Hi Guys ,
Two questions … if you had a choice between brass and nickel/sterling silver finish on you pipes, what would you go for?
And also if you had a choice between cane or bronze regulator reeds, which would give less trouble and sound better?
Regards,
Droner
This is really a matter of personal choice. Brass needs lots of maintenance if you want it to be bright and shiny. Nickel-silver or sterling silver would be almost as much work. But if you don’t care if your set stays bright and shiny, then go with whichever you like.
Cane reeds generally sound better but are more finicky about humidity. The phosphour-bronze reg reeds sound almost as good, and are much more reliable, until they quit, which they will do eventually, but are much more sudden when they die. If you don’t have problems with dry climate (e.g. 10-20 % RH) or wildly varying RH then you should be safe with cane reg reeds.
djm
One thing to consider with the finish is if you have any allergies to nickel plating. Here’s a URL w/more information: http://www.winter-branch.com/nickel-allergies.html
If your maker is a skilled/willing to experiment metalsmith,you could have the silver fittings rhodium plated. This would be expensive but long lasting and very bright. Laquers tend to nick and scratch leaving nasty tarnish blemishes where the protective coating is gone. Auto acryllic will work well, but has to be baked to set hard.
Marc