I was catching up on reading the latest on the Bass Sax Co-op this AM and I came across a really interesting link that Paul Coats provided to CyberSax. I hadn’t been to Bear’s site for quite some time, and I don’t think that I had ever seen the page on bell washes and fine silver plate.
As the owner of a number of silver plated, vintage saxophones with gold wash bells, I found the article rather interesting. My Buescher bass, Martin Handcraft tenor, Conn C melody, Martin C melody, Pan American curved soprano, and Pierret are all silver plated. And all, with the exception of the French-made Pierret, have gold washed bells.
Even before I lost a great deal of my fine motor skills due to a mysterious neurological condition in Nov. ’06, I was not really keen on polishing my silver horns. When they came back restored from the tech’s shop, I immediately put Hagerty silver strips in the cases. I replace those every year or 2, depending on how often the cases get opened.
These strips take care of the airborne sulphur that causes the tarnishing of the silver. I do have Hagerty silver polishing clothes, gloves, and spray, but can honestly say that I haven’t used them in more than 4 years. The strips seem to do the job quiet well on their own. My horns do not look as shiny as they did when they came from the shop…No doubt about it, but then they’re being used by a working musician, so for me, that’s not really an issue. I figure when they go for their next overhaul, they will get polished again.
If you have silver plated horns that are tarnished, be very careful. If you want to polish them, do your homework. There is a lot of mis-information out there. There are certain products you should never use on silver: things like Brasso. Research the topic well before you do anything to your horn!
The other thing that is important to know is that newer silver plated saxophones do not have the same amount of plating on them that the vintage ones had. Older horns could withstand mistreatment of their finishes better. So with a newer horn, you have not have as many chances to screw up. 😉
The Bass Sax Co-op recently had an extensive discussion on the topic, with expert repair techs offering up their years of advice. You need to join the Co-op to read the threads, so if you’re not a member yet, just apply through the homepage.
