 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SaxManStan
Date: 2013-04-12 14:17
I've been a sax player for a lifetime, but picked up a very old Raymond Paris clarinet last night. I didn't know what I was buying, but the price was dirt cheap, and I love expanding my woodwind horizons.
The clarinet is in a very old, alligator-skin-looking case. Everything looks original, but the instrument itself appears to have been sitting in someone's basement for ages: The smell of mildew is overwhelming!
Can someone give me some suggestions on how to go about cleaning the clarinet and removing the odor? It's overpoweringly bad!!
ALSO - Though it was very difficult to make out the "Raymond" with the word "Paris" in script directly below it, I find no serial number at all near this inscription. Might they hide the number somewhere else? I'd love to get some sense of how old this horn is.
Pads, etc, all look good. There is no green buildup of mold... the exterior needs some cleanup, and the silver needs cleaning, but it's mainly the mildew prob and serial number I'd like help with.
VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!!
...SaxManStan
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2013-04-12 16:10
I can't tell from your post whether the mildew odor is coming from the instrument or the case. I imagine both. Also, it seems unlikely that an instrument in this bad a condition has perfectly sealing pads. I would either trash the case or send it to me. (I'll pay for shipping of course). If the mildew is bad the entire case needs to be gutted, aired and the velvet replaced. The instrument needs to be cleaned and aired. An oiling with sweet almond oil should kill the mildew assuming it isn't the pads that are stinking.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: SaxManStan
Date: 2013-04-12 18:11
Annev - thanks. I'd seen that page when I began googling "Raymond Clarinets". Good info.
Garth - you're correct: the smell is coming from both. My hope was to end up playing this horn, so I don't have as strong a commitment to getting rid of the odor in the case. (I realize that if I wanted to resell it in as original-as-possible condition, I'd have to get the smell removed).
...So, if I want to focus on cleaning it, is there more to it than just the sweet almond oil? The pads seem to be in good condition, but I want to get it cleaned then repaired - assuming my repairman thinks it's worthy. If the cleaning and repair work, then I'd simply pick up a new case. Any info on how to approach cleaning it w/b great!
modernicus - ah, more enlightenment! based upon the link to which Annev pointed me, I thought it was wood.
....still wondering where I would find a serial number (because it's not next to the "Raymond/Paris".
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-04-12 18:55
Grenadilla is so dense that mildew can't get below the surface and can be scrubbed off.
The pads and corks (including the tenon corks), even if they seal (highly unlikely), will be the main reservoir of mildew. Get rid of them first.
Then it's simply a matter of putting the parts in the sink and scrubbing them out with a bottle brush. A teaspoon of bleach in a sinkful of water will help kill the mildew. Remember that the clarinet body is designed to get wet, so water won't hurt it. Be careful not to stab yourself on the needle springs.
Dry it with a hair dryer on the least warm setting, being sure to get the water off the springs and out of the posts and keys.
Also scrub the serial number and other engraved areas with an old toothbrush with a bit of soap to clean out the gunk and make everything readable.
Then leave it in the sun for a few days, turning it over every morning.
Lelia will have much more to say.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2013-04-12 19:38
I' ve heard of cleaning a clarinet body with bleach. I would seriously dilute the solution and I doubt that more than a few minutes of water exposure would be needed to kill the lmildew. I would tend to let the clarinet air in other than direct sun. I'm sure the pads are part of the problem and would need to be replaced. Pads often have cardboard bases where mildew is sure to reside. There is no way to get rid of severe mildew of a case by cleaning it. The basic form of most older cases is often some kind of cardboard or paper composite. The form often needs to be replaced if it's infected with fungus or mildew. Sweet almond oil is a natural mildew-cide as are many fatty acid compounds. Coconut oil is also very anti-fungal as is olive oil Sweet almond oil is the most often recommended.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: modernicus
Date: 2013-04-12 21:00
Never mind, I was thinking all of the Raymonds were metal clarinets, but yeah, there are other Raymonds, e.g. wood, I forgot about those... sorry to mislead you!
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Author: SaxManStan
Date: 2013-04-12 23:23
No Problemo.
on mystery still remains - where did they stamp the serial number? actually, I couldn't find it anywhere - but noticed that the "P" in "Paris" looked funny.. on closer inspection, I can make out at least tiny numbers, running parallel to the side of that letter "P".
I thank you all for your comments. Not surprising that I can jump in here, and you all would be as responsive has you've been: Almost like jumping in at a jam - we're all in it together! thx! ♪♫♪
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