The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: andrewsong
Date: 2011-05-24 22:30
I looked in barrel today and there seems to what appears to be a LOT of cracks running down the inside of my barrel. Why did this occur and what should I do?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-05-24 22:52
My guess would be that the bore has dried out causing the wood to shrink and forming small cracks. As long as the crack don't go all of the way through to the outside it's probably not a big deal. I would recommend storing the barrel in a humid location (~50% relative humidity) for a few days and checking the bore again. Placing the barrel in a plastic bag along with a case humidifier or even some orange peals would work well for this. (if you use orange peals don't forget about them or they will get moldy after a few days)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2011-05-24 23:09
In the few cases where I have seen this I have sealed the cracks with superglue, applied very carefully using a needle point to just feed a drop into the actaul cracks.
After rehumidifying then I treat with a good bore oil e.g. the "Doctors" bore oil but almond oil is also good.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Buster
Date: 2011-05-25 03:12
Are you sure these are actually cracks? If extremely dry, it could perhaps be small separation(s), or openings, in the grain of the wood. If your barrel was not used for quite a while, and considering we just recently exited the wonderful season of winter (love that heater!) this could be the cause. I would recommend contacting a barrel craftsmen, which can be quite easily found with minimal research, before doing anything rash; sending photos would obviously assist them in a diagnosis. Echoing SteveG, humidity can't hurt it.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
|