Klarinet Archive - Posting 000467.txt from 1997/06

From: Jrykorten@-----.com
Subj: Re: Freezing Clarinets! Yikes!
Date: Mon, 23 Jun 1997 23:44:30 -0400

To my understanding, placing a clarinet in a zip lock bag and then into a
freezer will result in a very very dry piece of wood if left for more than 3
months. Just try this with a piece of bread for proof.

You will have to come up with some way to gradually re-humidify the
instrument in a non stressful way in order to prevent cracking. (Like leaving
in the plastic bag outside of the freezer without opening it for as long as
it was in the freezer, then placing in normal room humidity for a month or
two longer?).

This worries me.

Jerry Korten
NYC

In a message dated 97-06-22 09:51:20 EDT, you write:

<< He advised placing each joint in "zip-loc" bags,
squeezing out as much air as possible and placing them in
the freezer. He told her that this would prevent
"pad-eating" fungus, mold, etc.

Currently, the old clarinet still is in "deep-freeze" and we
don't know if it's playable after the thaw.

I wonder if this same process would work for flutes.
Has anyone else heard of this, and/or have they tried it
with a flute they're not using anymore? Would the flute
still be playable after such storage?
>>