 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Fred
Date: 2003-07-07 13:07
I got a pad on the upper RH trill key replaced with a cork pad. I'm wondering about how these pads seat. This one is "almost" right, but I get a small chirp hitting the 12th every once in a while at low A or lower.
This is a very busy time for technicians, and I don't want to take up time unnecessarily. Do these pads normally seat better after they have been played for a while, or does it really need a pro's attention?
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-07-07 14:12
Cork pads are rather hard to seat and really don't 'settle in' much after being installed --- You might try taking a narrow strip of 600-grit sandpaper and sliding it between the pad and the clarinet (grit side up towards the pad) and, holding slight pressure on the key, pull the sandpaper strip back and forth a few times to make the pad conform to the tonehole.
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Author: Clarence
Date: 2003-07-07 18:21
Cork pads don't seat by them selfs and need help. Press the top of the seated pad as often as necessary until the pad conforms to the pad seat. This could take weeks. Pressing on the cork pads before a performance also helps.
Post Edited (2003-07-07 20:46)
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2003-07-07 18:38
This is where those Velcro strips would help. This could be put around the clarinet at the right spot to hold the key down in place during storage. Another, perhaps easier-to-find solution would be one of those fabric-covered hair elastics that your daughter has laying out all over her dresser. (A regular rubber band is a no-no since it'll cause damage to the instrument.) This way the cork would be sitting in place all the time except while you're playing.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2003-07-07 18:48
Ok . . . don't shoot me for considering this.
Would it be helpful to moisten the cork before applying the added pressure? It seems like that would make the cork a bit more conformable. I like the idea of adding the pressure as a first resort before trying David's sanding technique. I'd be lousy at putting cork back on after overdoing it a bit. ![[whoa]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie10.gif)
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-07-07 19:01
Fred,
My chamber's empty, so I can't shoot you......Your idea is not a bad one and works sometimes, but generally only for a short time --- like if you saturate a pad just before a concert you might make it through the show, but in the long term the cork pad will probably revert to its previous configuration -- try my sanding idea, remember that 600 grit is very fine and won't remove much material 'per pass' --- and I should have mentioned, blow all the cork dust out of the tonehole before you try to play.
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Author: jbutler ★2017
Date: 2003-07-07 19:19
I've come to the conclusion that a deep seat in any pad "is not a good thing". Deep seats tend to leak air. Cork pads on closed keys, if level, do not need a deep seat. The compression of the spring tension will put a light but noticeable seat in the pad. Spring pressure will keep them from leaking. I cautiously suggest not putting a lot of pressure on them to form a deep groove in the cork pad.
jbutler
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-07-07 20:42
jbutler is absolutely correct ---- also, putting a deep seat on a cork pad will cause it, sooner or later, to tear or chip somewhere along the sharp indentation in the pad caused by excessive spring (or rubber band or whatever) pressure.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2003-07-07 21:28
Correctly seating a pad is not done blind or by brute force!
Firstly, identify the EXACT problem. Which PART of the pad does not close properly. Use a 'feeler' to determine this. Then take appropriate action.
With cork pads, sealing is achieved MAINLY by correct alignment of the pad in the key cup, and by having chosen a pad of appropriate thickness. As soon as you start sanding it, great care is needed to maintain a very flat surface.
Be aware that there could be a problem with insufficient spring tension or a binding pivot, or 'sloppy' pivot, or blemishes in the tone hole edge. When using cork pads, all these things must be right.
It is also common for the geometry of the keys to be set up poorly, such that the linkage arm (to the thumb ring) of the F# key (first finger, left hand) slightly opens the top side key when the thumb ring of F# key is pressed.
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