Klarinet Archive - Posting 000143.txt from 1998/04

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Rovner ligature oiling & Middle F on B.Cl.
Date: Sat, 4 Apr 1998 15:25:30 -0500

On Fri, 3 Apr 1998, Jason Hsien wrote:

> For anyone who has Rovner ligatures, how often do you normally grease the
> metal screws? The Rovner manual recommended once a month, but I've gone for
> quite a few months without greasing them. Mostly, it is because I don't use
> my Rovners unless it's a performance or major rehearsal. And because of
> this, I don't see a need to grease them much at all, but what do any of you
> fellow Rover-ites do?

I've had my Rovner ligature for over ten years, and I bought it from
somebody who probably had it for ten years before me. In all of this
time, no "maintenance" has ever occurred with regard to the screw
or the material. It's almost humorous to me to think about "caring"
for my ligature, but that's just me. I imagine most people just use
them until they break, and then buy another and, as you can tell from
my experience, it takes a long time for one to break. My advice?
Don't worry too much about oiling your Rovner screw. If it starts
to squeak or bind, then oil might help to alleviate such a problem,
but for the most part it isn't a very critical issue.

Neil