 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Brenda
Date: 2003-02-12 00:15
Haven't you noticed that the silk swab slides through the instrument nicely and sort of absorbs the moisture but leaves moisture in the holes? And the Buffet cotton swab is thick enough to clean out the moisture really well, but seems to do too well and take the oils with it, then the condensation builds up in the key holes and you get bubbling all over again. I've resorted to leaving a little bit of bore oil residue on the swab so it doesn't completely dry out the inside. Perhaps some of these other swabs sit delightfully in the middle and do their job but not too effectively.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: John Elison
Date: 2003-02-12 03:01
I believe it’s best to remove all the moisture. That’s why I use two swabs. The first one pulls the majority of the moisture out the barrel end so that the lower parts of the bore that remained dry don’t get wet. The second swab is pulled from barrel to the bell several times to absorb any remaining moisture, but more importantly, to smooth the remnants of moisture downward through the bore to improve flow in a way that keeps it out of the tone holes. I’ve been cleaning my instrument this way for years and rarely do I get moisture bubbling out of tone holes.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob
Date: 2003-02-12 11:26
When I started playing in the late 30's the only swabs I ever saw were the twisted wire rigid ones. I have assumed that somewhere along the line a player used the rigid swab to push his handkerchief through his horn either because the swab was almost worn out or he/she got tired of the fuzz. I'm still looking for the perfect one but clean personal handkerchiefs(cotton and silk) are still the cheapest.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hans
Date: 2003-02-12 14:06
After swabbing, I insert pad savers because (I think) they draw the moisture out of the tone holes. There is never any "bubbling" and only 2 or 3 pads have needed replacement in >14 years.
Hans
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Brenda
Date: 2003-02-13 02:22
Very interesting thoughts - so, Hans, what are pad savers? Would the woodwind drying papers, doubled up, do the trick as well? We're talking about storing the instrument after practice, right?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hans
Date: 2003-02-13 14:30
Brenda,
Pad savers are (in the case of the clarinet) slightly longer than the clarinet's two longest sections and are covered with a fuzzy material that reaches into the tone holes to draw out whatever moisture remains, after normal cleaning, through capillary action.
I use them to store my instruments after practice and this has not caused any problems at all.
Hans
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
