 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mommaq
Date: 1999-04-17 01:03
I read the wonderful faqs on these pages about taking your instrument apart to clean properly about once a year. My repairman told us not to cause we probably would make a mistake putting it back together...or lose something.
I don't know how to replace the springs and am worried that I'll drop a screw or strip one. A repairman told us that our screws were rusty and would be hard to remove. I don't want to get into trouble cause my daughter has a concert next month and needs the instrument for then.
About how much does it run to get the instrument "tuned up"?
Would you do it before a concert or after?
Just curious...and seeing if I'll be saving any money doing it myself.
mommaq
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Author: J.Butler
Date: 1999-04-17 01:52
I am a repair technician and have given my opinion on this once before. Do what you only feel competent in doing a leave the rest to the pro. It will save you peace of mind if nothing else. However, if you do decide to take it apart do so in a logical manner. I start with the register key and place the steel in a block of wood that has holes drilled in it to fit the steels (rods). (Put the steels in the block in order and reverse that order putting the instrument back together.) Next I take off the trill keys,(the top two may come off together), then take out the pivot screw at the bottom of the upper joint that holds the d ring and pad. Next take off the C#/G# key, then move up and over and take off the Eb/Bb key. Next take off the G# key, then the F# key and last the A key. Now the entire upper joint is done. It will help you if you have a spring hook to get the springs in place when putting the keys back on, but a crochet hook can be used if it is small enough.
Now move to the lower joint and take off the two left hand keys (F#/C# and E/B). Next take off the Eb/D# and F/C keys. They will come off together since they share a common steel. Next take off the low E key by removing the bottom pivot screw. Be sure to work over a table that has a towel or something on it. That way if a pivot screw falls it won't roll off the table. Do not take out a pivot screw over your lap, if it falls you may never find it. Next take of the left had C by removing the pivot screw at the top. Now you can remove the left hand rings by removing that pivot screw or steel, and lastly the alternate B/F# key. It may have a pivot screw or steel. Reverse the order when putting them back on. Do not overtighten pivot screws or the key will not move freely. You also may want to remove just a few keys at a time to see if this is your "cup of tea".
If the keys are rusted and you do not have a GOOD screw driver you can ruin the slot trying to take the key off. I have found that a nitro solvent oil that gun shops sell works very good in eating through the rust. Place a few drops on the rusted steel or pivot and let it soak overnight before trying to remove the key. Do not remove the springs. This is not necessary for cleaning the instrument. You can get up under the springs with strips of flannel and "buff" under them very nicely.
Go Slow and Be Careful.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-04-17 02:01
mommaq wrote:
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I read the wonderful faqs on these pages about taking your instrument apart to clean properly about once a year. My repairman told us not to cause we probably would make a mistake putting it back together...or lose something.
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I second J. Butler's comments - if you don't feel up to it or are scared to do it - don't. I'm relatively fearless, but many people aren't (I used to work with highly sensitive hydraulic amplifiers, and have had training in handling delicate mechanics. Even then ...).
What you've done with the Q-tip et al. will work just fine. Some of that "goo" may have been there earlier and is being softened up and moved about by your daughter.
You might, after saving up your money :^), have the repairman replace those rusted screws and rods with new ones. If the screws are rusted there's a chance of little rust spots on the rods, too.
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-04-17 03:25
As the others have said, don't do anything that you are really uncomfortable about. However, the register key hole is one that probably needs cleaned out more often and the key is relatively easy to remove. Just get a set of jeweler's screw drivers down at the hardware store. Work over a table, of course, and simply unscrew the screw. Now this is a long rod and only the end is threaded. So after you have unscrewed it as much as you can, just take hold of the end and pull it out. Clean out the keyhole and then put everything back. You don't need to remove the spring at all. Just make sure that you know which way it points before you take the key off. That way you can turn it back to the right position if it gets accidently turned. Note if the screw is rusted, you would need to apply one of the compounds mentioned in the other posts to loosen the rust before you could get it out.
Some of the other keys are harder to take off and put back on so unless you feel that you have a general mechanical aptitude, it's probably best to leave them alone.
If you decide to take it in on an annual basis, I would suggest early summer. School is out but they and their students generally don't send things until mid or late summer so the shop shouldn't be too busy. However, check with them to see when is their slack time as it may be different in your area.
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Author: paul
Date: 1999-04-19 21:50
I believe it's a function of two areas of relative risk.
First, if your daughter needs the horn fairly soon for a concert, perhaps waiting until after the concert may be a good idea. She's probably used to the degraded key feel and response. In addition, I seriously doubt she would want her precious horn to be in pieces or missing parts as both of you are making your mad dash to the concert.
Second, it's a matter of your comfort level of mechanical expertise versus available funds. If the horn is that bad and you simply don't have the cash, you may have little choice but to be brave and go for it. However, the relative cost of the work versus the value of the horn must be considered. For instance, I would feel extremely upset if I messed up my one and only premium pro-grade clarinet. That's $2000 that I cannot easily replace. My Buffet certified tech is less than 5 miles away. With that in mind, spending a few dollars in small preventive maintenance for me is a much better cost/risk trade-off.
The only work I ever had done on my plastic piece of junk clarinet from high school was the replacement of the lowest right side pad on the lower joint. The tonehole wasn't round and it was chipped, so a tech put an oversized pad on the key cup to help get it sealed a little better. I had to make do with the horn from that point on.
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