Klarinet Archive - Posting 000629.txt from 2001/11

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: Re: [kl] reamers
Date: Thu, 22 Nov 2001 18:12:00 -0500

On Thu, 22 Nov 2001 09:50:04 -0400, edsshop@-----.ca said:

> "CLARK FOBES " <reedman@-----.com> said:
>
> > Tony is correct, there are plenty of places that sell adjustable
> > reamers, but for the most part these are not suitable for adjusting
> > mouthpieces or barrels.
> >
> > Commercially available adjustable reamers only cut one diameter and
> > cannot produce a taper.
>
> Permit me a shamelessly commercial message:
>
> To the best of my knowlege I am our group's only professional
> machinist. Our shop also has the proper machinery for the production
> of tapered reamers for mouthpieces, barrels and main joints. (Yes,
> Clark, I make MP reamers with spherical cutting ends.) Over the last
> couple of years I've made various reamers for several of our group's
> members. I would not be averse to making more.

I would be very interested in a more detailed discussion of what makers
on this list think can be done by someone like myself with a hand
reamer, or with sandpaper and/or nail varnish (say); and what can only
be done by using specially constructed tools.

My own interest in the matter arises from the fact that the internal
dimensions of instruments, particularly those made of boxwood, can
change quite radically. In fact, you might want to adjust the bore even
of an antique instrument, correcting the twelfths, in order to make the
instrument playable.

Some people think that to do such a thing is horrific, because it
'destroys evidence'. But I have yet to see even the beginnings of a
study that uses information like the current dimensions of an unplayable
wind instrument to draw conclusions of any worth. How could such a
study even exist? (And if the instrument belongs to me....)

In the case of copies, I've already said that I made my Ottensteiner
instruments playable by using my reamer, opening up the top part of the
top joint on both instruments. The difficulty had arisen gradually as I
played the instruments in, and was cured by my action. I took advantage
of the well-known fact that the bore adjustment that affects a
particular twelfth needs to be made either a third or two thirds of the
distance from the mouthpiece to the first open hole of the twelfth in
question.

I subsequently improved my old (Buffet) Eb clarinet by taking similar
action, because the problems were the same, and I'd gained a bit of
confidence.

Now, of course it isn't my intention to suggest that clarinet players
worldwide start hacking their instruments about unthinkingly. But I'd
say that the subject's worth discussing; and I get the impression that
the danger is rather on the other side -- namely, that players assume
that expertise belongs to a small group of magicians; that we have no
other solution but to defer to their genius; and that we can do nothing
for ourselves.

Naturally, we should listen to, and nurture, those geniuses when we're
lucky enough to know them.

I have a couple of further things to say about this, for example about
barrels; but perhaps I'll wait for some responses, if there are any.

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE GMN artist: http://www.gmn.com
tel/fax 01865 553339

... Motel mattresses are better on the side away from the phone.

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