Polishing a Nickle Silver bell Conn 88H

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nmittwer
Posts: 10
Joined: Aug 30, 2023

by nmittwer »

I traded a medium bore Eastman horn for a Conn 88H with what I'm told to be a Nickle Silver bell. It has a lot of tarnish and scratches and what not and I'm trying to see if there is any way I can get it to look better on my own before I take it to someone to look at it. I've already tried some metal polish compounds on it to absolutely no effect.
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tbonesullivan
Posts: 1959
Joined: Jul 02, 2019

by tbonesullivan »

Are you sure it's a Nickel Silver bell? Is it Conn 88h marked? I know they make a Sterling Silver bell, but I haven't heard of a Nickel Silver bell.

Are you sure it is not oxidized under a coating of lacquer? That would explain why polish is not really working.
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Ozzlefinch
Posts: 153
Joined: Jan 15, 2022

by Ozzlefinch »

If the horn is as nasty as you say, then I highly recommend taking it to a shop for a professional cleaning . Trying to remove decades of tarnish at home could irreparably damage the finish. A professional cleaning isn't as expensive as you might think. My local shop only charges $40 for a full dip and is worth every penny.
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hornbuilder
Posts: 1384
Joined: May 02, 2018

by hornbuilder »

$40???

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hornbuilder
Posts: 1384
Joined: May 02, 2018

by hornbuilder »

Conn did make nickel belled, Conn 88HN, for a short period.

Is the bell the same color as the tuning slide receiver tube and ferrule?
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Posaunus
Posts: 5018
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by Posaunus »

[quote="hornbuilder"]Conn did make nickel belled, Conn 88HN, for a short period.[/quote]

I had never heard of that.

Perhaps due to their success with the Connstellation 48H?
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JohnL
Posts: 2529
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by JohnL »

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brassmedic
Posts: 1447
Joined: Dec 14, 2018

by brassmedic »

[quote="Posaunus"]<QUOTE author="hornbuilder" post_id="220102" time="1694748833" user_id="3205">
Conn did make nickel belled, Conn 88HN, for a short period.[/quote]

I had never heard of that.

Perhaps due to their success with the Connstellation 48H?
</QUOTE>
48H is not a nickel silver bell. It is a brass bell with copper plating and heavy nickel plating on top of that.