Klarinet Archive - Posting 000251.txt from 2001/04

From: "Gordon Palmer" <gordp@-----.nz>
Subj: [kl] Cork Pads, etc.
Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 21:27:41 -0400

In reply to kjf:

1.Cork pads are considerably more expensive.
2. Repairer MUST stock a full range of bladder pads, but if the call for
cork pads is small there is some reluctance to almost dead-stock the full
range of these.
3. Cork pads are nowhere near as good at acccommodating minute blemishes in
the tone hole edges.
4. It is common for key cups to be poorly aligned with tone holes. Cork pad
diameter is the same as the keuy cup cavity, whereas bladder pads can be
about 1 mm larger in diameter, hence better accommodating this poor
alignment. For some situations the tone hole is large and the key cup is
small. so a cork pad would be used right at its edge, making it unreliable.
5. I have known cork to unexpectedly absorb water and swell up every bit as
badly as a punctured bladder pad.
6. If the pivots are not very secure then the movement of the key will
affect the seating of a cork pad more because it has less resilience than
'standard' bladder pads.

I use cork pads for the register key, but only because I use an extra thick
one and shape it to \_/ which dramatically improbes the tone of throat Bb,
probably because of less air turbulence as the air vibrates in and out of
the tone hole and around the pads profile.

There is a Gortex pad which may be the high tech one you are waiting for.
But as for seating itself.... how can a material do that but not keep on aon
on compressing with use, creating a very deep seat which increases the
above-mentioned air turbulence which CAN be a factor for pads other than the
register vent.

i've got no idea what you mean by "lip-smacking/sucking/sticking" sound.
Actually cork pads tend to be noisier than bladder pads, with their slapping
sound as they close, because they are harder.
Gordon

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org