Replating a Mouthpiece?

[vint70]

I have a vintage STM were most of the origanal plating is worn off, down to naked brass in several spots. Maybe considering getting it replated. Does anyone have any opinions about this- is it a bad idea like relacquering a horn and would it change the response and tone of the piece? Also is there any truth to the rumors that unplated brass can be toxic or harmful?

[wersax]

There are some threads on replating mouthpieces and there are different opinions on this subject. Certainly some people are allergic to brass and would need to replate. Other than that I wouldn't bother.

[king koeller]

If it's bare brass, the best thing you could do is to call Anderson Silver Plate in Iowa, for a Price quote.Once it's silver plated, the mouthpiece will play just as great if not greater,
it will be sealed against oxidation,and brass poisoning, and if you feel like it,
get the Gold Plate layered over the Silverplate..
If your going to have it refaced or just adjusted, do it before the plating.

[whaler]

I had an old Dukoff re-plated and it screwed it up. I've heard that the oxidation is what protects you against "brass poisoning". Instead of ruining a good mouthpiece again, I'll take my chances with "brass poisoning". If you decide to do it, go for the gold, silver mouthpieces tarnish easily (oxidize).

[Ari]

Brass = copper, tin and zinc

but sometimes its made with a tiny bit of heavy metals like lead etc.

Lead and cadmium are bad for you.

Brass wont poison you - but it has to be clean - food grade - brass

[MM]

Gold diffuses rather quickly into copper, and probably similarly into brass. (Can anyone confirm this?) That's why the contacts in good electrical connectors are copper plated first with nickel then with gold. The nickel acts as a diffusion barrier. It would be a good idea to have a brass mouthpiece plated in the same way.

[MojoBari]

Modern Links are plated with a flash of copper (that means thin), silver, gold.

[vint70]

Thanks for all the info everyone. My Link is an "early Babitt" so I'm guessing it to be from the mid 70's. I have no idea if they included any lead in their brass recipe from that era or not. Stainless steel I'd assume is probably the safest material to make a metal mouthpiece with, and because it's so hard hard it should hold a facing over time much better than brass. But I find it just doesn't have that nice "ring" to it and seems to play kind of dead and not very warm or resonant.

[MojoBari]

Have you tried a Doc Tenney or other hand-finished SS Berg? Any material can ring with a good facing.

[David Spiegelthal]

I replate all bare brass in silverplate when I reface.