Klarinet Archive - Posting 000954.txt from 1997/07

From: tdvaughan@-----. Vaughan)
Subj: Re: Float Test
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 00:18:24 -0400

On Wed, 30 Jul 1997 08:49:39 -0500 Jim Harper <jharper@-----.edu>
writes:
>Carol,
>
>Heat is a better determinate of material. If it burns it's wood, if
>it melts, it's plastic.
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>-Jim
>
>>
>> At 10:43 PM 7/29/97 -0700, you 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
>> >
>> >
>
Just to set the record straight, plastic, being made of petroleum
products, will also burn after melting. Also, the wax or polish on a
wooden clarinet would probably melt when exposed to heat. But keep the
tub of water handy so you can put out the fire.

Probably best to refer to a qualified idiot at your local music
store. This
information is courtesy of a former fire fighter.
Hope this helps.

Tiffany
tdvaughan@-----.com