 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: asxaasal
Date: 2015-03-15 05:30
Attachment: tarnish.jpg (733k)
Attachment: tarnish 2.jpg (805k)
Attachment: tarnish 3.jpg (799k)
So for Christmas, my parents very generously purchased a bass clarinet for me. It's brand new, and it's basically a beginner/intermediate instrument. The issue is, I've been using it for 3 months now and I've started to notice tarnish(?) forming on some of the keys. These keys, I'm pretty sure, are nickel-plated. I have been looking around online for some guidance on what to do to remove this tarnish from the keys. But the only help I have found is for silver-plated keys. Of course, I have tried silver tarnish remover, which did not work. Any other methods of removing tarnish from nickel that I found would more or less hurt the instrument/pads if I were to try the method. Does anybody have any advice on how to remove this? It would be great if I were able to keep my keys looking nice and pretty. I asked one of my band directors, but she said she wasn't sure and would do research. That was a week ago and it's steadily getting worse. Any help would be appreciated... thank you.
I have attached a picture.
Also, I'm aware that this is probably due from the sweat and oils on my fingers.
Post Edited (2015-03-15 05:39)
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Author: efsf081
Date: 2015-03-15 06:15
Maybe some metal polish will help. I use "autosol". It should work on nickel-plated key.
Just my personal experience.
Post Edited (2015-03-15 12:08)
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Author: BartHx
Date: 2015-03-15 06:51
I use MAAS metal polish. You can find it on line. Once the keys are shiny again, use a micro fiber cloth to wipe them down every time you quit playing. Take the time to take care of your instrument every time you play it and it will pay you back in greater reliability.
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2015-03-15 17:48
Be careful if you use polishes. They can get in the mechanisms. Instead I would use a "Sunshine Cloth". An internet search should give you lots of sources to purchase it.
Steve Ocone
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2015-03-15 18:25
That dosen't look like tarnish. That's plating wear. Tarnish usually appears as white cloudiness while plating were occurs specifically on the touch-pieces. There is unfortunately no way to get rid of plating wear without disassembling the keys and having them replated. Polishing the keys will only make the problem worse as you will be removing more metal. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: asxaasal
Date: 2015-03-15 19:21
Hm... I'm not sure what to do here. I've been told to use a polish and not to use a polish.
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Author: GeorgeL ★2017
Date: 2015-03-15 20:43
If it is plating wear, [on a 3 month old instrument?], prepare for it to look a lot worse with time. If it is tarnish and polishing could provide instant gratification and long term damage, perhaps you should forget polishing the clarinet until you are ready to sell it. Even if the bass clarinet looks terrible, if it plays well enough for you to decide if you like playing bass clarinet, it has served its purpose.
What is the make/model of your bass clarinet? Many members of this board may be able to tell you if what you are seeing is typical for your instrument.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2015-03-15 20:50
It's not plating wear. It's just sweat that somehow oxydised. It looks like the discolourations on a motorbike exhaust pipe (ie all rainbow colours). I see this quite often on nickel plate. Some platings are more prone to surface oxidation than others, some skins are happier to leave discolouring traces than others.
Use polishing cotton/wool like Nev'r Dull or Brasso. Wipe after polishing. Keep a microfiber cloth ready for after-performance wipe-down.
(the bass looks like my Jupiter except that mine is silver-plated (which is always a plus). It's a nice honker that can deliver a lot of ooomph if needed)
--
Ben
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Author: asxaasal
Date: 2015-03-15 22:07
The clarinet, I believe, is a Selmer 1430 LP. It's a student model. So a polishing cloth would probably be my best bet? What you're describing, the rainbow-like colors, is somewhat what I am experiencing with this instrument.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2015-03-15 23:56
This:  (or Brasso which is essentially the same)
--
Ben
Post Edited (2015-03-15 23:57)
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Author: cearnsh
Date: 2015-03-16 16:21
It is a very thin layer of corrosion due to sweat and oils from your fingers. And of course, corrosion is plating wear. If you use a metal polish to remove it then you are contributing further to plating wear.
As other people have suggested, I would also recommend that you simply wipe the keys after use with a clean dry cloth (microfiber cloths work really well). This will help minimise, but not fully prevent, the corrosion. If you really do want to restore the original bright look, then a metal polish like 'Autosol' (typically sold for polishing chrome) - used very sparingly - will work well. Be sure not to get it on the pads or in the mechanism, and don't use it too often.
Whatever you do, don't ever use a polish intended for silver on nickel plating. These can etch into the nickel surface and permanently damage the plating.
Chris
Chris
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