Tootsall

Leigh, send me the pics and I'll put them into the photobucket account I created for the contest. Use my home email addy.

Ed

Hiwiller

Excellent, I'm looking forward to seeing the pics.

Thanks Leigh.

Robert Rowe

Here's my "2 cents worth" ....

I have an old J.W. Pepper cornet ... have had it a long time ... got it used, for a "carry around" practice horn (whilst in the construction business). It is nickel-plated. It always, always looks great -- and I almost never even wipe it.

I have a Conn Connstellation 38B; when I got it, it was almost perfect, except for bad lacquer, which I removed. Most of you know these horns are nickle-plated. I never re-lacquered, and it always, always looks great. I do, occasionally, wipe it with a soft T-shirt rag that I use to daub excess valve oil -- it is not what you would call an "oily rag" -- but the light oil in the rag wipes away any smudges and the like from the nickel.

I have two Buescher Super 400's; when I got them, they had bad lacquer, which I removed. I never re-lacquered. These horns have nickel-plated bells, and one has nickel-plated mouthpipe and the other has nickel-plated receiver and slide-receiving tubes. I do almost nothing, other than the wiping with the above-mentioned T-shirt rag. They always, always look great.

If you are familiar with Smith & Wesson revolvers; ... most of them are nickel-plated, and they look fine and almost never "wear-through". Nickel-plating is "industrial-strength".

If you're reluctant or hesitant about nickel-plating, don't be. If you have a horn with nickel parts and bad/poor lacquer (as those of mine mentioned above), try carefully removing lacquer just from the nickel-plated areas, and see how you like it. If you decide to go ahead and have a shop "re-do" the horn with some other plating or finish, you have saved yourself some money, because there will be less lacquer stripping to do. Also, this is an opportunity to be different. Some of you never want to be different, and prefer to go along with your horns looking like everyone else's -- that's OK, too. You probably drive a gray Honda, and toot on a model 37 Bach Strad. To those, I say, "have an ordinary day...." To the rest of you -- "Have a nice day!!"

Robert Rowe -- above average Hominid

Heavens2kadonka

All nickel-plated instruments I have dealt with were french horns, and I do realize that either the plating was very thin, or the quality of the plating was bad itself (One was an Adkison, though...).

Van

__________________
Stage 1 California Light
'94 Bach Strad 37
1900 Eb Cornet

LOUD Steve Patrick 10 1/2 C
LOUD LM93

Heavens2kadonka

Wonder if you would ever wanna nickel plate a nickel-silver horn?

Make it a bit more confusing for people like me...

Van

__________________
Stage 1 California Light
'94 Bach Strad 37
1900 Eb Cornet

LOUD Steve Patrick 10 1/2 C
LOUD LM93

nieuwguyski

Apparently the Atkinson horns are nickel-plated, but the Conn 8D, about half of the Holton line, and various Yamahas are solid nickel silver. I was wondering if you were seeing worn lacquer over nickel silver -- in which case the nickel silver tarnishes -- and thinking you were seeing worn nickel plate.

__________________
John N. Nieuwguyski

Heavens2kadonka

Y know, I think you're right on my mis-perceptions...

Thanks for the help straightening me out on the subject!

Van

__________________
Stage 1 California Light
'94 Bach Strad 37
1900 Eb Cornet

LOUD Steve Patrick 10 1/2 C
LOUD LM93