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I recently pulled my old flute out of storage and I'm wanting to sell it on eBay, only problem is I don't know if it's nickel or silver, on that it says on it, is Selmer 1206 with a serial number, If anyone can help me determine what kind it is before I post it up just for nickel let me know please and ASAP.

-tarah

Patrick
(1444 points)

HI
There is a pretty easy way, one way is to look at the headjoint and see if it is a different color toward the end that fits into the body, if it is a different color, it is silver plated..also, hold the body of the flute toward the top and tap a finger on the body, if you hear and feel a ringing, it is silver plated, if there is a dull thump, chances are it is silver, u

usually, a silver flute has a marking that it is silver...

Micron
(1365 points)

Hmm.

The question is ambiguous.
It could mean either of the following:

1. Is my ("nickel-silver" base metal) flute silver plated or is it nickel plated? has assumed this interpretation.

2. Is my flute "solid silver" (i.e. about 92.5% silver) or is it plating over a base metal of "nickel-silver"? (Note that nickel-silver is not nickel. indeed it is only about 20% nickel, and BTW contains no silver.)

Micron
(1365 points)

Patrick wrote

"There is a pretty easy way, one way is to look at the headjoint and see if it is a different color toward the end that fits into the body, if it is a different color, it is silver plated..."

Or it could be nickel plated. But this test does not always work, because some models are plated over the tenon as well. Off hand, I cannot remember which.

"... also, hold the body of the flute toward the top and tap a finger on the body, if you hear and feel a ringing, it is silver plated, if there is a dull thump, chances are it is silver..."

Perhaps a typo... This test works for the head but not for the body. As far as I know, the body of any flute makes a "thuck" sound, rather than ringing, when tapped, irrespective of material.

Another test, which needs some experience, is to heat part of the body over a flame. Silver is a far better conductor of heat than "nickel-silver", so the heat spreads through the metal far faster.

leighthesim
(233 points)

micron if you heat it up won't if effect the metal and the pads on the flute??

to be honest i would just research it on the internet or if it is a student model then chances are its silver/nickel plated

JOhnlovemusic
(399 points)

Sorry for the 'devil's advocate' but,

"Another test, which needs some experience, is to heat part of the body over a flame. Silver is a far better conductor of heat than "nickel-silver", so the heat spreads through the metal far faster"

If we heat it up what is considered fast and what is faster? I heated my brothers flute up this morning and it got hot fast but I don't know how fast,whether it was silver fast or just nickle-silver fast.

jose_luis
(1374 points)

Well,as micron clearly said, experience is needed. I wouldn't heat my flute for that test, I do not have enough experience and it would be a useless risk.

And I suppose that the owner could contact Selmer to find out...

I remember a test for metals that a jewel manufacturer I knew many years ago used to check if a piece was gold or some other metal (it cannot be used on flutes unless the cork is taken out, not much of a problem) but could be used fot the headjoint (without cork):

1.- the piece is carefully weighted with a precision scale (jewel makers do have those expensive things)
2.- the piece is completely immersed in water and the volume of water displaced is measured (you need a graduated container or (less reliable), a full container and the spilled water is carefully measured after immersion).
3.- the material density is computed as weight over volume and compared in tables with the candidate materials.

I am not sure whether sterling silver and nickel plated differ enough in density, they probably do.

If someone tries this method please post the results here.

<Added>

Obviously the test should not be performed on the body or foot, unless all the key/pads are taken out...

Micron
(1365 points)

"If we heat it up what is considered fast and what is faster? I heated my brothers flute up this morning and it got hot fast but I don't know how fast,whether it was silver fast or just nickle-silver fast."

I think you need experience,as I warned. On a non-silver flute body, if you heat either end there is a significant risk of melting the nearby soldering, unless you are experienced enough to know how much heat you can get away with with no risk of this happening.

"I heated my brothers flute up this morning and it got hot fast but I don't know how fast"

It is not a matter of how fast the flute heats. It is a matter of how quickly and evenly that heat spreads along the tube. With silver, it spreads a long way, evenly and quickly. That is why there is little chance of doing this with a SILVER flute.. not enough temperature to melt any soldering.

If you want to appreciate the difference, then try it with the tenon of a silver head and a non-silver head. any discolouration, and you know you are heating a lot more than is needed for the test.

suzie
(390 points)

Hmm... The 1206 model is a student model (closed hole, offset G, C foot, drawn + rolled toneholes) and came in both nickel and silver plated finishes (over brass/nickel-silver). An easy way to determine the difference between nickel and silver plating is that nickel is darker in color like a smoky-gray whereas the silver finish would be a lighter gray/silver much like any sort of silver jewelry. The 1206's are much better than the Bundy line and I think were made right around the time that they were just going to Selmer USA for the student line model (vs Bundy, 1206, etc.) although I may be slightly off by this however the previous info is correct. I sold a mint 1206 in 2004 to a beginner via eBay for $100 and I'd wager that they're selling for around $50-100 now although I haven't checked to confirm this but it seems to be the going rate. Good luck!

<Added>

ALSO-- For both Micron AND Patrick, I have the following info reg. body materials...

A few months back I had a Selmer Signet closed hole flute in sterling silver. The headjoint, body, and footjoint were all sterling. The flick/thud test was unnecessary on the headjoint (as it was obviously sterling as stamped) however I decided to flick the barrel and it made a ringing noise. The body was clearly stamped 'sterling' as was the footjoint, too, however the barrel had no markings. By flicking the barrel, a ringing noise was present which meant that Selmer's Signet series incorporated both plated brass/nickel-silver (or whatever!) as well as sterling for their body tubings although perhaps not ALL Signets were like this. Many sterling-bodied flutes have sterling barrels (try the flick/thud test if you wish) although I believe that some older ones did not to cut costs as the barrel is merely used to securely connect the headjoint to the body and doesn't impact the sound whatsoever (as far as I'm aware of anyhow).

On top of that, the 1206 is merely a student model flute made of either brass/NS and the sterling tests are quite unnecessary in this situation. Had it been a Gemeinhardt M2, per say, with a serial number starting with numbers vs a letter and numbers, the flick/thud test would've been beneficial as some had sterling (or solid silver) headjoints whereas some did not.

Hopefully that helped clear some things up.

shmuelyosef
(28 points)

Another way to check silver vs. nickel plate is to take a fresh rubber band and wrap it around some part of the flute...leave it overnite. If it is silver plate, the sulfur in the rubber band will cause it to rapidly tarnish, if nickel plate, it will be unchanged. The tarnish will polish right out with any mild silver cleaner (I use the Hagerty's products.

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