Klarinet Archive - Posting 000204.txt from 1994/01

From: Cary Karp <nrm-karp@-----.SE>
Subj: Re: dampits
Date: Thu, 27 Jan 1994 17:34:36 -0500

On Thu, 27 Jan 1994, Anne Vacca wrote:

> I wouldn't place the actual dampit inside the instrument. I would lay it
> alongside the clarinet. You wouldn't want the instrument to absorb too
> much moisture and then swell and crack. There isn't too much room
> for the air to circulate inside of the clarinet.
>
> I use sponges myself. They seem to work well. They are ALWAYS
> dry the next morning. Sometimes I use orange peels too.

Whether you put the dampit inside or outside the instrument isn't going to
make much of a difference. If you actually think that it could cause the
clarinet to crack you'd be very well advised not to use it at all.

A clarinet case won't be airtight unless someone has made a very deliberate
effort for it to be so. You might want to see how long it takes for the
sponge to dry out with the case completely open. Then rewet it (being
careful to use the same amount of water) and check how wet it still is
after the same time in a closed case. If it's well on its way to being
dry it probably isn't going to be providing the clarinet with any
protection, at all.

I'll double-check on the latest museum recommendations for moisture
buffers. Silica gel used to be the favorite, but even more efficient
materials have been developed. The question is if they can be used in
close proximity to a wind instrument (toxicity and all that).

   
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