Sax keys wont plate

[dshook]

I just received a Plug N Plate nickel kit from Caswells with the intention of touching up finish wear (touchpoints) on my nickel plated tenor saxophone. The kit seems to work great on the actual body tube of the horn, but I can't for the life of me get any of the keywork to plate at all, the bare brass just sort of clouds over, and the clouding comes off with a light polish leaving me back where I started. As far as I know the entire horn and keys are made of brass, it certainly appears that way. I have been using the same prep procedure on both the keys and the body tube (1500-2000 grit sand to feather the edges of the existing plate, polish with flitz, wash with grease cutting dish detergent, rinse/wipe, brush plate). Are the keys a different metal composition or is it something to do with their smaller size..or....?

[lcaswell]

Are you sure they're not clearcoated? Test them with a multimeter to see if they're conductive.