 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ben Shaffer
Date: 2020-08-26 03:44
So I was down at an Older Music store near where I live that has a lot of older Inventory
I asked the Owner if he had any old Bells for sale.
He in fact did and presented me with a small box full of grungy looking Bells. that I guess have been in the Box 20 plus years
Most were just old Composite Bells, but a few were of wood.
I tried out one with the Name Selmer with a Laurel around the name with my Clarinet and it made the Clarinet sound quite a bit better.
It said Made In France around the back of the Bell .
The Bell seemed lighter in weight than any other Wood Bells I've used.
I bought it for $10 and brought it home.
I cleaned it up and noticed there was a hairline crack not quite to the top and bottom, but was visible through the inside.
That said the Bell made my Clarinet sound great.
So will the Hairline crack get any bigger if played or not?
Should I play it as is or have a local repair Person epoxy it?
Post Edited (2020-08-26 03:47)
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Author: alanporter
Date: 2020-08-26 03:56
I use superglue for sealing cracks. It works and if it is applied inside the bell it doesn't matter about polishing after it has set.
tiaroa@shaw.ca
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Author: johng ★2017
Date: 2020-08-26 03:57
sitting in a box like that could cause the crack to widen it you play on it, so it would be safer to have it repaired before doing much with it.
John Gibson, Founder of JB Linear Music, www.music4woodwinds.com
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2020-08-26 05:26
johng wrote:
> sitting in a box like that could cause the crack to widen it
> you play on it, so it would be safer to have it repaired before
> doing much with it.
>
On the other hand, if it improves the clarinet as is, you could play on it without doing any repair and see what happens. If the crack opens or lengthens, you can still superglue it or have a repair tech do whatever is standard with a cracked bell.
Humidifying it by playing it 0r even putting it in a bag with a few pieces of orange peel or a Dampit or other humidifier might actually help close the crack up, since the wood is almost certainly nearly desiccated after years in the box. That would probably explain at least partially why it seems so light - it's dried out.
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2020-08-26 20:15
I'm half expecting the title to read "Unexpected Bell Find In Bagging Area".
It could be a Series 9 bell as they had 'Made in France' stamped on the back just below the socket ring - earlier bells (Centered Tone and earlier) usually had it stamped lightly on the front some distance below the logo so they could fit any extra engraving in there for the export models.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2020-08-27 00:16
I've had hairline cracks on long-unused bells completely close up after generous applications of extra-virgin olive oil to both the interior and exterior of the bell. Just keep oiling until the bell stops absorbing new oil, and let the passage of time do the rest.
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