 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: bill28099
Date: 2004-11-30 16:17
I've got a couple of sticking leather pads on a used bass that I just picked up ( Buffet Prestige to low C). I did a search and have wiped the pad and vent with a damp cloth, cleaned and oiled the bearing and cranked up the spring tension but they still stick. I don't have any of the magic power people talk about. On my old Conn I just put a bit of baby oil on the stickers and the problem stopped, I figure anything good enough for a baby's bottom is good enough for an old Conn. Any suggestions before I go off the deep end and baby oil the Buffet.
Speaking of this thing I find ergonomically it is killing my right wrist. If I set the peg low enough to get the mouthpiece where it belongs then the horn is so low that my wrist is put at a poor angle. Are any of you in the same situation?
I would imagine that people shorter than me (5'9") might have the problem to even a greater degree. To me the only solution seems to have the neck modified so the mouthpiece is lower and more parallel to the ground, like my old Conn.
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ron b
Date: 2004-11-30 17:11
Bill:
I've used WD-40 (SPARINGLY!) on a soft cloth to wipe both pad and tone hole with favourable results.
Ergonomically speaking, have you tried lowering your chair?
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: bill28099
Date: 2004-11-30 17:34
ron b
Right now the bell is virtually on the ground and in a normal chair I can reach the mouthpiece only by sitting up very straight. It is in this position my right hand is canted at the bad angle. Lowering the chair would mean I couldn't blow the thing, now that WOULD solve the problem. Maybe this is not a problem for younger players with more flexible wrists but I'm 60+
WD-40, I think I'll stick to baby oil unless someone has a better suggestion.
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
Post Edited (2004-11-30 17:37)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: JamesE
Date: 2004-11-30 18:43
Might try a light dusting of talcum powder on the pad where it contacts the metal rim.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bnatural
Date: 2004-11-30 20:32
I'm guessing this would be the same as leather pads on a sax. In which case I know that sotw has discussed it many times (sorry can't think of a good solution at the moment) but, I believe that talcum powder and other such things will decompose over time and leave things that are stickier then your pads.
Just my 2 cents
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-11-30 20:44
There are many different causes of sticking pads, so we are working fairly blind with treatment.
WD-40 may well help to clean off oily and greasy contaminants, but many modern pads are treated with a water/air-proofing, which WD-40 may well have the power to make MORE sticky, by softening it.
That baby oil is good enough for a baby's bum is totally irrelevant to what amounts to an engineering application. Do you apply the oil to the baby to stop the skin sticking to a timber surface?!
The oil is FAR more likely to make a modern pad surface stick worse, from capillary forces. And what does this oil dry to when left for a few months or years? Most oils dry to a sticky residue.
You have tried cleaning. In my opinion the next best option is to try talc or teflon powder.
Only the merest trace is what does the job. Do not get it all over the instrument! It can contribute to corrosion of both surfaces and pivot steels.
Rub a small amount into some strong, flexible, soft paper. Shake off ALL visible excess. Use this to pull through under the pad, leaving an almost invisible trace. Getting lots of talc over pads and tone holes, later mixed with saliva or water, is not a bad recipe for making some form of sticky porridge.
If cleaning and powder fail, probably the next best option is to replace the pad.
Note that the larger, smoother, shinier, and more waterproof two surfaces are, the more likely they are to stick to eachother. Consider bare legs sitting on a vinyl-covered chair, and a chair covered with woven fabric.
Post Edited (2004-12-01 00:58)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-11-30 22:22
Good advice, Gordon.
You should also clean to the rims, which can accumulate gunk.
With bladder pads, the standard advice is to pinch a new $1 bill between the pad and the rim and slide it out. The paper is fairly abrasive (for paper).
There are also pad dressings, though I haven't tried them.
The Doctor's products have worked well for me, and he makes a pad dressing. Omar -- are you there?
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
