Klarinet Archive - Posting 000054.txt from 1996/07

From: Steve Fowler <sfowler@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: tight joints
Date: Wed, 3 Jul 1996 18:40:37 -0400

> Date: Tue, 2 Jul 1996 23:33:07 -0400 (EDT)
> From: George Lin <glin@-----.org>
> To: Steve Fowler <sfowler@-----.com>
> Subject: tight joints

> Hi Steve!
>
> I was wondering if you might be able to help me out on something. This
> happened last year and I am concerned that the repair technician might
> have done something improper. After one month, my brand new clarinet's
> barrel would not fit all the was to the upper joint. The repair
> technicain said that this is normal, and he could fix it by slicing away
> some wood in the inner barrel joint. I just read your post that you
> recommend putting the tenon on the lathe. (I guess this is the upper
> joint tenon) It works fine, but now my upper and lower joints f the
> clarinet are tight when I assemble it, so I am seeking help on this
> matter....
>
> Thanks. I enjoy reading the posts on the Klarinet newsgroup.
>
> George Lin (glin@-----.org)
>
>
George,

Your tech is correct that this does happen regularly. In theory, if
the wood was aged long enough, and the instrument never left the
climatic conditions under which it was built, it wouldn't happen.
However, we live in a real world.

The decision as to whether you remove wood from the barrel or the
tenon is a judgement call. I've done it both ways. My criteria are: 1)
How does another barrel fit the tenon? 2) How does the barrel fit
another clarinet? Just by checking these things out, we know whether
the problem is the barrel or the joint. What you want is to make
things right. If your clarinet bell is not fitting properly now, try
another one. If that fits, have some material removed from the bell. I
still contend that this should be done on a lathe. I have scraped
sockets freehand, but I much prefer the job that a lathe does. Another
thing to look for is whether the socket is tight only when pushed
together all the way. This might suggest that the problem is with the
wood between the cork slot of the tenon and the body. Frequently just
taking a little off of that wood solves the problem.

It sounds like your tech is doing just fine.

Good luck, and feel free to ask me anything you're curious about. If I
don't know the answer, you'll be the second to know.

later,

Steve
Steve Fowler (sfowler@-----.com)