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Silver Cleaning

Author: TheGreekDon09
Date: 2010-11-25 06:18

Has anyone found a good process of really cleaning the silver plate keys?

My thoughts would be to remove the keys off the clarinet, clean them either by submerging them in silver cleaning solution or using silver polishing/cleaning wipes, letting everything dry, and put the keys back on.

Am I on the right track or is there a better way?

Please explain.

Thanks,
Basil

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Re: Silver Cleaning

Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2010-11-25 06:48

Talk to a jeweler. They probably have something safe they can sell you.

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Re: Silver Cleaning

Author: Chris J
Date: 2010-11-25 07:44

Depends how bad they are. If you are happy taking all the keys off, that would give you the best results, but you may have to be prepared to replace any corks or other silencing materials that get knocked off.

Hegarty silver cleaning solution seems to be a popular product to use. Certainly avoid anything abrasive (and many cream cleaners work in an abrasive way. Still avoid contact with the pads if you intend to keep them.

If you dip them, then of course you will need to be able to repad and recork the instrument.

Before reassembly with oil, make sure chemicals or abrasives are cleared from the mechanism. This is usually nothing more than using lighter fluid on a pipe cleaner for the rod tubes, and on a rag for the rods themselves.

Sometimes you do have to go the abrasive way. Example below was a Noblet artist that I finished a couple of weeks ago. In the "before" pictures you can see the wood is totally dry, and I dread to think what happened to the keys, but it looks like someone tried to scour the keys clean. Anyway, it was a mess. It needed buffing with a wool mop on a dremel and buffing compound.

But it was only really cosmetic, and a nice clarinet was lurking beneath the surface.

Chris

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Re: Silver Cleaning

Author: Ian White
Date: 2010-11-25 07:53

Unless the keys are in a really bad way a silver polishing cloth can cope with most keys. The only way to really get them clean is to take them off the instrument.

Post Edited (2010-11-25 07:55)

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Re: Silver Cleaning

Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-11-25 10:59

Another DIY tarnish removal technique is to submerge all the keys (with all pads/corks/felts and all steel springs and screws removed) in a pan of boiling water with a spoonful of sodium bicarbonate and scrunched up bits of aluminium foil - add a drop of washing up liquid to remove grease and oil.

Replace the aluminium foil with fresh bits when they turn brown/black until you can see the silver plating is clean (probably around 30 minutes or so), then rinse and dry them off and bring up to a shine with a good quality silver polishing cloth.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

Post Edited (2010-11-25 10:59)

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Re: Silver Cleaning

Author: BobD
Date: 2010-11-25 12:06

The best way is to take steps to prevent it in the first place using 3M anti tarnish strips. Every time you remove tarnish, regardless of how you do it, you are removing silver.

Bob Draznik

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Re: Silver Cleaning

Author: beejay
Date: 2010-11-27 12:35

Never could find those 3M anti-tarnish strips here in Paris, but one idea i I picked up from a Victorian book of household tips is to put a piece of pure camphor in the case. Not sure why it inhibits tarnishing, but it seems to work. And also ity makes the case smell nice.

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