I saw a nickel-silver Copeland whistle. The whistle has no dent, nick and play well except a small area of the nickel sliver tube has finish flaw that probably was polished by previous owner. Can this whistle tube be re-coating? How expensive to coating the tube with nickel silver?
Thanks!
Assuming the whistle is made, as the name suggests, from solid nickel silver (i.e.not plated like the nickel tubes used by Generation, Feadóg or Oak) any coating is probably a simple liquid (varnish like) coating as used by jewelers or clockmakers. . Neither expensive nor hard to apply.
Thank for the help!
If it is solid nickel silver, should we re-finish the surface instead of coating?
That depends, where exactly on the whistle are scratches located?
Pictures of the actual damage would be helpful.
Yes, it’s important to establish what the problem is. I am a bit dubious about any coating at all although some people (makers) do use it. The nickle silver used on my pipes does tarnish but it cleans well and I can’t really imagine it getting damaged by over-polishing (other that just slowly wearing it away, no discoloration or anything though).
How do I attach a picture on the post.
Thanks!
I have an older Copeland high D in nickel silver. No serial number. It is silver plated.
If this is the case with yours, you might consider replating, which can be done at
a modest cost.
Bob
Directions for posting images are here: https://forums.chiffandfipple.com/t/guide-to-posting-images/22873/1
You have to post the photo on a hosting service. Photobucket works for me. Then you just copy the address of that photo into an IMG tag in your post.
I thought the Copeland was made from solid nickel silver - no coating or platng. Mine have not tarnished or show any wear. There are some silver Copelands out there too and they do tarnish as silver will.
Feadoggie
Before Michael started numbering them he offered the plated nickel-silver.
I have owned two of them.
Bob
Well, that would explain the wear then.
Thanks for that. Would they be plated brass then?
The tenon is unplated, and is some class of white brass. When Mickey Zeckley,
of “Shark in the AM” fame was carrying them, they were described as nickel
silver with silver plating. Need I add that Michael’s venture, or adventure’
with Mickey, was short lived. . .
Bob
Yes, nickel plated brass I believe; I have one and you can just barely see the brass underneath in a few spots on the tuning slide where the plating has worn through the tiniest bit from sizing. Of course Michael is the authority and would know for certain.
Re-plating a musical instrument is not such a great idea, IMO. It can affect tuning, how the instrument plays, and the fit of the tuning slide. All could be readjusted, but it doesn’t make much practical sense, unless the original maker is involved.
Scratches on the tuning slide are normal and should be left alone. Scratches elsewhere, if they really bother you, should be buffed out by someone proficient and experienced with musical instruments. I’d contact Michael Copeland first, if you are determined to have any scratches buffed out.
Thanks. You learn something new every day. I’ve had older Philadelphia brass whistles but my nickel Copelands are later models.
As for the OP’s question about re-plating, yes, talk to Copeland. But if it is not affecting the playability of the whistle I would personally not bother with it. If it looks like more plating could flake off maybe a little clear nail polish will stabilize things and keep it from expanding.
Feadoggie
Thanks for everybody’s help.
I got the whistle for a while but have no time to post until now. It is a surface flaw, it is not like polishing caused flaw. It looks like some liquid caused flaw. Fortunately, it is very, very shallow.
This is a C whistle, but I could not find the C mark on the whistle. Is it typical no Key (C, D, Eb, etc.) marking on Copeland whistle?
The sound of the whistle is great.
According to this, (set the wayback machine to 1999 Sherman…)
http://web.archive.org/web/19991109075617/http://www.copelandwoodwinds.com/instrument.asp
Copeland whistles were brass or nickel silver.
No plating involved. He did make silver whistles as well.
Does anyone know if they were coin silver or sterling?
Fascinating. . .Say, Sherman, can you go back to 1990? No? Hmmm. . .
Bob
He made whistles in sterling silver. I have a low D example. I don’t know if he made them in coin silver - what is that, anyway? (I’ll Google.)
Well, I’ve looked up “coin silver” … and I’m none the wiser. In the UK, it seems like the silver used for coins was, and is, the same as sterling silver, which is 92.5% silver, or so I read. In the US, the silver content of coins was 90%, the rest being copper, unlike with sterling silver, which contains several different metals but that higher silver content.
Right! Or even a little earlier.
If you read my inquiries and the responses to them earlier in the thread you will see that there were in fact early examples which were plated. The problem with the way-back machine, helpful as it mat be, is that it goes back to a single point in time. And things can change over time. I had not known of the plated whistles but you can’t really argue with the actual examples other posters here have in hand.
Doesn’t the term “coin silver” actually come from the practice of melting down silver coins to make jewelry and such? The alloy composition would be dependent on the coins used. Wouldn’t it? But as I understand it, the alloy became standardized at a silver content just a tad less than that of sterling silver. Not a big difference in the end. I wouldn’t sweat the difference. But it is in no way anything like nickel silver.
Feadoggie