 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kurt
Date: 2002-12-10 19:31
I'd like to know in what cases it is worth repairing small (hairline) cracks in a wood clarinet? Do all cracks necessarily need to be repaired? Is it expensive to do? Thanks to anyone that can help me here.
Kurt
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2002-12-10 22:20
Are you having a problem? Winter heating often leads to dry air and many wooden instruments show increased grain depth.
Cracks that compromise toneholes or enter the internal bore will generate leaks and can lead to structural failure.
It's not expensive, good techs do it all the time and can be careful about the cosmetic results.
Best Buffet R13 I ever played had cracked and been repaired three times... not for sale at any price, it was worth the trouble.
Some horns don't fare so well after the repair.
Most are just fine, thank you very much.
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Author: Hank
Date: 2002-12-10 22:28
Hi,
I have a Selmer Series 9* that had two major cracks in the upper section repaired before I got it. This clarinet is the best one of my fleet in terms of sound and intonation throughout the entire register. As SB says, "not for sale at any price."
Although you can see these cracks if you look closely, there are pretty well hidden (much better than the old flush band repairs).
Hank
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-12-11 09:12
Some cracks are superficial and stable - they don't leak, don't get longer, and most importantly, don't go through tone holes, where they would cause significant leaks. These cracks can be left or cosmetically filled. Others neeed to be stabilized with pins. It is probably better to pin a crack BEFORE it reaches a tone hole if it is advancing towards one.
If a crack goes through a tone hole, and is filled, it is still likely to open and close with environmental moisture changes. One purpose of pins is to stabilize the WIDTH of the crack so that it can be filled without leaking again.
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Author: Kurt
Date: 2002-12-12 00:57
I'm looking at buying an alto with cracks. It's real cheap so I figure with a good repair, could be quite usable. Is this a valid assumtion? I'm not expecting a perfect instrument after the repairs but figure for what I need, it should be sufficient.
Kurt
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-12-12 03:49
Yes. A well repaired/pinned crack will not be noticed unless pointed out. Often the work will be completely invisible. It depends a bit on the grain of the instrument. It is difficult to match grain. But often an instrument has barely visible grain anyway. Work at tone holes is more difficult to get totally blemish free.
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Author: Kurt
Date: 2002-12-14 02:42
It's wood. I don't think I'd bother with a plastic one.
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