Klarinet Archive - Posting 000667.txt from 2003/09

From: "Lelia Loban" <lelialoban@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] When an old clarinet smells
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2003 10:02:05 -0400

> What can I say? I had the 'urge'.

Since I get those urges often, I've learned to appreciate this stench and
to notice it in a somewhat theatrical manner at flea markets. For a
refined but distinctive parfum de forgotten refrigerator, I pinch my nose
delicately and say, "Feh!" or "Pee-yew!" For a really extreme puanteur de
dead walrus, I clench my hands around my throat, bug out my eyes and gag
loudly. Brings the price right down. :-)

Here's what I do about the smell:

1. Air out the car.

2. If the smell is so gross that it might actually kill Shadow Cat instead
of merely enraging her, take the clarinet to the back yard, not into the
house.

3. Take off all the keys. Either put the screws right back in their own
holes or store them in a labelled screw board (available from Ferree's) or
something similar, because most clarinets use several sizes of screws that
are not interchangeable.

4. Remove all of the pads and throw them away, even if they look as if
they're in good condition, because they've absorbed the stink. Nothing
will remove it without damaging the pads.

5. Remove and discard the corks, too, because they also absorb the smell
and getting rid of it takes longer than replacing the corks.

6. Wash out the clarinet. Fully immerse it. For a rubber or plastic
clarinet or for any kind of mouthpiece, I use Palmolive dish detergent (for
hand-washing) in cool water. Hot water can deform rubber and I'm not sure
it won't hurt old plastic. On a metal clarinet, I use Palmolive in very
warm water. Rubber, plastic and metal benefit from soaking, sometimes as
long as half an hour. On a wooden clarinet, I use Murphy's Oil Soap and
cool water, and I don't let it soak for more than five minutes. For all
three, I use a flannel rag to wash the outside. For inside the bore, where
there's usually a lot of disgusting crud, I use a special bore brush (looks
like a bottle brush, but made of material that won't damage the bore; the
oboe brush fits a metal clarinet) from Ferree's Tools, along with a smaller
brush from Ferree's to clean out the tone holes. (Ferree's also makes a
mouthpiece brush. Plain white vinegar will usually soften the crud that
can accumulate inside a mouthpiece. I avoid using hydrogen peroxide for
fear it will bleach things I don't want bleached, but sometimes peroxide or
the products used for denture cleaning are the only ways to clean up a
really nasty mouthpiece.) Use a pipe cleaner (the all-soft kind, *not* the
kind with metal bristles) to wash out the register key tube and the holes
where the screws go. Wash all the keys and screws, too.

7. A metal clarinet can be dried in the sun, but sunlight will warp rubber
and fade wood. To avoid rust, dry out the screw holes with an all-soft
pipe cleaner, and make sure they have plenty of time to finish air-drying
afterwards. In this humid climate, I do oil very lightly inside the screw
holes and on the screws themselves, because I've encountered serious
problems with screws rusted to immobility on older clarinets. IMHO, it's
easier to be careful not to over-oil and then to clean the old oil away
frequently than it is to deal with the rust.

8. Don't put a clean clarinet back into a dirty case. While the clarinet
is drying, either remove and throw out all of the lining from the case,
wash it out and re-line it (I use Sobo glue on fabric), or if the lining is
in pretty good condition, vaccuum it, then wash it with hand dish detergent
on a sponge, rinse, then spray with Febreze fabric deodorant. Leave the
case open to sunlight (which is a good deodorizer) to dry thoroughly, then
vaccuum it again to fluff up the nap of the lining. This process may have
to be repeated two or three times.

Buying smelly old clarinets has turned me into a fanatic about brushing my
teeth before I practice, swabbing out the clarinet afterwards, and rinsing
and blotting the mouthpiece and reed before putting them away separately.

Lelia Loban
E-mail: lelialoban@-----.net
Web site (original music scores as audio or print-out):
http://members.sibeliusmusic.com/LeliaLoban

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