Hoping to get some advice here… does anyone know where to have exact copies made for flute keys in Nickel Silver using the lost wax method? I understand this way reproduces exactly without any shrinkage of around 2-4% If anyone wants to write direct better still as this may take up some space on the board? oakleaves@gmx.net
Of course, all the rules of shrinkage and finishing apply here. They can give you advice about allowances for shrinkage AND finishing. If you’re looking to copy some detail in bas-relief, you’ll probably need oversized positives made.
Thanks for the reply WS need to wade through, but again Europe seems to be devoid of German Silver (Nickel Silver) workers?
You can contact CA Brown in Providence, RI USA (that link in my last post). You’re in Europe? Are you sure you want Nickel Silver? That alloy can polish to a glow that’s warmer than Sterling, and keep its shine longer. It tarnishes with a lot of verdigris. Nickel Silver is often used on production items, not on jewelry-grade items. It’s harder to work and probably harder to cast than Sterling, so I imagine few people wanting to mess with it. Years ago, Dad thought NS was the way to go, and spent good money having some keys cast in it. The alloy was the wrong color, the keys were brittle, they didn’t take to soldering, and there was little recourse on the custom job. It’s an alloy of Nickel, Copper and Zinc (NiCuZn) called by various names: Nickel Silver, German Silver, Nickel Alloy, White Brass, Maillechort. Maybe you can look it up under different names.
Yes in Germany and as this was originally known as German Silver they don’t want to handle it these days? Why NS because all of these old simple system flutes I have, used this most were forged, casting is the only way I’m going to restore the missing parts.
I’m guessing here, but a jeweler may not want to work in NS because he can’t charge enough for it (and defend his charges against the cost of the corresponding thing in Sterling). Another option is to have the keys fabricated from standard-shaped stock. You could commission a flutemaker to start with NS sheet and rod, cutting components and hard-soldering them together to build a key. Some people work with castings, but many small-time makers build keys this way from brass stock. You could ask anyone who makes flutes, bagpipes, oboes, clarinets, etc.; you could inquire at a large repair shop, at makers of modern instruments or their apprentices.
Walt is gonna have tthe horse’s mouth advice–anyone with 2 generations of fluthiery behind him is worth hearing on the subject ‘why X didn’t work’.
As for the name: it’s a mistake to assume that terms in language or culture X which credit - or blame - culture Y for an innovation are truthful. The classic example is a condom, known in english as a french letter, and in french as un capote anglais ( an english hat). Just because an alloy was known as german silver in english it does not neccessarily follow that it was well known or much used in aGermany.
However in this case the Western manufacturing process that lead to it being used in flutes was perfected or improved upon in Germany and introduced to the London makers from there, so the name German silver makes sense in this context.
It was also widely used on German manufactured flutes particularly later less expensive models. The same as in England.
Rudall Carte offered piccolos with sterling key work as well so it’s not too much of a stretch to use sterling for this application I would think?