anyone want to nickel plate this type of instrument is hard to understand other than a repair tech trying to make profit.
Post Edited (2015-06-15 12:34)
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Author: rmk54
Date: 2015-06-15 21:38
The great Hans Moennig said that plating keys was a mistake and he would not work on R13's after they started to plate the keys.
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Absolutely untrue.
He worked on my instruments (from the late 70's) and the plating on the keys was a non-issue.
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Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2015-06-17 11:27
Caswell B9 Nickel Stripper MetalX is supposed to be a safe way to remove nickel plating from the keys.
NO ELECTRICITY
NO CYANIDES
NO PHOSPHATES
NO CAUSTIC AMINES
NO AMMONIA
NO FUMES
The only one-component, non-toxic, powdered, immersion nickel strippers on the market
Post Edited (2015-06-17 11:27)
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Author: JHowell
Date: 2015-06-17 17:24
Why remove nickel plating? And I've never heard that about Moennig and nickel keys, and wonder how it could be so, considering how many professional clarinets WERE nickel plated during the last 20 years of his career.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-06-17 19:36
Nickel plate forms an excellent and molecularly smooth flat surface for silver plate to be applied to, so if you do choose to have the keys silver plated, then any plating company should be able to plate directly onto the nickel after some preparation.
As nickel is a very hard metal (but not as hard as chrome), it's usually only applied thinly although Leblanc did apply it very thickly to some of their instruments and that is very tough going on the various cutting tools used for fitting keys. But if nickel is applied very thinly it will wear through quickly as many have discovered on the throat G# key (among others) on some Buffets with nickel plated keys.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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