Author: BartHx
Date: 2014-02-09 19:28
I wipe down my keys after use to keep them clean, but I do not polish a key without taking it off the instrument. I hate the look of having polishing compound build up in the tiny spaces you can't otherwise get to. I use MAAS Metal Polish (available on line) and a microfiber cloth to polish keys by hand. It works well on any metal used in keys. Before putting the key back on the instrument, I use a pipe cleaner to be sure the pivots are clean. I have a polishing wheel, but I only use it on keys that are REALLY bad. As mentioned above, it can create excessive wear, bend keys, and can be dangerous to use on small parts. On top of that, a polishing wheel cannot reach some of the tight corners on a key.
In general, while two or more metals can be used to make an alloy, they will not react chemically with each other (eg. to produce tarnish) because metals tend to have positive valences. Without getting into a lecture on bonding, you need an element with a positive valence to combine with an element with a negative valence. In the case of silver clarinet keys the problem is sulfur. Do not keep rubber bands or any significant amount of rubber in your case since most rubber tends to outgas sulfur. Some people have more sulfur in their skin than others. They will tend to tarnish their keys faster, but wiping keys down after use will slow that down.
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The Clarinet BBoard
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