Klarinet Archive - Posting 000183.txt from 2002/01

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Loose rings
Date: Tue, 8 Jan 2002 10:27:36 -0500

Alan says -

<<Some of the rings on my A clarinet have become loose (I mean the strengthening rings around the sockets and at the end of the bell, not the > finger rings). Maybe it's the cold weather, maybe it's that I haven't
played it for a while. Has anybody else had this problem and do you have any recommendations>>

Alan - low internal humidity during the heating season causes loose rings, as the wood in your instruments looses moisture and shrinks. (This is also a major cause of keys binding).

The cure? Humidify your environment, or if you can't, humidify your horns. There are several ways, and this has been discussed on sneezy many times. One of the best ways is to use orange peals on your cases, and leave the instruments in their cases when not used.

I used to pooh-pooh warnings about assembling my instruments when the rings were loose. Then, three winters ago, my (then) best barrel SPLIT, with a heart-rending CRACKKKKKKKKKK, when I put it on the upper joint.

Any good repairman can tighten rings, but it is better overall for your instruments to maintain a more steady humidity level. I know, it's hard to do. I live in a 73 year old house, with radiator heat, in the Chicaho area!

Walter Grabner
clarinetXpress.com

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