Klarinet Archive - Posting 000143.txt from 2009/02

From: kurtheisig@-----.net
Subj: Re: [kl] Corks for tenon joints
Date: Sat, 07 Feb 2009 14:52:16 -0500

Danny,

It can vary, depending on the clarinet.

A partial answer.

In the 60's Selmer used to put on a thicker cork, that overlapped, and was =
chamfered on both ends in the overlap. When doing this type of cork, we wou=
ld first prepare the measured cork by running the edges along a piece of sa=
ndpaper so that the top edge and bottom edge of the outside of the cork wou=
ld be chamfered. we would then chamfer the ends on opposite sides to prepar=
e the overlap. We would use stick shellac and a laguer spoon or wedge. Eith=
er a commercial one from Eric Brand, or one made up by heating up the end o=
f a screwdriver and beating it out thin and curved on an anvil. We would go=
through the process of applying a little melted shellac over and over arou=
nd the tenon heating the spoon and applying the hot spoon to the glob of fr=
esh melted laquer and pushing it under the cork to remelt the last bit and =
going side to side to blend and cover all areas, and wrapping the cork onto=
the hot glue as we went. This produced a fat cork that with lots of grease=
worked, and over a few weeks compressed to form a tight fitting cork that =
would last 20 years. If you look at an old Selmer that has the original cor=
k today, it won't look like it has that fat center, it will look just like =
a Buffet cork. It was very labor intensive!

Selmer and other companies tried contact cement on cheaper horns in the 70'=
s and no overlap. The clarinets left the factory fine, but we repairmen had=
to clean up the goopy mess later at way too early a replacement time. (The=
cases from this period tended to have lid liners that fell out in a few ye=
ars too from this disastrously useless glue.)

Buffet and others have been using butt joint corks with some success for ye=
ars now.

Once in a while for a pro friend I will do an old fashioned Selmer style th=
ick overlapped cork, and invariably will get back a comment when they visit=
a repairman in some far city about how that cork style takes so long, is t=
he old way, and is really good.

That style of corking is really quite a bit easier today with the advent of=
brush on cyanoacrylate glue. (I find Loctite to be a very good brand, also=
Jet) It is much easier to glue as you go putting the cork on.

This glue works well with butt joints too.

One other great advantage of cyanoacrylate is you can slice with a very sha=
rp knife a loose cork and brush a little under the loose edges and in 2 mi=
nutes or so you are ready to go. Who would have thought it would be easy to=
REPAIR a loose cork!

DANGER!!! Cyanoacrylate glue can cause plastic to chemically shatter. Ask a=
chemist to give you a better explanation, but that is the understanding I =
have from conversations with Dr Art Dias, Chem Prof at SJSU, and a clarinet=
and sax player. Cyanoacrylate is not a good choice on plastic.=20

Both overlap and butt joint seem to work, it is more to do with the quality=
of work in the application.

Kurt

-----Original Message-----
>From: Dan Leeson <dnleeson@-----.net>
>Sent: Feb 7, 2009 10:55 AM
>To: klarinet@-----.org
>Subject: [kl] Corks for tenon joints
>
>In the replacement of a cork for a tenon, which is the more effective cork=
=20
>preparation method, butt joint or overlap joint? I have heard reports on=
=20
>both types, but I have no ability to discern which of the two methods is=
=20
>superior.
>
>Dan Leeson=20
>
>
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