 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: johnwesley
Date: 2021-10-17 02:10
I think I need to hydrate the bell on an old Leblanc. The ring at the bottom has now started to spin. Should I add a damp sponge in the case?
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Author: m1964
Date: 2021-10-17 04:56
Maybe place a dab of crazy glue between the ring and the wood.
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2021-10-17 05:18
Does it affect the sound at all? The ring on my 1999 Buffet R13 has been loose for years & makes no difference to my ears. I don't know if I'd mess with Krazy Glue, but how would one get some in that tiny space anyway....
The Most Advanced Clarinet Book--
tomheimer.ampbk.com/ Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001315, Musicnotes product no. MB0000649.
Boreal Ballad for unaccompanied clarinet-Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001314.
Musicnotes product no. MNO287475
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Author: kdk
Date: 2021-10-17 06:55
Leave a Dampit or a couple of pieces of orange peel in the case near the bell for a couple of nights. Or you can use a humidity pack (Boveda or the more expensive RICO versions), maybe 72%. But then, if adding humidity works, you need to figure out why the wood needs hydration in the first place. If the wood looks dried out (lighter color, no sheen), maybe treating with oil will help. If it's a normal dark color that matches the rest of the instrument, your room environment may just be too dry. A different storage location or a humidifier in the room may prevent future problems.
All of that said, I had a loose bell ring once and it vibrated slightly, causing it to "sing" a little. None of my other rings were loose. My repair guy dropped a little Super Glue (the brand doesn't matter) in a few spots along the edge and wiped the excess off. It stopped singing and spinning. Sometimes they just aren't fitted well.
Karl
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Author: johnwesley
Date: 2021-10-17 08:03
Tom H and KDK, thanks for the input. It doesn't affect the sound, nor can I hear it rattling. No discoloration of the bell. Just one of those things that popped up out of nowhere.
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2021-10-17 13:49
I have this on my older clarinet and it doesn't cause me any problems so I just leave it as it is. Sometimes the ring falls on the floor when I'm assembling the clarinet, but I just pick it up and put it back on.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2021-10-17 22:38
SunnyDaze wrote:
> I have this on my older clarinet and it doesn't cause me any
> problems so I just leave it as it is. Sometimes the ring falls
> on the floor when I'm assembling the clarinet, but I just pick
> it up and put it back on.
That would be enough to make me find some kind of solution, but just to be sure, are you also talking about the ring around the bottom of the bell (not the tenon ring at the top of it)? If it's the bottom ring, I'm wondering why you put it back? It doesn't reinforce anything, as the tenon rings do. I'm not sure if it's there because it does something acoustically or because the metal looks flashy. Does your clarinet sound any different without it?
Karl
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2021-10-17 22:43
Yes, what kdk said. In fact, on a clarinet FB group there was a discussion about Buffet eliminating the big ring on one model. Presumably just for asthetic purposes?
The Most Advanced Clarinet Book--
tomheimer.ampbk.com/ Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001315, Musicnotes product no. MB0000649.
Boreal Ballad for unaccompanied clarinet-Sheet Music Plus item A0.1001314.
Musicnotes product no. MNO287475
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2021-10-18 03:27
Hi Karl,
It is the top ring on the bell, but it doesn't bother me that it's loose. I just had another look and the ring is held in place by some dried up old glue which makes the wooden part a bit wider and kind of grippy like sandpaper, so the ring doesn't rattle. I think the glue must have been added on one of the many reconditionings, because the ring no longer falls off (I had forgotten that).
The glue has long-since ceased to have any adhesive effects, so it just adding a bit of girth to the wood now. It's a bit like having limescale or sand on a moving part that stops it from moving properly and causes a grinding noise when turned, except in this case that's a good thing.
The old clarinet is really very disheveled and I don't play it any more, but I just wanted to mention about the loose ring, because it really doesn't cause any problems on this instrument. It's all the other problems that are the tricky ones. :-)
Jen
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Author: farabout
Date: 2021-10-18 03:45
Uh-oh, the loose top ring could (eventually) facilitate the cracking of thus exposed vulnerable bell socket. In order to prevent this, you may apply an immediate quick fix with a teflon (plumber's) tape, and then consider various long-term solutions.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2021-10-18 04:14
SunnyDaze wrote:
> Hi Karl,
>
> It is the top ring on the bell, but it doesn't bother me that
> it's loose. I just had another look and the ring is held in
> place by some dried up old glue which makes the wooden part a
> bit wider and kind of grippy like sandpaper, so the ring
> doesn't rattle. I think the glue must have been added on one of
> the many reconditionings, because the ring no longer falls off
> (I had forgotten that).
A loose tenon ring shouldn't be left loose. It's there to reinforce the tenon wall, which is more vulnerable than other parts to crack from any stress during assembly because it's thin and relatively weak. It also shouldn't be glued in place. I'm assuming humidifying the instrument doesn't expand the tenon against the ring (have you tried that?). I've always shimmed them by adding a thin layer of paper under the ring and pressing the ring down over the paper (there's a little more involved in cutting the paper to fit). That to me has never been a temporary fix - it's in fact how Hans Moennig and other highly reputed repairmen in my younger days solved the problem. I think I remember someone here warning against shimming in this way, but I don't remember who or why.
Karl
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