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Cut or sanded cork

Author: cujo
Date: 2004-03-06 02:50

I was wondering if players perfer cork trimmed with a razor or sanded?
Also if players dont really care or notice as long as it looks good?

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Re: Cut or sanded cork

Author: ron b
Date: 2004-03-06 04:27

I assume you're referring to clarinet key corks, Cujo. Personally, I always cut cork with a super sharp blade because it looks and feels cleaner than sanded cork. You also reduce, or preferably eliminate, the chance of scratching plated keys. The only sanding you need do is between the bottom of key cork and body of instrument, for adjustment, and that should be very minimal. Also, for that purpose, you should always put cellophane tape on the sandpaper backing to eliminate, or at least minimze, the possibility of scratching the instrument body.

Players may not know the mechanical intricacies but they know a good job from a so-so one - let no techs kid themselves about that.

- r [cool]

n b -

Post Edited (2004-03-06 06:05)

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Re: Cut or sanded cork

Author: BobD
Date: 2004-03-06 13:14

Personally I am only concerned about functionality as regards cork.....wherever it is used

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Re: Cut or sanded cork

Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2004-03-07 09:43

I can tell you that if you were fiiting silencer, tenon and linkage corks all day, like some of us on this board do, you would be using sandpaper. The average scalpel blade, even when sharpened/ honed on 1200 or a strop of some kind, does not remain keen for very long. The scratching answer is simple, don't rub the paper on the keywork. It just takes about 100 years practise. There are other aspects and techniques to fitting and adjusting cork.

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Re: Cut or sanded cork

Author: ron b
Date: 2004-03-07 20:15

Mark -

Do you buff your blades? I'm assuming that anyone who does silencers, tenon and linkage corks all day has a buffing wheel handy. You can split hairs with a buffed blade. It only takes a couple of seconds to do one and you can re-buff the same blade(s) several times before their usefulness is gone.

- ron b -

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Re: Cut or sanded cork

Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-03-08 06:17

I install many corks every day, and seldom use sand-paper except for adjusting the thickness of tenon corks.

For key and linkage corks I choose a material that I deem to have the most suitable properties and thickness for each location, and then make appropriate adjustments, but not to the 'cork', to accommodate that material and thickness if necessary.

After two or three appropriate sharpenings I simply replace my snap-off-type blade. I don't use scalpel blades because they last nowhere near as long as a high quality snap-off steel blade. For cutting cork, the ideal is a long stroke with very little pressure. This is much easier with a blade 4 times as long as a scalpel blade.

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Re: Cut or sanded cork

Author: jbutler ★2017
Date: 2004-03-09 00:13

Hmm......I rarely sand at all. I prefer a very sharp blade to do the cutting. I will sand once in a while for key height, but if the cork is a tad too thick I usually just replace it with something more suitable.

jbutler

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