 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Joe
Date: 2002-08-21 14:17
I just picked up a Selmer Series 9 with some surface cracks on the barrel, bell and lower joint. Dont know when they first appeared; they dont go all the way through the wood to the bore. My first thoughts were to return it immediately. However, the wood should have stabilized over time. The clarinet plays very well, I do like it and want to keep it. But .......... I dont want it to fall apart in 6 moths or a year.
Based on experience, what advice can you good people offer? Do these sort of problems continue to get worse, or should things have reached an equilibrium by now?
Joe.
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2002-08-21 17:09
Joe: There have been many threads on cracks in clarinets, as a search of the BB archive can reveal. I'm sure you will have several responses to your post. I will only comment that no wood will ever stabilize completely so long as it is in an environment of varying humidity and/or temperature.
Regards,
John
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2002-08-22 13:16
If the cracks are starting on the outside don't worry too much. Just rub in a bit, I emphasise a little bit of of beeswax. Carnuba wax will do. It will stop outside moisture from seeping in. A heavy oil like linseed would probably do the trick. Again only a tiny bit a few times. I have seen a Heckel bassoon, pre war, with no varnish left and just kept polished with linseed oil. No cracks anywhere. Watch the pads though.
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Author: Joe
Date: 2002-08-22 20:27
Thank you, gentlemen ...... I appreciate your input.
Joe.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2002-08-23 22:27
Say Joe,
Any chance you took delivery in the High Mesa on an instrument that came from a more humid climate?
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Author: Joe
Date: 2002-08-24 01:52
Synon Botch,
The history of this instrument, that was related to me is quite brief. It came out of a hock shop in Prescott, AZ. It was rebuilt, and subsequently stored for no more than 2 years in Mesa, AZ. Part of the rebuild procedure included a thorough oiling with almond oil. Didn't get any input on where it spent its youth before the hock shop in Prescott. All of this area pretty much shares the same dry desert climate as Phoenix and Tucson.
One of our local repair techs gave me some sage advice: "Dont try to out-guess what wood will do." He cited a first-hand experience he had in the late 50s while in the Navy. His unit, (function), moved from a fan-cooled building in Anacosta, MD to an air-conditioned building in Little Creek, VA. They also moved all the band instruments with them. Within a short time, many of the clarinets started to crack. These were 20 and 30 year old horns that had been in perfect shape until the move!! So ........ I've returned my Selmer, much as I loved it, and got a refund. I'm too old to gamble!
Joe.
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