Klarinet Archive - Posting 000912.txt from 1997/07

From: Roger Shilcock <roger.shilcock@-----.uk>
Subj: Re: Float Test
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 15:17:33 -0400

On Wed, 30 Jul 1997 deerich@-----.net wrote:

> Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 08:35:14 -0500
> From: deerich@-----.net
> To: klarinet@-----.us
> Subject: Re: Float Test
>
> pharmacy wrote:
> >
> > I'm looking at a clarinet to purchase for my daughter. It's been in
> > storage for several years, and the person selling it doesn't know if
> > it's wood or plastic. A friend of mine who has had experience with this
> > sort of thing says that if I float the clarinet in a bathtub of water it
> > will designate whether it's made of wood or plastic, the wood type
> > floating higher and longer. My question to you is, does it matter how
> > many inches of water there are in the tub, and is the temperature of the
> > water crucial to the float?
> > Thanks,
> > Carol
>
> Unless you have a clarinet of known material to compare it against, what
> is higher and longer? Also not all wood clarinets are made of the same
> type of wood and would float a little differently.
>
> If you go to a qualified repairman, he should be able to tell you
> whether it is wood or plastic. If not, I suggest that you look at the
> brand and model on the instrument and post that information on the
> klarinet list and ask for replies.
>
> Good Luck
> Dee Hays
> deerich@-----.net
>
Carol:
If you (or somebody) owns a pair of Polaroid glasses, this may help. A
wooden instrument will (I think/hope) reflect the light differently across
the grain and along the grain as viewed through Polaroids. I'm a bit
surprised that you haven't noticed any grain anyway if it *is* wood - even
stained blackwood usually shows some sort of pattern.
Roger SHilcock