 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SVSorna05
Date: 2004-11-08 00:28
Hi how would you go about replacing the spring that attatches to the key for example on the I believe e/b on the right hand. How would you tension it etc. thanx
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-11-08 01:54
Extract the old spring from the post, select an appropriate-material spring of the correct diameter, cut it to the correct length, hammer the end flat, against a hardened steel anvil - just the right amount, and an appropriate shape, squeeze it into the post, and then bend it to an appropriate tension.
If everything goes smoothly, this is all very simple, but there are many problems that can occur, each of which can be quite difficult to solve unles you have expertise and specialised equipment.
To do this job efficiently and be capable of dealing with the problems, without damage, most technicians would have several hundred dollars worth of specialised equipment, and a full range of dozens of spring sizes, in at least two materials.
To explain all the detail would take many pages - inappropriate in a forum.
If you read very simple instructions somewhere, then clearly they do not cover the many issues of how to avoid problems, nor how to deal with them.
Post Edited (2004-11-08 01:56)
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Author: SVSorna05
Date: 2004-11-08 02:49
Ok sorry I wasn't clear enough in my question. Is there anything different you have to do on the F#/C# (my mistake earlier) key on the lower joint on the right hand. the spring post is on the key and the needle goes into the wood. Is there anything special that must be done in this case. Thanx and sorry for the confusion.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-11-08 05:14
This is a far fussier spring than most. OFTEN it is made ridiculously short, for its diameter, giving the action of the key a sluggish feel, because the force needed to operate increases so much during the travel of the key. Thanks, Buffet!
If it's action presses against the timber, rather than a groove or hole in the metal of the post mounting, the groove may be worn, effectively reducing the effective length even more. Thanks, Buffet! Very careful bending may help. The best cure is a modification, with a longer spring, so that the spring bears on metal.
The point of the spring may be pressing up against a tiny 'wall' that is worn right at its end, making the key action quite resistant. Thanks, Buffet! A tiny modification to the shape at the end, or removal of a fraction of a millimetre of the point (and buffing the end?) may help.
The spring is mounted in a particularly flimsy-walled tube soldered to the key, at least on some models. If the spring is over-flattened then this tube can be split apart. Thanks Buffet!
In my opinion, as you may presume, this particularly piece of 'engineering' is as low as it gets on many Buffet clarinets, but OK on others. Whatever were Buffet thinking of when they botched it up on some models, for so long, including recent models.
Other manufacturers have managed to incorporate a perfectly standard and good spring design into the key's post.
Another consideration is that unless the spring is mounted and possibly curved just right, it can rub against the key between the spring cradle and the end of the hinge rod.
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