 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: idahofats
Date: 2005-07-14 18:20
Finally, after a few decades of playing, I contrived to get my oiling swab stuck on the register vent yesterday---the swab had become frayed. I went searching for a tool to push the swab down the length of the upper joint, and found something that worked perfectly. Two lengths of rifle-cleaning rod screwed together, minus the patch-holder or wire brush, with a bit of masking tape at the business end to prevent scarring of the bore.
The diameter of the rod was just narrow enough to push the swab all the way through without jamming against the register vent. If you find yourself in a similar situation, remember that there's always a crazy neighbor with a rifle collection. Shotgun kits don't do the job, though---too wide for the upper joint.
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2005-07-14 18:26
When I was a 12-year-old beginner, I got my swab stuck in my shiny new Signet not a week after I got it. I used the leg of my flimsy folding music stand to shove it through. It worked, and I still have the scratches in the bore of that horn today to prove it. Chalk it up to being 12 at the time.
When the same thing happened with my R-13 last year, I took it to a technician. Cost me $13, so no beer for me that week. But the bore is still shiny and scratch-free.
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: larryb
Date: 2005-07-14 19:32
I knew the second amendment had a useful purpose - finally, something left and right can agree on.
As for "there's always a crazy neighbor with a rifle collection:" what do you think that guy would say about our "name your equipment" thread?
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2005-07-14 19:41
Long handled alligator forceps sold in fishing tackle stores do the job nicely.....until Hillary outlaws fishing gear along with guns.
Curiosity....what did the tech use to retrieve the swap from the R13?
(my guess: tech used the device that is used to place undercutting bits under the tone holes.)
[ Snipped - let's keep the discussion somewhat about clarinets ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif) - GBK ]
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Author: larryb
Date: 2005-07-14 19:43
Alseg,
do you think Mark and GBK will overlook your political comment just by hitting the enter key a few times? These guys are sharp.
Hope I get this post in before the thread is closed down!
BTW: Tony Pay posts alot here
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2005-07-14 20:07
Found on the gun collectors' forum:
Quote:
Finally, after a few decades of shooting, I contrived to get my oiling rag stuck on the breech pin yesterday---the rag had become frayed. I went searching for a tool to push the rag down the length of the barrel, and found something that worked perfectly. An old Cordier clarinet reed trimmer was able to grip onto the oiling rag, with some bits of mouthpiece patches to prevent scarring to the gunmetal.
The blade on the trimmer was just dull enough to grip and pull the rag all the way through without damaging the breech pin. If you find yourself in a similar situation, remember that there's always a crazy neighbor with a clarinet collection. Saxophone kits don't do the job, though---too wide for the barrel gauge.
Bizarro world!
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: idahofats
Date: 2005-07-14 20:52
Ralph:
If they want my reed trimmer, they'll have to pry my cold, dead fingers off of it.
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Author: Dan1937
Date: 2005-07-14 21:12
Sometimes twisting the swab, winding it tighter in the bore and making it more compressed, will do the trick.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-07-14 21:14
Gun cleaning patches in the slot end of the rifle rod work great for oiling....guns or clarinets.....
Bob Draznik
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Author: idahofats
Date: 2005-07-14 21:23
Bob:
As far as oiling the clarinet with a fully-assembled gun rod, seems like the potential for scratching is high...any port in a storm, though. And as to the flute rod, it's a little narrower than I like, and it's harder to find a crazy neighbor with a flute collection.
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2005-07-14 22:30
Larryb wrote:
> > BTW Tony Pay posts a lot here.
So, perhaps I should contribute to this thread:
Speaker tubes are usually held in with shellac. If you find a screwdriver or other cylindrical metal object slightly smaller than the speaker tube, you can heat it in a flame and then insert it into the speaker tube from the outside. Conduction of heat throuth the tube then melts the shellac, and you can usually extract the tube without much difficulty, either just using the friction between the screwdriver and the tube, or by making yourself a small hook.
The stuck swab then comes out without difficulty.
By the way, though it's not *very* crucial, you might want make a note of how 'proud' the speaker tube is from the body of the instrument before you start, so you can put the tube back exactly where it was. To reinsert it, put it on the screwdriver and heat it in a flame. You can then drop it easily into the hole, and the melted shellac makes a secure bond.
It's as well to have a cloth to shield your thumb from burning as you push the hot tube home to where it was originally. (You could wear a glove, for example.)
Tony
Post Edited (2005-07-14 22:32)
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Author: larryb
Date: 2005-07-15 00:14
tony pay,
couldn't you just as easily pour a little kerosene down the tube and then light the swab on fire; then all you need to do is blow out the ash
oh, by the way,
my above comment about you only makes sense in the context of the portion of alseg's post that GBK snipped. it was a non sequiter, really
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2005-07-15 04:52
All good ideas.
If a cordier reed trimmer can enter the bore.....I think you have a Howitzer
As far as swabs stuck on register tubes, why not return to the register hole in front of the clarinet? No tube would be in the bore.
Of course that would mean positioning the thumb hole in front, which is cumbersome and of poor ergometric design.(1)
larryb stated
<<<oh, by the way,
my above comment about you only makes sense in the context of the portion of alseg's post that GBK snipped. it was a non sequiter, really
>>
Well, if my comment about [pre-emptive edit by the author] had a +++segue +++from the topic at hand ....does that mean it was a (cringe alert!!!)**** non -segue-tor? ***
(1) j/k
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2005-07-15 05:13
Alseg -- just realized you asked me what the tech used to remove the swab.
And I don't know. I stayed out in the showroom looking at all the pretty shiny things. For all I know he could have used the leg of his flimsy folding music stand.
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: larryb
Date: 2005-07-15 12:18
Ralph G,
I think you misposted - conversation about pretty shiny things can be found on the "reed/girlfriend/boyfriend" thread.
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Author: Tony Pay ★2017
Date: 2005-07-15 22:03
The only sensible response to the question of how safely to remove a swab twisted round a speaker tube is what I posted.
Learn from it or not, I don't care.
Tony
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-07-16 01:01
I don't mean to be contentious but, in the world of instrument repair there is almost always more than one way to achieve a result. There are likely as many ways of removing a stuck swab as there are repair persons in Ohio.
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: Burt
Date: 2005-07-16 13:32
I had the same problem. I used my flute peg. I knew that, sooner or later, a flute would come in handy.
Since then, I put the swab in from the top of the clarinet. When it gets stuck, I can easily reach it.
I find that the silk swabs are much better than the cotton or leather in terms of not getting stuck.
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Author: larryb
Date: 2005-07-18 02:38
look, if you don't like my idea about lighting the swab on fire with kerosene, then good luck to you, it's a free bulletin board, you can take my advise or leave it, anyway, I gotta catch a flight now and eat some cheese
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Author: Claire
Date: 2005-07-18 04:16
wow, I was shocked to see that someone tried to shove a swab through their clarinet and it didn't compress further. I was even more shocked to see suggestions for non-repair people to use fire. You should always try and pull out the swab. If it rips, big deal. It will still work at drying out the instrument.
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Author: archer1960
Date: 2005-07-18 15:01
Claire wrote:
> wow, I was shocked to see that someone tried to shove a swab
> through their clarinet and it didn't compress further. I was
> even more shocked to see suggestions for non-repair people to
> use fire. You should always try and pull out the swab. If it
> rips, big deal. It will still work at drying out the
> instrument.
Fine, until the pull-string breaks, leaving the swab still stuck in the horn :-(
Happened to me years ago.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-07-18 16:34
Better the string should break than the register tube.
Bob Draznik
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