 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-04-12 01:29
this is kind of related to the question about taking the clarinet apart or not. I now have a new problem and that is; I can't get some of the pieces free unless I use a lot of pressure; which I hate to do. I'm wondering if it is a good idea to take sandpaper to the cork or just use more cork grease.
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Author: michael
Date: 2000-04-12 01:56
Bob Gardner wrote:
I can't get some of the pieces free unless I use a lot of pressure; which I hate to do. I'm wondering if it is a good idea to take sandpaper to the cork or just use more cork grease.
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Bob, I asked this very question to the lady who takes care of my clarinets and it took her about half a second to look at me and say "NO!"to the sandpaper-on-the-cork idea. (I didn't ask why, maybe someone here knows.) Michael
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Author: Amber
Date: 2000-04-12 02:00
Are you insane? J/k!! No way. If you do that, then you ruin the cork, wear it down, and that is some of the lesser things. Use more cork grease or take it to a music shop to have them shave it thinner for a less snug fit. :o)
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Author: Kim
Date: 2000-04-12 02:51
Is the clarinet new? My clarinet is new and I have to use tremendous pressure too. I hate to because it is a new instrument and high quality--Buffet R-13. I know I have already bent keys. I wouldn't shave the corks, though, if the clarinet is new because the corks will eventually adjust to the weather conditions and will absorb your saliva and all. The corks will also get moistened by the cork grease.
A good way to get the pieces apart is to gently rock them back and forth until they come loose. If the clarinet is new and you still have these problems, then get the corks shaved.
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Author: ron b.
Date: 2000-04-12 02:55
Bob,
When you take a horn to the repair shop to correct a tight fitting cork the solution will likely be to shave a little cork off with a piece of sandpaper. Some may disagree with this practice but notice the word LITTLE. Some shops have the means to do this on a lathe or drill press to insure a better round fit. It's not a big job.
ron b.
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Author: Karel Vahala
Date: 2000-04-12 10:08
Kim,
I know you used the word "gently", but rocking the sections of a R-13 is a bit hazardous? I had a new R-13 which was binding. I took it straight back for servicing, it was actually the wood itself that needed a slight adjustment. It has been fine since.
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Author: Aaron Hayden
Date: 2000-04-12 12:19
Especially on new clarinets, what might seem like a cork that is too tight in usally not the case. What happens is that the wood on the end & top on tenon(above & below the cork track)swells. This causes the pressure on the socket & makes the joint feel very tight. To correct this problem, these areas must be shaved down. When you put the clarinet together and are having problems getting the tenon into the socket, the front part of the tenon has to be shaved or the socket has to be reamed. If you are having problems taking the clarinet apart it is usually the back end of the tenon and the wood must be shaved either with a special hand tool or on a lathe. I've found that 95% of all new clarinets have this problem.
Aaron Hayden
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Author: J.Butler
Date: 2000-04-12 12:54
I agree with Hayden. I like to take fit the socket to the tenon.
J. Butler
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-04-12 14:47
Thanks for all the great feedback. I WILL NOT take sandpaper to the cork. That seemed to easy! I tryed rocking it a bit and that did nothing. It just one tight baby. Again it is nice to know that I'm not the only one having these problems. By the way the clarinet is about 2 years old. Selmer 10. Great horn, just tight.
Bob
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-04-12 15:01
YES! to Hayden and John's advice. I had an earlier Selmer where the lower tenon-socket joint was much too tight, nearly did too much "rocking" but luckily did not chip or break the tenon!!!, analyzed it as wood-on-wood and sanded down the tenon end [slightly], solved the problem, didnt touch the cork, it was OK. Don
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Author: Drew
Date: 2000-04-13 15:38
I've had this same problem on several horns, the most recent a new Buffet E-11 Eb soprano. Unless you are completely sure of the repair, I'd recommend getting the instrument to a repair shop ASAP. The tight fit you are experiencing can "domino" into a whole host of problems, all of which are much more expensive to correct than a minor tenon mismatch. In the case of my Buffet Eb, everything was put right for about $20.00 (very cheap compared to what I spent on the instrument).
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-04-14 16:37
michael wrote:
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Bob Gardner wrote:
I can't get some of the pieces free unless I use a lot of pressure; which I hate to do. I'm wondering if it is a good idea to take sandpaper to the cork or just use more cork grease.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Bob, I asked this very question to the lady who takes care of my clarinets and it took her about half a second to look at me and say "NO!"to the sandpaper-on-the-cork idea. (I didn't ask why, maybe someone here knows.) Michael
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Oh come now. Depending on the exact nature of the problem, a trained technician may choose sanding the cork as a possible solution. The important thing here though is that you don't end up with a lopsided cork. You need to make the sand paper into a loop around the cork and go around in circles to get it even. Also do only a little bit at a time, checking the fit as you go.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-04-14 16:42
Kim wrote:
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Is the clarinet new? My clarinet is new and I have to use tremendous pressure too. I hate to because it is a new instrument and high quality--Buffet R-13. I know I have already bent keys. I wouldn't shave the corks, though, if the clarinet is new because the corks will eventually adjust to the weather conditions and will absorb your saliva and all. The corks will also get moistened by the cork grease.
A good way to get the pieces apart is to gently rock them back and forth until they come loose. If the clarinet is new and you still have these problems, then get the corks shaved.
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If it is so tight that you have bent keys, you should *IMMEDIATELY* take it in and get the corks sanded down by a technician. You run too much risk of needing further, and far more expensive repairs, on your instrument. Tenons can break. Keys can break.
Even a brand new instrument should not be this tight a fit.
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