The mouthpieces actually start off as really heavy brass rods before they go into the machine and then they’re turned; and a lot of the skill these days is programming machines to make these very exact mouthpieces.

When the mouthpiece comes off the machine, it’s already got what we call a mirrored finish; it’s a very high finish already. That’s because we use quite a long cycle time, it’s possible to run the machines quicker but you get a less good finish. The long cycle time creates a better quality of product, which is what we’re after, it’s always the quality we’re interested in.

From the machine, it’s polished by hand just to remove any lines or inconsistencies and this creates a really bright finish, and this allows us to plate on that; and two shots of the plate takes really well.