Klarinet Archive - Posting 000895.txt from 1999/11

From: "dew@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] crusty old clarinet
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 1999 11:48:03 -0500

I have a predicament involving an old Buffet Evette clarinet...

A father of a would-be student purchased a clarinet on E-Bay, but unfortunately did not know the right questions to ask o=
f the seller...I had offered to help in the selection, and tried my best to convince him it would be necessary to play-te=
st before buying anything, but he was enchanted by the hundreds of cheap clarinets online and made a purchase on his own.=
(Yes, I warned him about the evils lurking in the cases of some used clarinets, and told him, among other things, he ri=
sked spending as much to repair a used one as he would in buying a new one. I think I didn't beleive me.)

This thing he presented to me last week is not only old, but definitely "rode hard and put away wet"! Keys are bent from=
abuse and dropping, the case does not latch sufficiently, and the wood is so dehydrated that the rings twirl freely. I =
see no cracks (yet!), but the barrel is probably completely ruined, having a visible warp as well as very rough texture (=
of the wood grain) inside. There is a greenish-white crust inside much of the bore. It needs new pads and corks (of cou=
rse!), but that much is manageable. I have not asked him what he payed for this clarinet. I want to help, but am not su=
re what to do, being completely inexperienced in the art of resussitating things that once were clarinets.

How can I safely remove the crust? What steps should I take in rehydrating the wood?

(I have searched the klarinet archives for topisc such as crust, slime, mold, fungus, growth, and repair, but have found =
no answers so far.)

I think if I can manage those two things, I'd be able to get a repair tech to look at the thing and make an estimate. I =
might also try my hand at a few of the more minor adjustments, but that's a later decision!

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

Denise Edwards-Wilson

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