Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: What exactly is


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Posted by Daniel C. Oberloh on March 12, 2004 at 23:15:25:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: What exactly is posted by No... on March 12, 2004 at 11:48:54:

Yes, bright dip is chromic acid and it is used a great deal in the plate shops doing chrome work.

You are correct, silver, gold and also copper (for underplate or strik) are plated on items that need a heavy durable finish using cyanide based solutions which are prohibited by federal law for use in households blah blah blah. The level of cyanide content in the plating bath is not as high as some folks think but it is still not something to mess around with as it is CYANIDE! and it can kill you. Getting acid spilled into a tank of this stuff would take such carelessness and stupidity that it might not be a bad idea to remove such a person from the shallow end of the gen pool all together.

"How and how much?"

I myself use a number of different cleaning processes on instruments depending on the type of finish and how dirty the horn is. Exo-clean, muriatic acid and water solution, deox, etc. Chromic is only employed in my shop for bright dipping raw brass parts being overhauled and only now and then when it has to be done. Chem-cleaning costs starts at about a C note for a simple three piston valve Eb in lacquer with no surprises. H2O corks , springs, felts, valve guides, etc. add a little more. Rotary horns with more valves; port alignments, new bumpers on the stop plates, tighten linkage, etc. can get you up to as much as $300. Silver horns require more work then lacquer and that takes more time and that adds to the cost (satin or bright?), around $380 (give or take). How big is the horn? 3/4,4/4,5/4,6/4?

Hmm...... lets see.....four pistons w/5th rotor, 6/4, bright silver, really dirty, smells and will need custom-made felts for the top caps to replace the old rubber "O" rings that are a mess and replacements are not available. Oh yeah... forgot the stuck slides. On a "high end" instrument, you can spend as much a six bills (in Seattle) just getting it cleaned up and looking and functioning its best. I am sure there are those of you still wondering why so much? Let me put it like this, To Chem-clean a typical Mirafone tuba takes the better part of a work day to do it right. Shop rates run from as low as $40 an hour for the guy working out of his basement and more for the store front commercial shop. A 186-4U needing all the stuff mentioned is going to take a while in order to have a good final product. I have been repairing instruments for a long time and I still cannot get this type of job completed in just a couple of hours no mater how hard I try.

Ask a Tech that has chem-cleaned and color buffed an $18000, silver plated tuba if they will do it for a "C" note and you might get your butt kicked as soon as they are finished laughing at you. ; )

Sorry if this is a bit wordy. I am wrapping up a bunch of trumpet overhauls and I am spraying lacquer tonight. Smells like.....$.


Daniel C. Oberloh
Oberloh Woodwind and Brass Works
www.oberloh.com


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