 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: pond-jumper
Date: 2007-01-02 22:39
Happy to have found this site and so many knowledgable players!
I am aware of pad savers. I've had people tell me for the past 30 years I should use them, but never have. I don't see the purpose of them. As a woodworker (concerned with moisture content), I can only see these things are harmful, rather than helpful. They prevent airflow through the horn. The absorb and hold moisture inside the horn. Any increase in atmospheric vapor pressure in the horn is blocked from exiting to the ambient pressure outside.
A proper drying with 2 swabs and absorbant paper in the joints and toneholes (and under pads) has served me well for 30 years with no cracks, no warps, no dimensional changes. Perhaps that is because I also use bore oil frequently.
But now I have my first set of pad savers. They were a freebie with another order. They appear to be a synthetic material (poly-something). My inclination is to throw them out. But understanding that no one knows everything, I thought I'd ask for a legitimate use of these things.
When should they be used? When the assembled horn is vertically at rest on a stand? After disassembly and placed in the case?
Which material is proper? I seems to me that cotton is a serious mistake, holding water in the bore and, being a natural fiber, promoting bacterial growth. Polyesther, which I know has a wicking action, might prove a reasonable material. Is that what is used in pad savers?
And finally, why? Why use them at all? What's the advantage?
Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Ric Naff,
Frisco, TX
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Author: Ed
Date: 2007-01-02 23:04
i have never cared for the pad savers for all of the reasons that you stated. I want to get the moisture out of the clarinet and away from the pads. I would rather swab.
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Author: bob49t
Date: 2007-01-02 23:15
Welcome to the board Ric,
Why not hit the search button then specify "pad savers" then "submit"your request....I've just done that......... and some of these knowledgable boarders have indeed been discussing these items....some of it good stuff and it looks like you'll have a ready made anti pad-savers club, in general.
RT
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-01-02 23:15
A few words on Pad Savers for clarinets - no, none and never.
Alright for saxes, but NEVER use them with clarinets - they make a right mess of the bore, and the cotton ones leave fluff and residue in the toneholes.
Use a pullthrough for the bore, and wipe the sockets dry with kitchen paper (Bounty is good as it's strong).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: pewd
Date: 2007-01-03 01:38
your 1st paragraph pretty much sums it up.
whenever i get a set with an instrument, into the trash they go ; i can find no use for them.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2007-01-03 02:25
I agree 100% with Chris P: fine for saxes, but absolutely not for clarinets, UNLESS used as a regular swab and removed from the bore immediately after use, then allowed to dry in the open air (which is not practical unless you're at home).
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Author: stevesklar
Date: 2007-01-03 02:42
I never leave them in my saxes - just as a method to pull out excessive moisture
On my clarinets (if at home) only if one of my clarinets is really wet inside i'll pull one through then use a pullthrough right after. But i know my doesn't leave a bunch of junk behind (it's very well fluffed out - if that makes sense)
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Author: GBK
Date: 2007-01-03 02:55
As I have written many times before:
Pad Savers® (pad destroyers??) are the equivalent of keeping a wet rag in the bore of your instrument.
Kept in the bore for extended periods inhibits air circulation, which can cause moldy pads, rusted springs and a most unpleasant aroma in your case.
I seriously doubt that enough of the fibers reach the tone holes and would have any effect on wicking away moisture from the tone holes or pads. The pads and tone holes would dry faster by air circulation, without the obstruction caused by keeping the Pad Saver® in the bore
Over time the lint from the pad saver sheds into the bore and tone holes.
Also, be aware that the ends of these swabs are sharp twisted metal wire, and if the little vinyl endcaps fall off the ends of the wire (as they inevitably will) the bore of the instrument can be scratched.
Whenever a new student shows up for a lesson with a Pad Saver® that mom bought, I immediately suggest that it be returned for either a quality swab (silk is preferred) or a box of reeds.
A better use for them is to put it by a drafty door or window to stop the air from coming in the room.
Don't waste your money with gimmicks - buy a silk swab...GBK
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Author: pond-jumper
Date: 2007-01-03 03:51
Thanks to all. You confirmed my thoughts. Out they go!
Ric Naff,
Frisco, TX
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2007-01-03 04:27
From what i can tell, pad savers serve as two purposes 1) to remove excess moisture, and 2) to prevent wood stains that appear in your clarinet case as the result of moisture and wood residue. I've had pad savers for two years now, and i use them primarily for that purpose. As for the other sayings of rusting springs and destroying pads.... i think that's a bit much. clogging pads i can agree with, but not destroying them. One would think that that it would also prevent the browning of pads due again to moisture + wood residue.
But then again, i too bore my clarinet at least once every two months. or when it needs it.
Whatever works.
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2007-01-03 04:27
I don't use padsavers, but they are not so bad as long as you don't leave them inside the bore. Pushing them through just like a swab... or bend it into a circle and hang it on your door next x-mas.
-S
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Author: Mark Fleming
Date: 2007-01-03 23:12
I got back into playing clarinet after finding a Selmer in a thrift store. I came home, researched that it was a 1942 Centered Tone, and paid the $40. What a deal. When I took it in for a tune-up, I looked through the gig case and found cigarette papers tucked in under the lining. The repairman said that placing a cigarette paper under each pad was a way to wick out any moisture left after swabbing.
Okay, so then what's in the baggie?
Mark Fleming
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