Ellis Ebonite Pratten

[jemtheflute]

As the owner of several Rudall Carte flutes in Ebonite with silver mechanisms, I can't say that they tarnish especially badly, nor all that much faster than their cocuswood relatives. A bit quicker, maybe, but not off-puttingly so. Plenty of them out there!

[Geoffrey Ellis]

As the owner of several Rudall Carte flutes in Ebonite with silver mechanisms, I can't say that they tarnish especially badly, nor all that much faster than their cocuswood relatives. A bit quicker, maybe, but not off-puttingly so. Plenty of them out there!

This is very encouraging news! The problem with my being new to ebonite (only been using it for a couple of years) is that I honestly don't know how it will behave over time--at least not from first hand experience. A lot of my information to date has come from a customer who collects ebonite fountain pens and has some very old ones.

I wonder how much the newness of the ebonite plays into the tarnishing? It would be interesting to know if when it is "freshly cut" it has a stronger effect on silver that it does after it has aged a bit.

[Nanohedron]

Dang, Geoffrey - now you don't have a reason to get one of those badass laser cannons.

[Geoffrey Ellis]

Dang, Geoffrey - now you don't have a reason to get one of those badass laser cannons.

Dammit. I had planned to attach it to the head of one of my sharks....

[Nanohedron]

Oh, and by the way: Thanks for the 0000 steel wool tip for brightening up oxidized nickel silver. It's an option I hadn't considered, so now it's something new in my bag of tricks should I need it. While nickel silver has the virtue of being much more resilient than real silver, I do consider it to be a coarse metal, so using fine steel wool on it raises no difficulties for me.

I wish we had different terms in common use other than "nickel silver" or "German silver", its more dated name. It gives rise to mistaken impressions. Many years back I was on a tour of Glensheen (commonly known as the Congdon mansion) outside of Duluth, Minnesota. Stunning place, especially the interior. When we got to the scullery, the guide pointed out the large, deep sinks for washing dishes and pots, noting that they were made of German silver, as she put it. The lore (and misapprehension) was that this was a variety of actual silver, so as to be easier on fine porcelain (and, no doubt, another display of the Congdon family's considerable wealth). Unfortunately at the time I knew nothing of nickel/German silver, nor that it was not any kind of real silver in the slightest, so I too marveled at the prospect of such conspicuous consumption. I hope they've since corrected the error.

[jemtheflute]

Nickel-silver/GS/maillechort/alpaca/white bronze will clean up very nicely with brass wadding and/or a brass polishing cloth. No need for wire wool. Autosol metal polish is brilliant too.

[an seanduine]

One possibility not mentioned for corrosion resistant and tough shiny metals suitable for keywork and rings are the cobalt-chrome alloys used in casting dental bridgework. They are silver solderable and very tough: being employed in jet turbines.

Bob

[Nanohedron]

Nickel-silver/GS/maillechort/alpaca/white bronze will clean up very nicely with brass wadding and/or a brass polishing cloth. No need for wire wool. Autosol metal polish is brilliant too.

I tried brass polish, but no luck for me. The metal remained dull and stony-looking as ever, so I assumed it had reached some sort of point of no return. I wonder if I missed something in the process, then, because I've polished plenty of brass and copper in my day.

I'll have to keep an eye out for Autosol. Never heard of it until now!

[jemtheflute]

Autosol on eBay GB
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323824503724

Probably readily available in auto factors.

I don't generally use a conventional liquid brass polish such as Brasso, but the impregnated lint (by Brasso and other brands such as Harringtons) - also available in silver versions.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brasso

If you can get hold of them, the Japanese Koyo copper buffing cloths are excellent too.

[Nanohedron]

I don't generally use a conventional liquid brass polishing such as Brasso, but the impregnated lint (by Brasso and other brands such as Harringtons) - also available in silver versions.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brasso

If you can get hold of them, the Japanese Koyo copper buffing cloths are excellent too.

Brasso liquid's a standard in the States (it's what I have to hand, no surprise) but apparently the US product is different - which may, if it wasn't user error, account for its ineffectiveness on nickel silver - and I don't recall ever seeing the wadding version. Online shopping is called for (something I seldom do). From your link:

In the US, the current Brasso product is not the same as the legacy product. The manufacturer, Reckitt Benckiser, has not produced the impregnated wadding version of the product for many years. The formula changed in 2008 to comply with US volatile organic compounds law, and the metal bottle was replaced by a plastic one.

White bronze. I think I'll start calling it white bronze.

[p.ho.ho]

14k gold?

[cavefish]

well if ebonite plays a quicker tarnishing role , or not, silver itself needs polishing now and then just to keep that bright look, actually i enjoy a polishing now and then as to see results flourish, nothing like polished silver ( except gold), the ebonite flute is definetly getting my thoughts up ,

[cavefish]

I don't generally use a conventional liquid brass polishing such as Brasso, but the impregnated lint (by Brasso and other brands such as Harringtons) - also available in silver versions.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brasso

If you can get hold of them, the Japanese Koyo copper buffing cloths are excellent too.

Brasso liquid's a standard in the States (it's what I have to hand, no surprise) but apparently the US product is different - which may, if it wasn't user error, account for its ineffectiveness on nickel silver - and I don't recall ever seeing the wadding version. Online shopping is called for (something I seldom do). From your link:

In the US, the current Brasso product is not the same as the legacy product. The manufacturer, Reckitt Benckiser, has not produced the impregnated wadding version of the product for many years. The formula changed in 2008 to comply with US volatile organic compounds law, and the metal bottle was replaced by a plastic one.

honestly i think Brasso has changed it ingredients , i was a seaman years ago and it would shine the crap out of brass, now it seams to be less effective



White bronze. I think I'll start calling it white bronze.