Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2006-04-09 05:57
When O-rings are in with properly-designed grooves, and operate against a smooth, metal surface, they are indeed very reliable.
However:
1. With their relatively small contact area, they may not be so successful against a surface such as timber which may have surface blemishes from the grain of the timber, and which may bee a little porous. Perhaps experimenting with O-rings on tenons is best left for plastic clarinets.
2. They are not widely used where joints need to be FREQUENTLY assembled and disassembled. Perhaps this is in part because if there is rubbing action of the 'rubber' during assembly, then a lubricant tends to be needed for EACH assembly. However I don't discount the possibility that some new O-ring material may have suitably elastomeric properties, and also some atoms of Teflon incorporated into the molecular makeup to reduce the need for added lubricant.
3. Assembly where friction against an O-ring is involved, tends to add a 'jerk' to the assembly process, as the O-ring suddenly enters the socket. Cork enables wonderfully smooth assembly. I have yet to encounter such smooth, controlled assembly with O-ringed tenons. Smooth assembly would seem to be fairly important in order not to crash keys and levers together.
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