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Nickel silver mouthpieces?
Posted: Tue May 07, 2024 2:52 am
by Doldom
I have a sudden curiosity that,
Is there any nickel silver mouthpieces?
I know nickel silver is much harder metal than regular brass so it's much harder to forge, but
There are already some makers that deal with stainless steel, even titanium.
I'm very curious what it will feel and sound like if a mouthpiece is made of nickel silver.
Re: Nickel silver mouthpieces?
Posted: Tue May 07, 2024 6:43 am
by muschem
AR Resonance can make tops and/or backbones out of nickel. I haven’t played a nickel top yet, but the nickel backbones give a very fast, clear response. The difference is similar if you’ve ever compared brass vs nickel in other components - leadpipes, slide tubes/crooks, etc.
Re: Nickel silver mouthpieces?
Posted: Tue May 07, 2024 9:17 am
by JohnL
Some densities, just for reference...
Nickel Silver: 8.70 g/cm3
Yellow (70-30) Brass: 8.58 gm/cm³
Gold (85-15) Brass: 8.73 gm/cm³
Red (90-10) Brass: 8.80 gm/cm³
Sterling (7.5% Copper) SIlver: 10.36 gm/cm³
Re: Nickel silver mouthpieces?
Posted: Tue May 07, 2024 11:40 am
by BGuttman
We really need harnesses as well. Steel isn't dense but it is hard and thus has lots of overtones.
Re: Nickel silver mouthpieces?
Posted: Tue May 07, 2024 12:56 pm
by JohnL
BGuttman wrote: ↑Tue May 07, 2024 11:40 am
We really need harnesses as well. Steel isn't dense but it is hard and thus has lots of overtones.
The hardness of any given alloy can vary quite a bit depending of the manufacturing process (I would think that mouthpieces would be turned out of annealed stock, but that's just a guess).
I'm wondering if modulus of elasticity might also be a factor.