Ellis Ebonite Pratten
- jemtheflute
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Re: Ellis Ebonite Pratten
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!
I respect people's privilege to hold their beliefs, whatever those may be (within reason), but respect the beliefs themselves? You gotta be kidding!
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My YouTube channel
My FB photo albums
Low Bb flute: 2 reels (audio)
Flute & Music Resources - helpsheet downloads
- Geoffrey Ellis
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Re: Ellis Ebonite Pratten
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.jemtheflute wrote: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!
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
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Re: Ellis Ebonite Pratten
Dang, Geoffrey - now you don't have a reason to get one of those badass laser cannons.
"If you take music out of this world, you will have nothing but a ball of fire." - Balochi musician
- Geoffrey Ellis
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Re: Ellis Ebonite Pratten
Dammit. I had planned to attach it to the head of one of my sharks....Nanohedron wrote:Dang, Geoffrey - now you don't have a reason to get one of those badass laser cannons.
- Nanohedron
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Oh, yeah: also a mod here, not a spammer. A matter of opinion, perhaps. - Location: Lefse country
Re: Ellis Ebonite Pratten
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.
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.
"If you take music out of this world, you will have nothing but a ball of fire." - Balochi musician
- jemtheflute
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Re: Ellis Ebonite Pratten
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.
Last edited by jemtheflute on Mon Sep 09, 2019 2:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.
I respect people's privilege to hold their beliefs, whatever those may be (within reason), but respect the beliefs themselves? You gotta be kidding!
My YouTube channel
My FB photo albums
Low Bb flute: 2 reels (audio)
Flute & Music Resources - helpsheet downloads
My YouTube channel
My FB photo albums
Low Bb flute: 2 reels (audio)
Flute & Music Resources - helpsheet downloads
- an seanduine
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Re: Ellis Ebonite Pratten
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
Bob
Not everything you can count, counts. And not everything that counts, can be counted
The Expert's Mind has few possibilities.
The Beginner's mind has endless possibilities.
Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi
The Expert's Mind has few possibilities.
The Beginner's mind has endless possibilities.
Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi
- Nanohedron
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Oh, yeah: also a mod here, not a spammer. A matter of opinion, perhaps. - Location: Lefse country
Re: Ellis Ebonite Pratten
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.jemtheflute wrote: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'll have to keep an eye out for Autosol. Never heard of it until now!
"If you take music out of this world, you will have nothing but a ball of fire." - Balochi musician
- jemtheflute
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Re: Ellis Ebonite Pratten
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.
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.
Last edited by jemtheflute on Tue Sep 10, 2019 1:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
I respect people's privilege to hold their beliefs, whatever those may be (within reason), but respect the beliefs themselves? You gotta be kidding!
My YouTube channel
My FB photo albums
Low Bb flute: 2 reels (audio)
Flute & Music Resources - helpsheet downloads
My YouTube channel
My FB photo albums
Low Bb flute: 2 reels (audio)
Flute & Music Resources - helpsheet downloads
- Nanohedron
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Oh, yeah: also a mod here, not a spammer. A matter of opinion, perhaps. - Location: Lefse country
Re: Ellis Ebonite Pratten
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:jemtheflute wrote: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.
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.
"If you take music out of this world, you will have nothing but a ball of fire." - Balochi musician
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- Tell us something.: A Hongkonger, begin the pratten Irish flute in 2018 March.
before that I play basketmaker/anasazi rim-blown flute and Native American style flutes.
I also play a instruments call array mbira(4 octave).
and I have 11 singing bowls.
Ellis Flutes:
keyless pratten Irish Flute
-Candy2 special Ebonite, 5 piece and extra un-slide headjoint
-resin stabilized dyed maple 2 piece
essential Flutes c, d, eb
basketmaker Flutes f#, g, ab, bb
mojave6
bansuri b, g
xiao
shakuhachi
carbony:
high d quite whistle
low c whistle
nasf by ken light, John stillwell
Re: Ellis Ebonite Pratten
14k gold?
- cavefish
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Re: Ellis Ebonite Pratten
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 ,
Choose you this day, whom ye shall serve
- cavefish
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Re: Ellis Ebonite Pratten
Nanohedron wrote: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:jemtheflute wrote: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.
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 effectiveIn 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.
Choose you this day, whom ye shall serve