Klarinet Archive - Posting 000657.txt from 2003/04

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Followup to the frozen barrel non-saga
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2003 00:39:53 -0400

In a message dated 4/17/2003 5:33:51 PM Eastern Standard Time, kenneth.wolman@-----.net writes:

> Do composite barrels get around the expansion problem? The Accu-Bore barrel looks uglier than sin but if it can avoid this kind of expansion, it might be worth it. Then again, do makers produce 3rd party wooden barrels for a mid-range Leblanc, or am I just dreaming>>

Ken -

Composite barrels do swell and expand less, thus getting around the problem, but other than the "Greenline" process, few composites provide as good a tone as wood. (Yes, material does make a difference.)

Third party barrels swell and shrink as well. I might be mistaken on this, but I believe that Rosewood and Cocobolo swell MORE with heat and moisture than mpingo, or grenadilla, or whatever you want to call it.

The cure on a wood barrel is to make sure there is room for expansion and contraction of the wood, then to fill the "gap" with a nice thickness of cork.

In other words, if your barrel "sticks", and I mean wood on wood, take sandpaper to the wood and sand it down. That's what your repairman would do.

Walter

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