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RE: bad Pad

Author: Hiroshi
Date: 1999-09-13 08:37

I am also an engineer and have tried to fix pads if it is the simple place to fix it as an emergency before I can bring my instrument to my reliable repair shop.It may also be a good thing to know what a repair man does.

1)Necessary tools:
a)an alcoholic lump and methyl alcohol. It burns at lower temperature than other methods.
b)Pad iron.This is a tin plate with small and big shapes on each side.This works just like a laundry iron.
c)Shellac:This is a natural adhesives. When heated it melts,and when cooled it solidifies. Bee wax is often used for flutes but it may be too soft for clarinet pads with steel springs.
d)Set of new pads. Old pads cannot be used again.

First take off the key. Warm it up by the lump from the bottom. The pad comes up if it properly uses schellac as adhesive.(Sometimes poor repairman uses other inorganic adhesives,Too my lament,this is very often the case in these days.) Take off the old pad. Then clean up the bottom of the cup as possible.Then put on a very small amount of chips of shellac at the bottom. Then place a new pad.

Set the key to its original position. Set the key as the pad positioned horizontally. Moisturize the pad surface by something(such as by pad iron or spray). Warm the cup from the bottom. The schellac melts inside the cup and the pad floats in the cup. Warm-up the pad iron before schellac solidifies. Insert the pad iron between the pad seat and pad surface and let it close by spring force or by finger depending on the place of the pad. Keep it for a while to let the schellac solidify inside and pad irons assures proper sitting and get rid of shrinks of pad skin.

There are pads which move together.This is more difficult to change and adjust the pads.

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Author

Date

bad Pad new

Chuck Kelly

1999-09-10 18:58