Klarinet Archive - Posting 000573.txt from 1998/02

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Loose screws
Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 10:18:52 -0500

On Sat, 14 Feb 1998, Jason Hsien wrote:
> I've been wondering if there was any solution to the problem of screws
> becoming loose on clarinets and bass clarinets. I know I can always rescrew
> them back in, but sometimes, if I go for a week or so forgetting, they just
> pop out (which happened, to my horror, at a recent rehearsal. Thank goodness
> I found it again and put it back in)
>
> Do any of you have hints on techniques to keep those darn screws in? I mean,
> obviously, they won't stay in forever, since we are pressing down on keys
> all the time, but this is ridiculous. This never happened on my plastic
> clarinet, but since I moved over to wood clarinet and bass clarinet, this
> has happened more often.

Bill Brannen told me that, especially if screws at the posts are coming
out, to use a high quality, cotton carpet thread. Unscrew the screw head
aprox. 1/3 of the way out and wrap several winds of thread around the
exposed section. Tighten the screw back down and break the end of the
thread. This helps two things: 1) put more space between the screw head
and the rod to avoid binding of the rod during the cold months when the
metal and wood shrink; and 2) help aleviate the problem of screws backing
themselves out of the hole.

Roger Garrett
IWU

   
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