Klarinet Archive - Posting 000184.txt from 1997/08

From: Jrykorten@-----.com
Subj: Re: Repair, mouthpieces,etc
Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 13:25:31 -0400

Whoa, GT! Stop right there. You are a rank amature. To properly seat a pad,
please read the excellent article on Sneezy.

Jerry Korten
NYC

In a message dated 97-08-06 12:36:37 EDT, GTGallant writes:

<<
Now the most crucial step in pad replacement - seating. First, Hold open
the
key (if it is normally closed). Second, put a piece of wet paper on the
surface of the wood or plastic so it is protected from the open flame.
Again, be careful because the paper can light up! You can disregard this
step if you feel it is unnecessary. It's all personal preference and mildly
important. Third, apply heat to pad cup. Fourth, remove paper from
clarinet
surface (if you used it) and drop the key onto the tone hole under the
spring's own pressure. If an open key, shut the key manually by either
pushing on the face of the pad cup or pushing the lever. Fifth, check the
pad to see if it is seated uniformly and flat on the tone hole. This can be
accomplished in many different ways. The best being by sight. If you
remove the key and look at the pad (after it has been on for approx. 5 min.)
you'll notice, or hope, that a uniform circular indentation is now on the
pad. It takes pads a while to conform to the tone hole and show severe,
permanent indentation so don't panic. Another test is the suction test.
Take the joint with the pad you replaced and cover all tone holes with your
fingers. With the other hand, or a cork, block off one end of the bore.
Now
blow or inhale (moderate volume of air) into the open end and listen for
any
air leakage. By doing this I'm assuming all other pads are seated and
functioning properly. Isolate the problem pad and reseat again. The pad
surface should be parallel to the pad cup and extend slightly above it. If
the pad is crooked, something may be wrong so re-heat the cup and repeat
the
procedure. Most of the time if the pad is parallel to the cup, it will seat
properly. If not, a slight angle to the pad is okay. The goal is to obtain
a
perfect seal so air cannot escape, so shoot for that logic.
>>