 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sinkdraiN
Date: 2005-12-03 04:21
Ok, I'm beginning to get paranoid about my Bb full boehm Leblanc LL. All the pictures I see show a metal end cap on the top joint connecting with the barrel. I purchased this instrument used a few years ago and I'm wondering if the end cap fell off before I purchased it. I know that some makes like selmer are very random about putting end caps on. Did Leblanc make LL's both with and without those caps too?
My concern is that maybe my LL is supposed to have an end cap and now there is empty space in the joint where the cap should be. I don't see any signs that a cap used to be there but I'm not sure what to look for.
Should I just forget about it or get an end cap installed?
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Author: larryb
Date: 2005-12-03 04:28
does it fit snuggly with the barrel?
if so, that's likely the way it should be.
had there been a tenon cap there once, one would expect a loose fit.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-12-03 11:56
If it is nearly the same diameter as the lower barrel socket (measure it with verniers to be sure) or the same diameter as the lower ring on the same tenon, then it never had one fitted, but you can seal the end grain by melting wax on the end (use a hot knife or similar to get an even coating), and scraping off the excess with the edge of an old reed once it's cooled down.
If it has fallen off before you bought it (and the height of the tenon or diameter of the top of the tenon is significantly shorter/smaller than the socket), to have a replacement fitted will probably be somewhere between $50-100.
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Author: sinkdraiN
Date: 2005-12-04 04:47
It looks like the diameter of the end of the tenon is smaller so a cap might have been over it. The barrel does not wobble but there is a small .5 millimeter gap around the tenon where the cap would have been.
Is it important to replace the cap or leave it alone? Is this a job that I can trust most techs to do or is it a risky repair?
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2005-12-04 11:19
For a well-fitting joint, the difference in diameter between tenon & socket is not normally larger than about 0.2 mm.
If you have 0.5 mm all around, that is a difference of 1.0 mm diameter. That would be a very loose fit indeed.
I can't answer your other question. There are several approaches to fitting rings, each requiring different equipment. A ring may well need to be specially made, which would require a lathe.
An off-the-shelf generic ring may well be a lousy fit (both internal and external diameter), and some technicians could do significant damage in their efforts to fit it.
So the integrity of your technician, whether he has done much of this work, how well equipped he is, whether he acknowledges when he is out of his depth, and his general standards... these all become significant.
IMHO
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Author: sinkdraiN
Date: 2005-12-04 14:04
Thank you GordonNz, would it be better to just have the tech build up the tennon a little? The cork and the bottom of the wood tenon are pretty even. Then there is a slight step from the cork to the tip of the tenon where the cap would have been. I really like this instrument and would not want it to be damaged from any repair that was not necessary.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-12-04 14:17
Any good technician or woodwind specialist of merit will be able to make and fit a new tenon cap with no trouble - it's a fairly routine operation on older oboes and clarinets where they've come loose (and an oboe bottom joint tenon cap is a similar size to a clarinet top tenon cap), though probably best to have one turned from nickel silver rod and made to measure.
The top tenon cap is also preventing water getting into the end grain as long as it's well fitted and sealed - if it is loose, water can get in and eventually rot the wood.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2005-12-04 21:23
Building up the timber with say epoxy, poses problems. It requires that the bonding is very good, and that is unlikely on a surface that has probably been exposed to so much oil and grease. You may get away with it, however.
"Any good technician or woodwind specialist of merit ..."
Most work on altering tenons requires the use of a lathe; there are many technicians who do not have one. A lot of other lathe-type work can be done using a "bench motor", a considerably cheaper alternative that most technicians use. But a bench motor is not much use for tenon work.
So I suppose it all comes down to what is meant by "merit". Some excellent technicians farm out this type of work, to people who are better at it, simply from doing it every day.
Post Edited (2005-12-04 21:24)
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