Klarinet Archive - Posting 000121.txt from 1996/01

From: Fred <fsheim@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Gortex, Straubinger
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 1996 10:07:25 -0500

Are you saying that we could wrap our pads in the teflon tape to make them
waterproof and more durable? It sounds like a good idea. For my last overhaul
my repairman wrapped my pads in "Zephyr Skin", which looked like some sort of
paper-like material. It seems to be working well. Does anybody know where to
get "zephyr skin"? (No "from a zephyr" jokes please.)
Fred (fsheim@-----.com)

>"Gore-tex is the patented trade name for expanded polytetrafluoroethylene,
>or PTFE[3]. It is the
>same chemical as teflon, stretched at a high temperature to form a porous,
>air permeable material.
>Because of the small pore size, 0.1 micron, water and many organic solvents
>penetrate Gore-tex as
>a vapor but not as a liquid. Gore-tex is non-polar and chemically inert,
>with no known solvating
>agent. The source of its stability is the strong carbon-fluorine bond in the
>molecule which
>contributes to its excellent long-term aging characteristics."
>
> The clarinet pads are a standard Buffet goldbeater-skinned pad, with an
>extra wrapping of the goretex material.
>
>I tried for two days to come up with a visual comparison of the Gore-tex
>material. After finding the above info, I realized that it appeared
>identical to the teflon tape a plumber would use! I unwrapped a pad and
>compared it to the stuff in the garage tool chest, and it's a match (unless
>you look closely for the 1 micron holes. My eyes are not what they used to
>be). Most of the home handymen among us can probably picture a skin pad
>with this stuff stretched across the face, and glued in back. That's a
>Gore-tex pad.
>
>Dave
>
>you wrote:
>>Anybody?
>>
>>OK, I give up. I've been in this business for a while and haven't heard
>>of "Gortex pads." Who sells them, of what material are they made. Are
>>they installed in the same manner as a conventional pad.
>>
>>
>>Also a note about Straubinger pads: Where as I can see his (Dave's)
>>concern as to how the pads are installed, is it really necessary to have
>>expensive and extensive training in order to learn how to install a
>>specific kind of pad? Keep in mind, I have no idea how much Dave
>>Straubinger charges for this training, I'm only going on Klarinetwork
>>hearsay. Also please keep in mind that I think David is a fine
>>technician and I like the pads he has developed.
>>
>>
>>Steve.
>>Steve Prescott
>>Instrument Rep.Tech./Clarinetist
>>Indiana State University
>>mipresc@-----.edu
>>
>>
>
>