Klarinet Archive - Posting 000483.txt from 2003/09

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Dryness, moisture, expansion, shrinking
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 10:03:03 -0400

In a message dated 9/17/2003 8:26:04 AM Eastern Daylight Time, dhatfield@-----.org writes:

> No, patricia, I agree on the thought that heat and moisture should make the
> barrel rings fit normally after they were loose in winter weather, but they
> seem to be as bad if not worse. And playing it more as was suggested also
> seemed to make it no better. I can handle using Walter's quick fix until it
> might straighten up. >>

There's no doubt that the wood in our clarinets is affected by humidity. The wood swells with increases in humidity, shrinks in response to dryness.

<<BUT...has the extreme change to the wood also affected the bore of the barrel (I'm certain it has, but need to measure and check tuning to see perhaps), can that be remedied, and should I just go ahead and try some different ones to use with the clarinet and save headaches?>>

Some barrel makers put a hard rubber liner in their barrels, to help stave off the effects of this expansion and contraction. I believe this was done by Moennig for Gigliotti. Giglioti complained that with all the touring of the Philadelphia Orchestra to areas of vastly different climates and humidity levels, he couldn't control some aspects of performance. I'm sure consistency of intonation was one of the biggest problems.

I do know that the barrels for the Selmer 10 G (the Gigliotti model) were lined with rubber. I have four of those barrels, I only remotely like one of them, BTW.
>
> I even made sure I stored the clarinet in the most humid room in our home in
> winter. Of course I've never tried using or dealing with the problems a
> clarinet that sat untouched for nearly thirty years may offer, another
> reason I asked about what to do with the old Leblanc 'A' I
> plan to have rebuilt...it's been stashed and unplayed even longer.>>

If the wood is seriously dried out, it may be a candidate for oil immersion. Otherwise, you can bring it back by playing it only a little bit every day, slowly increasing the time each day, letting the wood absorb some humidity gradually.

I believe at this point in my "researchs" that the value of oiling is to in effect coat the surface of the instrument to keep it from absorbing too much moisture (and to keep from giving it back up too quickly too).

For those who want an "absolute answer" to the oil/not-oil debate, I'm going to suggest that the world is not that black and white. I have seen clarinets with very hard dense, shiny wood that looks like it would never absorb oil (or water). I have seen others with duller, grainier wood that looks as if it needs protection.

I live in a big old wonderful house, with clarinet-wise, the problem of very dry radiator heat. It's extremely hard to humidify this house. Every fall, my bass clarinet "seizes up" and I have to regulate the keys like crazy. This year I am going to give it a good coating of oil (it's been a long time since I have done that) and see if I can forstall some of the effects of the heating season dryness.

Enough rambling.......

Walter Grabner
www.clarinetxpress.com
Bb/A, bass, and Eb clarinet mouthpieces

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