 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Fred
Date: 2004-05-04 10:57
As cork pads have become more popular on the Upper Joint, I wonder if some sort of treatment (Doctor's Products?) could/should be used on them to keep them from drying out? Hopefully the Doctor will give us his thoughts. Has anyone treated their cork pads?
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-05-04 15:57
I have Clarinets with Cork Padded U/J's that are 10-15 years old. Cork pads are actually more difficult & time consuming to install (unless you have perfectly aligned keywork & perfectly matching toneholes). I have never seen a reason to treat the cork pad. IME, the humidity inside clarinet cases seems to be sufficient to keep cork pads as hydrated as they require.
BTW: I have picked up some clarinets that haven't been played for a time & the cork pads were, by far & away, the best of all the pads. Most recently saw a Jacobi-overhauled R13 Bb that hadn't been touched in 6-7 years - cork pads were great, although Wood was dry & in need of oil treatment.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-05-04 16:21
My experience is much the same.
Cork pads are just fine on oboes after decades of use.
It could be difficult to find any 'treatment' that was guaranteed to lasted that long with no stickiness problems.
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2004-05-04 18:42
Moennig placed cord upper joint pads on a 1932 Evette for me in 1961....they are still fine with no treatment whatever, despite sitting in a cold room or in blazing heat, performing outside, etc.
Worth the expense IMHO.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2004-05-04 19:25
Sounds like this belongs in the "If it ain't broke . . . don't fix it." category.
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-05-05 00:18
Cork Pads are actually a great subject of discussion. Comparison of upside v. downside of Cork Pad use is a great subject.
Frankly, we are seeing more & more Cork Pads available "ready-made" from the musical supplies catalogues. This worries me as many people may think that the cork pad they are buying is perfectly made & will immedaitely do as good a job as a fishskin or leather pad - clearly an accaident waiting to happen. It seems to me that as a hand-made Cork Pad is created issues that may become a problems have to be dealt with - so at least there is less assumption happening.
IMO, poor cork pad installation can result in far worse problems than poor fishskin or leather pad installation. Cork is harder & doesn't (normally) conform well to surfaces in proximity to the tonehole.
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Author: jbutler ★2017
Date: 2004-05-05 02:50
MW,
Spot on! Exactly why most cork pads fail! Cork pads must be hand beveled and faced. The cork pads that come from suppliers are getting better, but each pad must have facing work. I know techs that install them like a bladder or leather pad, only to have disappointment from the customer.
jbutler
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Author: Wes
Date: 2004-05-06 06:07
Ferree's sells great clear cork pads in many sizes. On a clarinet, they are mostly used on closed keys which may help maintain a seat as opposed to the open key cork pads often found on oboes.
On oboes, I've found that cork pads sometimes swell up differentially causing leaks. This is fixable by tilting the pad. One should occasionally examine oboe(and clarinet) cork pads closely with a magnifying glass to detect minute cracks in the cork, holes in the cork where a piece of dirt or sand got in the way to make a hole, and the general codition of the cork and seat. Any suspect pads should be replaced, as the tiniest crack in a cork pad can affect the way the instrument responds. Mr. P. Laubin, fine oboe maker, has gone on record, preferring skin pads to cork pads where possible. One may wish to consider applying liquid carnuba wax to cork pads. Good luck!
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-05-06 15:12
In Defense (Defence?) of Leather Pads.............
I've found leather pads to last as long as cork --- I have clarinets and saxes from 50 to 90 years old which still have what I think are their original leather pads, still functioning (though maybe not so pretty....)
I've just overhauled a Cabart oboe in leather pads (except for the two tiny octave pads which I did in cork), but not being an oboist (yet?) I can't judge on their efficacy -- I'm planning to have some real oboists try out the instrument and let me know what they think about the leather pads.
I realize this is a tangent to the original question, to which I'd respond, it's probably best not to treat cork pads with anything, unless Doc Omar Henderson (the one guy who would really know) has a better answer.
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-05-06 18:53
I like to think that all Pads have their purpose. IMO, there are some older (such as Selmer K through M serial #'d) Clarinets that have toneholes which are very accepting of (soft) Leather or keywork that is soft & doesn't exactly hold its position. Too much tonehole work or keywork would be required to use Cork or a Hard-er Fishskin Pad. SO, its a plumper Fishskin or Leather Pad that produces the best results, IMO.
Longevity - I have NOT found Leather to last as long as Cork. Although I have heard of treatments to increase Leather pad life.
IMO, Leather Pads have their Upsides & Downsides like anything else. Also, matching replacement pads for Leather-padded instruments can be more of an immediate problem if one is bothered by color mismatch - unless you stock a full range. ie when a Pad goes the Clarinetist probably won't find a color match close @ hand. AND, as was pointed out, when leather pads look icky ...
Pads that take too deep a seat can be a problem - Cork pads have LESS problems with deep seats due to the hardness of the surface that contacts the tonehole. Leather & fishskin pads are both susceptible. Personally, when not using Cork for a pad - KRAUS 101T's get my vote. The 101T is a THIN Fishskin Pad.
I don't think any type "material" Pad should be used to the exclusion of all others. Remember that famous saying: when the only tool you have is a hammer everything starts looking like a nail.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-05-06 19:12
I say, the heck with all types of pad --- I'm gonna buy me some light-blue duct tape and just tape all those toneholes shut............
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Author: mw
Date: 2004-05-06 23:21
Oh no, not Light blue (Leather) duct tape - I hear Fishskin is way better!
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Author: Fred
Date: 2004-05-07 01:12
I'm not sure that's an approved use of Duct Tape . . . which is, of course, one of the two indispensable items in any do-it-yourselfer's arsenal.
(The other one is WD-40.)
If it moves and it isn't supposed to . . . use Duct Tape.
If it doesn't move and it is supposed to . . . use WD-40.
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