Allergic to the nickel in my french horn mouth piece?

Question:If i play too much, i will get a sore on my lip. If i don't use chapstick my lips burn and feel itchy. My lesson teacher said i need a mouthpiece with a gold rim on it, however the one i am using right now has been discontinued, and i can't find it anywhere none the less with a gold rim.

I play on a Giardinelli c8, and i really like it. any idea where i could find a mouth piece with a gold rim, or somehow get a gold rim on the one i have?

thanks, Rachel

btw I can't put finger nail polish over my mouthpiece.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: If i play too much, i will get a sore on my lip. If i don't use chapstick my lips burn and feel itchy. My lesson teacher said i need a mouthpiece with a gold rim on it, however the one i am using right now has been discontinued, and i can't find it anywhere none the less with a gold rim.

I play on a Giardinelli c8, and i really like it. any idea where i could find a mouth piece with a gold rim, or somehow get a gold rim on the one i have?

thanks, Rachel

btw I can't put finger nail polish over my mouthpiece.

Get it plated in either silver or gold. I had a plain brass sackbut mouthpiece and had it done last year; it was quite reasonable (ca. $20) and plays even better than it did. Call your local repair shops to see if anyone offers this service.

http://instruments.search.ebay.com/giard...

Gotcha an answer....Check mouthpieceexpress.com...they stock brass instrument mouthpieces & if they don't have the metal available for what you need, then they also have a gold-plating service that will give you the protection from the nickel....Good Luck !

what aabout contacting a couple of music shops around ( taht sellhorns) to see if they know of some repair workshops in your area? ( I know in LA there are a couple of workshops and some private hornmakers who can gold-plate)
Another, perhaps more expensive option, is to take your mouthpiece to a goldsmith to get an estimate of a gold wash from him. I know this is the snail-mail option, actually getting out to do the legwork, but often enough it pays off. Not everything worth while can be found on the web....