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Copper and Mouthpieces


Blaringbrass

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I assume you're thinking of something like "brass poisoning." Well, there's no such thing. What we call "brass poisoning" is simply an allergic reaction to brass. If you are allergic to copper, then this mouthpiece will give you a rash. If you aren't, then just don't swallow the mouthpiece. But if you do swallow the mouthpiece, there's some info on copper poisoning here

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If you do swallow a mouthpiece, don't read that. Just let us know so we can nominate you for a Darwin award, because obviously you are a burden on the gene pool. :P

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If you do swallow a mouthpiece, don't read that. Just let us know so we can nominate you for a Darwin award, because obviously you are a burden on the gene pool

Common now im not a tuba player....J/K :P

But yeah after 2 hours of being hooked up, there was about 2 table spoons of copper mush on the mpc and none really stuck to the mouthpiece, although it did make it look like it was about 300 years old and after running it under the faucet all that came off too. Maybe it was the plating that didnt work with the copper....

KT

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I can't say I've ever heard of a copper-plated mouthpiece. Not sure if it will stick to silver.

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A lot of mouthpieces have a strike coat of copper under the silver and over the raw brass. The copper strike improves plating adhesion and protects against corrosion from subsequent plating. I've never heard of anyone trying to copper plate a mouthpiece. Why would you want that?

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I just pretty much did it out of lack of boredom for no particular reason, i havent even used my old 7c mouthpiece since like the 6th grade. It didnt turn out that well anyway. I was plating it using a vinegar/salt bath, a lantern battery, 4 1x4 strips of copper sheet, speaker wire, and a mouthpiece. I just hooked up the 1 piece of wire to the battery and the other to the mouthpiece using an alligator clip. The other piece of wire to the other contact of the battery and then put it through the holes in the copper sheets. i placed both pieces into the vingar and salt bath making sure they wouldnt touch. As a result of the now flowing current through the solution the copper is oxidized and the now oxidized ions go throw the solution to the mouthpiece where they are reduced forming a plate on the mouthpiece. I did this to some old house keys and it worked like butta.

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I'm no metallurgist, but I don't believe you could do it anyway. Why would you copper plate a mouthpiece anyway? An excellent conductor, copper would merely make your mouthpiece warmer or colder, depending upon which climate condition you were playing under.

As far as I know, the most common platings would be silver, gold, nickel. Any others?

But mouthpieces are commonly plated with gold right over the silver, there's no problems with "sticking" to the silver plate.

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