Saxophone Forum


by odedtzur
(19 posts)
19 years ago

care of instrument: silver plated 1957 mark vi

i am a happy owner of an amazing 74xxx silver plated vi. the previous owner of this horn was crazy with keeping it clean, and all people who see the sax today are sure i bought a new super 80 (because it looks amazingly new). i intend to keep it the same, however i'm not sure about which cloth to use and how often. first of all, i think some of the equipment they sell for this tends to scrach the surface of the silver plating, and second i'm afraid if i clean it every few days it will eventually make the 48-year-old silver disappear. than again, they say if you leave it dirty it affects it as well. what to do?

Reply To Post [Report Abuse]

Report Abuse

Replies

  1. by chiamac
    (586 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: care of instrument: silver plated 1957 mark vi

    anti tarnish strips, and put some wax over the silver to seal it.

    Reply To Post Yahoo! AIM


  2. by jamterry
    (573 posts)

    19 years ago

    Re: care of instrument: silver plated 1957 mark vi

    If you have time between cleanings, try to play the horn. My mom used to to clean the silver with an abrasive cream, but that was pure silver. Be careful of the silver cleaners because they will wear the plating off. I personally worry more about how my horns play. Just wipe it off with a plain polishing cloth. Best of luck to you :)

    Reply To Post Yahoo! AIM ICQ


    1. by johnsonfromwisconsin
      (767 posts)

      19 years ago

      Re: care of instrument: silver plated 1957 mark vi

      Good advise. Anti-tarnish strips should be your first line of defense. Gently wipe down the silver once in awhile after use and make sure your hands are clean and free of anything foriegn. When it comes time to do a dissasembly and thorough cleaning, use Haggerty's Silversmith products. Some other products like Flitz work well to take off heavy been-in-the-basement-for-40-years tarnish and crud, but are more abrasive and don't leave as smooth (and shiney) surface as far as I can tell, so be carefull with these. Silver can tarnish at different rates due to the presense of reactive agents it is exposed to. The presense of these agents will vary by geography a lot of the time. Sulphur is one of the most notable of these agents.

      Reply To Post