Klarinet Archive - Posting 000020.txt from 2011/02

From: Karl Krelove <karlkrelove@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Backun Barrels
Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:09:21 -0500

That's the main reason why makers started putting rings on clarinet barrels in
the first place. Whatever made it crack to begin with, getting it off may be
possible without a tech's help. Not having seen it, I'm tempted to suggest
wedging a screwdriver into the crack (*not* between the barrel and the top
joint of the instrument) and just splitting the barrel the rest of the way,
but if it isn't cracked in such a way that doing that would be easy, you might
risk damaging the tenon it's stuck on.

A standard way to get a stuck barrel loose is to get a good hold of the top
joint of the clarinet and grab the barrel itself with a cloth or, better, a
couple of rubber bands or anything else that will provide some traction, and
twist the barrel. If it's still stuck, try gently rocking the barrel from side
to side - although gently in this case may not matter, since the goal is to
get it to loosen its grip without cracking it (too late for that, I guess) and
then try twisting again. It's very helpful to wrap the barrel with *something*
that will improve your grip.

The two cautions are that (a) you want to try to avoid bending any keys on the
clarinet itself because of the way or the place you grab it and (b) you don't
want to stress the barrel socket's wall enough to crack it (apparently a moot
point in this case).

If this fails, you can give your tech a try at it. At least he can repair any
damage to the clarinet (bent keys, etc) on the spot.

Do your other barrels fit both instruments? It sounds like your A clarinet's
top tenon may be unusually big around. You may need to have it adjusted, which
should be done by a properly equipped tech to avoid rounding the end of the
tenon.

Good luck.

Karl

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