 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: marcusl
Date: 2015-06-18 05:37
I recently took out my Buffet R13 A clarinet to play after a long absence, and see a crack in the bore of the top joint. It starts in the middle of the upper tenon and is about 7 inches long. It passes through the A hole before veering off to the right of the next three holes.
In reading about cracks, it seems that most are on the outside where they are readily repairable. Has anyone seen the inside of the bore check (as it would be called by a woodworker) instead?
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Author: JHowell
Date: 2015-06-18 06:55
Not visible on the outside? How did you see it and how do you know it's a crack and not a grain feature? How does it play? If it's not on the outside it shouldn't affect sealing. No, I've never seen a crack that didn't start on the outside. If you do have a crack inside, it should swell shut as you play and stay that way.
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Author: marcusl
Date: 2015-06-18 07:45
Right, inside the only. I saw it by holding the joint up towards a light background and looking at the inside surfaces. As light bounces off the bore I see grain as well, which looks like slight indentations in the wood, but in one location it's deeper and wider (I'm guessing 1 mm).
Post Edited (2015-06-18 07:56)
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Author: marcusl
Date: 2015-06-18 08:03
Attachment: IMG_0747.JPG (1791k)
I've tried to take a picture down the bore with my little Canon point and shoot camera (see attachment above), but it doesn't do justice to what the eye can see. You are looking from the top tenon. The Bb tube is at bottom, the first hole directly north is A and the one behind it and to the right is Ab. You can see grain patterns all around, but directly in front of the A hole (not A-hole!) is a line that goes straight down the length for a bit then jags left and picks up on the other side of the hole where it doesn't register well in the photo. It's probably grain-related as you say, so maybe I just won't worry about it.
Post Edited (2015-06-18 08:21)
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Author: knotty
Date: 2015-06-18 08:35
Perhaps there's a local gunsmith with a bore scope that's willing to take a look.
~ Musical Progress: None ~
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Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2015-06-18 09:41
Best way to tell is that a crack is always a straight line and a grain is not.
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Author: JHowell
Date: 2015-06-18 22:46
That does look kinda gnarly, but I've got a pretty gnarly bore on my B flat too. I have a hard time imagining a circumstance where the outside of the clarinet was humidified but the inside was desiccated to the point where it shrank and separated, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. If it IS a crack, when you play the instrument (maybe short sessions, to be safe, swabbing frequently) it should swell shut. If it doesn't close, it's a grain feature. If it IS a crack, a repairman might flow some super glue in there just to be safe and keep moisture from penetrating.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2015-06-19 03:09
I recently acquired a box of old barrels amonst which was one with 2 very large internal cracks running the whole length of the bore yet neither crack penetrated to the outside. Wood looks very parched, possibly barrel had been stored in very hot dry area e.g. close to a heater etc.
So it can happen.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-06-19 04:02
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/download.html/1,4242/IMG_0747.JPG
That looks more like open surface vessels - I've got an old Buffet Eb clarinet with a long open vessel running along the LH area down the outside that looks like a long crack, but it isn't.
I've seen bores with more of these kind of open vessels showing in them and they played fine, so I don't think it's anything to worry about. Kingwood and cocobolo instruments often have these too and they look much worse than they are.
Cracks aren't always straight lines as they generally follow the line of grain, so will take the same path as the grain which is rarely ever a perfectly straight line as the grain in grenadilla (and other timbers) is never perfectly straight. If you do happen to see a straight line in an otherwise wavy grained piece of wood, then it's likely to be a saw cut, a knife cut, a scratch or a scribed line.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: marcusl
Date: 2015-06-21 00:16
Thanks everyone for your comments. So internal cracks happen occasionally, usually in the barrel, and I may or may not have one. I'll get some bore oil, keep playing it, and won't worry about it any further!
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