Klarinet Archive - Posting 000149.txt from 1994/05

From: Clark W Fobes <reedman@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: mouthpiece specifications
Date: Fri, 6 May 1994 13:26:24 -0400

On Fri, 6 May 1994, Cary Karp wrote:

>
> A whopping part of my professional life has been devoted to the study and
> application of the tools and techniques of measuring musical instruments.
> I strongly doubt that the limits of your tools allow anything close to the
> accuracy that you claim, but my query wasn't intended as mathematical
> nitpicking. I'm genuinely curious about the way mouthpiece makers manage
> the metric aspect of their activities. Any chance of some nuts-and-bolts
> info?
>
would be interested in knowing what types of tools you use to
measure tolerances into the mm/1000 range. I doubtthat this small of an
increment would be that useful in my work.

Working within the range that I spoke of earlier is very
important to achieve considtent results for me as a maker. The nuance of
a variance of 1/100mm would not trouble you as a player, but it is higly
critical when working on the facing. I have four basic "curves" that I
use in my work and as the tip aperture opens the area below the tip of
approximately 9mm must also change.

The tip guage that I use is made for the J.J. Babbitt Co. in Elkhart
Indiana. This is part of the old Erick Brand system that most makers I
have met in this country still use. It is a metric system. In measuring
the curve we use a glass gauge, also available from Babbitt, that is
graduated in .5mm increments. However, the critical points of the facing
that I check are measured with feeler gauges that are graduated in 1000ths
of an inch.

There is a fairly good description of measuring and refacing
mouthpieces in "Band Instrument Repairing Manual" by Erick Brand
published by Selmer many years ago. You will find in this discussion
by EB that he only uses 4 guages to check the facing. These are critical
areas, but my method which I learned from someone else is to employ
16 gauges.

Again, I am very interested in knowing of any tools that you may
have for measuring that may be useful.

Clark W Fobes reedman@-----.com