 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2004-04-06 05:21
Attachment: zoom_2001_altuglass.bmp (229k)
Oh no, you're thinking. Not another thread on plastic or wood. Well no... This is about 'Altuglass'.
I will show you a clear oboe, and you can tell me why and how. Je ne parlais pas Francais... (I don't speak French.) I can't give you the link. Go to http://www.marigaux.com/, look at Les Instrumentes, look at the pro oboe, Hautbois professionnel-Ligne 2000, and look at the 2001 Altuglass model.
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2004-04-06 05:34
A lovely piece, isn't it?
Kroll once played a Clarinet made of lucite. He wrote that it played quite well, with good sound.
It's enough to make one sorry that Marigaux quit building Clarinets -- I think.
Regards,
John
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-04-06 08:10
Wayne:
"Je ne parlais pas Francais" (strictly: lower-case f, cedilla on the c)
means:
"I used not to speak French", or "I spoke no French".
It tends to imply that now you can speak French. But evidently, you can't!
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-04-06 09:47
It may look sweet while it is new and pristine, but once the calcium deposits and maybe 'gunge' starts building up inside the bore &/or tone holes, it will look pretty 'grotty' - it will look like a bacterial hotbed, even if it is not!
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Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2004-04-06 14:26
This is lucite, then? And it is as workable as the other plastics that are used for instruments?
And no, I have not spoken French, and do not speak French. I may someday, though!
W
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-04-06 14:32
I always get confused about Lucite, Plexiglas and Lexan....they are all tradenames for some generic thermoplastic material(s). I'm thinking that Lexan is polycarbonate....the others might be acrylics. pas de deaux
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-04-06 14:46
Lucite and Plexiglas/Perspex are all trade names from different manufacturers for acrylic plastic; Lexan is a trade name for polycarbonate plastic.
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Author: larryb
Date: 2004-04-06 14:54
I suppose rules about correcting spelling and grammar only apply to the English tongue - shame on you Monsieur Peacham
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Author: John Morton
Date: 2004-04-06 15:06
Acrylic (Lucite, Plexiglas): somewhat brittle, very clear, polishes readily to a transparent surface, available cast or extruded. The extruded stuff (e.g. tubing is very prone to crazing when machined or in the presence of volatile vapors.
Polycarbonate (Lexan): tough and impact resistant. As manufactured it is clear but slightly bluish. It does not polish well, and I know of no way to bring a machined or scuffed surface back to clear.
Both these materials take on water, as you will see if you use a piece as the lid for a fish tank.
I was once shown a C clarinet made from ABS. The keywork appeared to be the same material. I guess you could play it in the shower! It came in a blue plastic threaded tube like what they use to package big core drill bits.
John Morton
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-04-06 15:37
Right !, DS and JM, the only [real] glass oboe I've ever seen was on exhibit in one of England's "great houses", no keys as I recall prob. because of no posts !! I'd also guess its a clear ABS [acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene], one of many acrylics [poly alkyl alkylacrylates] like lucite etc, or a polycarbonate [like our glasses lenses] to have the appearance character needed and stability for manufacture and use. Likely thats what the "altu" signifies, French help needed, please ! Interesting, yes, useful ?? Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-04-06 16:52
A quick Google reveals many mentions of both Altuglass and Altuglas, with the latter spelling predominating. Presumably there is no subtle difference between them. Anyway, it seems to be a trade name for methacrylate, also sold as Plexiglass or Perspex.
As for the derivation of the name, I'm not sure it is French. Neither "Altu" nor "Glass" means anything in French, AFAIK, and "Glas" means a bell (not as in the bell of a clarinet, but as in "For Whom the Bell Tolls").
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
Post Edited (2004-04-06 16:54)
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Author: tetiana
Date: 2004-04-06 17:50
There's a Union Jack on the web page (top right); clicking on it will give you an English version.
tetiana
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-04-06 18:21
TKS, Tetiana, the flag sure improves a beautiful web-site for me. Just shopping around, I tried to find prices, partic. of the Eng Horns [just dreaming!], without success. Does anyone know how ?? Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2004-04-06 18:37
Gordon, I would think the transparency of the tube would allow easier inspection of the interior, making it easier to determine if the piece has been adequately swabbed clean.
Polishing acrylic plastic takes some time but can be done very successfully. I polished out a bad gouge on a Laserdisc once upon a time, and its performance was nicely restored. Tried the same later on a CD, and that's when I discovered that unlike Laserdiscs, CD surfaces are not acrylic. They're covered with polycarbonate, and the fine grit of the aircraft canopy polishing kit sheets just made it look worse. Per your comment, John, I tried to find some way to fix the problem, which had become a real challenge, and discovered nothing. Challenge officially failed. Live and learn.
Regards,
John
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