 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: wjk
Date: 2005-04-09 19:57
What do others use to humidify their clarinets in the case? I'm trying a 35mm film cannnister with holes in the top with a damp sponge inserted. I did use a sponge that is touted to inhibit bacterial growth---I assume this is a good thing. Some metal rings are loose in the dry Northeast weather---any other suggestions?
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Author: clarinets1
Date: 2005-04-09 20:41
i use one of those too. orange peels work well also. as long as the loose rings are not creating problems in performance, they shouldn't be of too much concern. a wooden clarinet is an organic object (made from organic trees!) that will change with weather and humidity. humidity is good though, as is obvious by now. the wood will swell and shrink with the seasons. there are ways of tightening them though. my teacher used thin plastic (like saran wrap) and an exacto blade. other people may have other thoughts.....
~~JK
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2005-04-09 20:45
Humidistat is ok....but it is small and releases slowly. I needed two to maintain 38%.
Dampits (the green snakey things) have to be soaked often and the spongy stuff inside deteriorates over time.
PlanetWaves small humidifiers are oddly shaped for clar. case.
So....off to the workshop I trotted.....and:
I use a gelatinized substance that is refreshed by distilled water. The crystals shrink when they lose water. I place them in a cannister made from a reject clarinet barrel with one end closed with cork or rubber seals. The other end looks like a salt shaker.
When I get a round tuit, maybe I will market them, go public, sell my share of the corporation, and retire in luxury to a palatial estate. I may also awaken. ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif)
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2005-04-09 21:25
Alseg, you need not try that anywhere in the middle west unless I get a cut in the sales and marketing proceeds as I have cornered the market on "round tuits"
"you wrote--When I get a round tuit, maybe I will market them" Mind how you go, square tuits won't work. Ask GBK.
A round tuit is all he needs to make himself a pile,
a square tuit don't work for poop--but we could run a trial
to see how long we push the thread, and finish with a smile!
Bob A
Post Edited (2005-04-09 21:28)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-04-09 22:20
Ah, WJK, but just which model of 35mm canister. I've still got some of the metal ones but I don't use them for humidistats. I use both the round plastic and the oval plastic ones. One thought: put the holes in the lid, not the bottom of the container itself. Reason: you can pour water in the container and it won't run all over your legs. How many you put in your case and how often you replenish them depends on... Of course, the best solution is probably to use the commercially available ones along with a humidity meter. I simply depend on the "bell ring test'. I do believe that clarinet cases could be made less absorbent.....that would help the humidity problem and also the mustiness problem.
Bob Draznik
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Author: susieray
Date: 2005-04-10 03:39
"I use a gelatinized substance that is refreshed by distilled water."
Allan,
Is this "gelatinized substance" the same stuff that is used in diapers
and (excuse me) Kotex?
Sue
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2005-04-10 15:04
Next to my own contraption which is not commercially available, I like Blummy's rec. the best. In fact I got the one that goes into Bassoon or guitar cases and use it in a drawer with my reeds.
The humistats are easy to use, dont require daily watering (unlike dampits) and are durable. Plus...they are inexpensive and....bulletproof.
Other alternatives include a slice of orange peel. This has the added benefit of being available for martinis if you dont like olives.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: RosewoodClarinet
Date: 2005-04-10 15:16
I like the humistats. I put one in the BAM double clarinet case and keep reeds there, too.
I have never used orange peel. Neither olives........maybe I will try.
RosewoodClarinet
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2005-04-10 15:33
Sorry I missed the question about the crystals....I do not know about the hygienic pad formulation. I get my crytals from a professional humidification supplier
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-04-10 15:52
If you use an orange peel make sure to let it dry out for 1 day before putting it in the case or you risk having your bottom bell ring turn black - I did that once!
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-04-10 16:17
Last bit of advice on the humistat (the owner of the company who is the inventor's son didn't even know this one!) :
Soak the new humistat in a cup of water for about an hour or more (overnight is fine) with the top off before putting it in your case. That will prepare the cotton to absorb the water properly. Otherwise if you don't soak it, the cotton will take many days to soak properly and do it's job. When you fill it with water you need to put the cap on for the water to not leak out - when water is coming out of the bottom without the cap on it is doing it's proper job. When it is brand new and the cotton is not soaked yet, it won't run water out of it's bottom holes - that must occur for it to work fully.
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Author: Keith Ferguson
Date: 2005-04-11 02:18
For what it's worth, I haven't had good luck with humistats. I've had four. The containers cracked on three (with the result that I was humidifying my case in a way I hadn't intended!) and the fourth just stopped releasing moisture after working well for a week. I'm back to film canisters, and quite happy with them. As mentioned in a previous thread, what you use as a humidity source is less important than having a hygrometer in your case to monitor humidity levels.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-04-11 09:23
Keith - it was a bad batch. That's why they just changed the material to Lexan.
The Lexan won't break even if you try to break it! But you need to "prepare the cotton" for it to work best.
If you send (or even write them) the broken ones to Humistat, they will most likely send you free replacements - he's a really nice guy and makes good on his product.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2005-04-11 15:00
I read a few days ago -- I forget where, maybe Consumer Reports -- that a sponge is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. By the time a kitchen sponge gets soft, it's over 50% bacteria.
Boiling for a couple of minutes destroys the bacteria. I think the safest thing to do would be to have at least two humidifiers and rotate them once a week. When you take one out of the case, immediately remove whatever you're using to hold the water, drop it in boiling wter and then squeeze it out and let it dry. Then put fresh purified water in it just before putting it in the case the following week.
Ken Shaw
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