Klarinet Archive - Posting 000172.txt from 2000/02

From: Michael Moors <mdmoors@-----.us>
Subj: Re: [kl] mouthpiece mice (was: [kl] My way or the highway!)
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 15:11:47 -0500

My biggest problem with the mouthpiece mouses was damage caused by 6th
graders to their mouthpieces. A local store provided them to students one
year in the rental instruments. "Kids" don't care if the bare metal is
exposed when pushing them in the mouthpiece. Some students had deep groves
in their B-45 mouthpieces. I agree that if used carefully they wont hurt
the mouthpiece. You have watch the end of the mouse and do as Lelia
mentioned, covering the metal some other way. The end plugs are gone soon
after purchase.

At 09:59 AM 2/3/00 -0500, you wrote:

>Michael Moors wrote,
> >On of the worst inventions for mouthpiece care was the mouthpiece mouse
> that
>is on the market. It's like a "pad saver" shove it (fuzzy) insert for the
>mouthpiece. The kind of cleaner that stays inside the body and keeps the
>instrument moist at all times. The plastic tips fall off the mouse and the
>exposed metal puts deep grooves in the mouthpiece. >
>
>I find those mouthpiece mice useful, but I agree with you that leaving one in
>the mouthpiece is a bad idea. That damp plug seems as though it would make a
>great breeding ground for germs. Instead, I use the mouse like a towel, to
>dry out the inside of the mouthpiece after I wash it.
>
>I also agree with you that the factory-installed protective tips are no good.
> They were falling off the second or third time I used the mouse. I never
>actually damaged a mouthpiece, but had some close calls. I've replaced those
>tips with latex tool handle grip compound. I dabbed some contact cement onto
>the bare wire ends of the mouse and let the cement dry to the touch. Then I
>used a toothpick to dip some of the gooey tool grip compound out of the can
>and blotted the compound thickly over the dry contact cement. Then I
>balanced the mouse on top of the bench vice until the compound dried
>completely. Applying contact cement first was a recent refinement. I used
>to apply the grip compound without the cement. It still held much longer
>than the original tips, but still fell off and had to be replaced every few
>weeks. I think I did this last job, with the contact cement, close to a year
>ago -- and the tips are still holding.
>
>Lelia
>
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____|/__|________=_|__ |___O______|___|___=_______|__|___|____ ___|__| |
___/|___|___|________|_ _|___|______=__ |_ _|___=___ |__|__ |______=__| |
__|_/_ _|___|_______=_ |___|__________|_ _|___|____=__|___|__________| |
___|/__ |___|__________ |___|__________|_ _|___|______ _|__O__________| |
/ O
Michael D. Moors
http://edcen.ehhs.cmich.edu/~mmoors/

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