17/02/2026
Back to the woodwinds today with the results of an experiment!
Germany uses two fi*****ng systems for clarinets: the Boehm system familiar to most players around the world, and also its own German system. The two systems are similar, but have some significant differences.
Dr. Reese has a clarinet student who plays a German clarinet, so he found a solid old Püstaphon clarinet made by Hans Kreul to use for these lessons. Interestingly, thus instrument works well with standard reeds, which a lot of German clarinets do not.
Of course, this 1960s-era instrument needed a full repad and overhaul. While the instrument was apart, we polished the keys, and while they shined up really well, we know that after a while nickel silver tends to dull and lose its shine.
So, we experimented a bit by electroplating the keys. First, we tried chrome plating on a key or two, and while the blue-silver look was interesting, it didn't look quite right. Then Samuel suggested we try copper, for a really different look.
The keys plated very nicely, and it looked great- but it began to tarnish almost immediately.
The copper looked so striking, though, that we wanted to gave it a another try. We cleaned off the tarnish, re-plated some spots, and then used a bit of brushed lacquer to seal the copper and keep it from tarnishing. That worked, so Dr. Reese put it back together and finished the repad. He uses the instrument for his lessons, and it works great!
What do you think of this experiment? What would you like us to try next?
