Klarinet Archive - Posting 000726.txt from 1999/07

From: "Dee D. Hays" <deehays@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] re: mail order - local store policy repairs
Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 23:53:28 -0400

What you have listed goes way beyond basic or standard repair techniques.
And is certainly unnecessary for student grade horns.

Dee Hays
Canton, SD

-----Original Message-----
From: Sfdr@-----.com>
Date: Wednesday, July 21, 1999 9:23 PM
Subject: Re: [kl] re: mail order - local store policy repairs

>
>
><< In a message dated 7/17/99 6:16:51 PM EST, gtgallant@-----.com writes:
>
> << Repairing an instrument is not
> magic, an art, or an impossible task. The skill is
> knowing how an instrument is played, the physics
> (acoustics) and what each key's function is. Any
> competent, handy person can be trained - like a monkey
> - to fix an instument. :)
> >>
>
> During the 1940s, Hans Moennig spent 40 plus hours setting up a new
>clarinet to the standards of great players such as McLane, Weber, Bonade
and
>McGinnis. Just to give you an example of their clarinet requirements, the
>top joint had to hold a vacuum of 3 minutes and the lower joint had to hold
>an air vacuum of one minute, due to the use of larger bladder pads.
>Currently is it hard to find a new clarinet that will hold a vacuum for
more
>than 15 seconds on either joint, even with the famous gortex pads.
> This was Mr. Moennig's technique for achieving such a high clarinet
>repair standard.
>
>1. He would refinish each tone hole with several coats shellac. The
>process would seal the porous wood grain and allow the pads to seat
securely.
>
>2. He would take a brass tube and check the seal of each skin pad for
>holes and leaks before they were installed. Believe it or not Mr. Moennig
>discarded 90% of his new pads as the would not pass the vacuum test. Out
of
>frustration, Mr. Moennig finally started making each pad by hand in order
to
>insure the proper sealing quality.
>
>3. Next he would sort through pounds of cork in order to find a small
>section worthy of making pads for the top joint keys.
>
>4. Mr. Moennig would enlarge each spring cradle to reduce friction from
>the spring's contact point.
>
>5. Each spring would be altered in curvature to maximize its leverage
>and improve the key fulcrum.
>
>6. The tone holes would be enlarged and undercut to improve the
>clarinet's
>tuning and resonance.
>
>7. The bore would be altered to improve the register intonation,
>especially wide twelfths.
>
>8. The tenon cork grooves were widened to increase socket contact.
>Instead of using traditional 1/16" or 3/32" sheet cork for tenons, Hans
>Moennig used the thinner 1/64" over thread. By wrapping the tenon groove
>with cotton thread first, a solid foundation was formed. His technique for
>thread wrapping was very similar the wrap used on oboe reeds. After the
>tenon was increased in diameter the thinner sheet cork was glued over the
>thread base with minimum compression.
>
>9. Finally, the bell was shortened and the barrel was reamed with a
>revered cone taper.
>
> These are just a few of the techniques that W. Hans Moennig used to
>enhance the playing of great clarinetists during the twentieth century. If
>anyone knows of a chimpanzee, gorilla, baboon or any monkey that can
achieve
>the clarinet vacuum standards of Hans Moennig, please have them to contact
me
>as I would like to offer them a job in my repair shop.
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Alvin Swiney
>
> Affordable Music Co.
>
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