The Clarinet BBoard

Re: Case Restoration

Author: rs11gps  Date:   2011-04-11 17:12 Ho complete do you want to make the restoration? Here's my usual process: Most cases have wooden forms glued to a small sheet of cardboard, covered in velvet/cloth, and mounted on shims in the case. The lining in the lid is usually a peice of cardboard, with batting and fabric covering. Over time, the cork grease, saliva and moisture impregnate the cloth, batting and cardboard... and to some extent the wood. Therefore the smell and grime. The 'cleanest' restoration involves gutting the interior case down to the bare wood. You can deodorize the wood to some extent with spray or pet deodorizers, and extensive airing. Save any manufacturer ribbons, labels or tags to put back into the case later. Use the old wood forms if they don't smell, or cut new ones using the old ones as templates. Definitely replace the cardboard and fabric. Both contact cement and hot glue work on the wood and cardboard, although hot glue may not work well with the fabric as it easily soaks through. Often the exterior of a case does not really need tear-down restoring. I lean toward making it look presentable, not 'new'. Good cleaning with appropriate sovents (I often use denatured alchohol, windex, and leather polishes) goes a long way. Carefully glue down tears, sometimes you can recolor scratches with a matching artist's acryllic paint; stitchng can be re-sewn a stitch at a time. Don't pull out all of the thread to fix just a bew broken stitches. Basically, it just takes time, and you have to decide what that is worth.

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