I just received the new Ferrees Tools catalog today and I came across and thought of an interesting question. Although an interesting alternative to cork assemblies, and seemingly longer lasting, the PowerTone flute plugs are a little more pricey vs cork-- replacement cork= $1 from http://musicmedic.com whereas the o-ring and plastic setup (with threaded top) retails for $12.50 + ship. My question, today, is this: if rubber corrodes plating then why sell products that will eat away at the interior of the headjoint? I was looking into o-rings and I understand that there are different material combinations for o-rings however the one in the Ferrees catalog states that it's rubber. Also, does rubber eat away at all platings or just silver plating? Danke! -Suzie
Good question. I put one of those O-rings with the rubber rings on it in a student silver plated headjoint about a year ago and so far no corroding of any kind. I didn't even think aboutthat. Interesting....
Note that "rubber" (at least in Spanish) is a general name for a wide range of materials.
It can have latex as the basic component, combined with many other products or it can be fully synthetic, long lasting materials that resemble natural rubber in some aspects but have a much superior performance (stability, neutrality towards other materials such as plating, and other physical parameters).
I can suppose that they have chosen the right material for those O rings. (yeah, I am optimistic today)
searching...
