 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: NewBass
Date: 2006-07-31 19:16
Learning to play clarinet way back in the dark ages, I had this little bottle of "cork grease". The stuff inside was pink and greasy - get a tenon cork coated with this a few times and it was "greased" for a long time.
Picking up a rental bass clarinet recently, it comes with a tube marked "cork grease". It looks like lip balm. It's white, smells funny. Smear some on the corks today, and tomorrow they seem....dry.
Across 30 years or so, I see at least two different kinds of stuff to keep the corks happy. Does anyone know the difference, and what types are better for the corks? Or what to avoid?
Just curious.
W
Tonemeister Productions - All things audio
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-07-31 20:00
Most of the typical commercial cork greases are OK and won't really hurt anything, but the best stuff is developed by a clarinetist/chemist who is a sponsor of this BB, Dr. Omar Henderson -- check out his "Doctor's Products" -- excellent stuff and formulated to preserve the cork (and underlying adhesives) while reducing assembly friction.
Usual disclaimer applies: I'm not in the employ of Dr. Omar nor has he brainwashed me with any mind-altering chemicals -- I'm just a satisfied customer of his cork lubricants and bore oils.
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Author: Lynn
Date: 2006-07-31 20:01
I stumbled onto the same pink, viscous stuff in a little red and white bottle (labeled Selmer Tuning Slide and Cork Grease). It worked far better than any of "lipstick" cork greases. However, my repair tech found it in my case and pitched a fit. He says that it's petroleum-based and will, in time, destroy the cement that attaches the corks to the tenons. I've taken his advice and switched to The Doctor's Products, (www.doctorsprod.com) and I've found his cork grease to be very good. Plus, it's a lot easier to get off your fingers than the pink goo from Selmer.
Lynn McLarty
Horseshoe Bay, TX
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2006-07-31 20:27
Ditto.
Unless you like the minty or flora lip balm stuff.
Now if they just had it in mojito flavor......
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: D
Date: 2006-07-31 20:50
I'm still amazed you were able to hire a bass clarinet. Everywhere I have looked only seems to rent out student Bbs.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2006-07-31 22:35
If you do a search in this forum on the words "cork grease", you will find an enormous amount of information, especially about substandard grease, and a lot of very satisfied users of both greases from Doctors Products.
Another very high quality, similar cork grease is "Alisyn".
By comparison, every other cork grease I have encountered is junk, doing one or more of the following:
1. It leaves the fingers unpleasantly sticky.
2. It dries to a gooey mess that makes joints more DIFFICULT to assemble. Proof of this is that they can go together more easily after cleaning the cork grease off.
3. It damages the cork, so that the cork loses resilience and needs replacing.
4. If seeps through or around the cork and releases the glue that holds the cork on.
5. According to laboratory studies, it slowly damages the timber.
6. It causes blue/green (verdigris?) corrosion when it contacts copper/nickel alloy metals, EGA tenon rings and even keys via the fingers.
7. The vapours are suspected of tarnishing nickel plating.
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2006-07-31 23:47
> "He says that it's petroleum-based and will, in time, destroy the cement that attaches the corks to the tenons." <
Maybe it will destroy the cement in time, I'm not sure, but it hasn't done any harm to my corks in 15 years. The clarinet required a new overhaul but the corks were still fine. Some technicians blame cork failure to the grease used but usually they are to blame for it. The tenons must be degreased before the contact cement is applied. I'll not argue if there's better grease for my corks. That's irrelevant to me. I use lip balm/vaseline/petroleum jelly. If it's good enough for 'Miss America' lips its good enough for my clarinet corks and they NEVER failed me since 1974.
Vytas Krass
Professional clarinet technician
Custom clarinet mouthpiece maker
Former professional clarinet player
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Author: Lynn
Date: 2006-08-01 00:17
Vytas,
I suppose if Vaseline is good enough for Vanessa William's lips it should certainly be good enough for your corks. Stay smooth!
Lynn
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-08-01 05:53
I haven't tried that many different greases, only the Doctor, Buffet, Vandoren, Selmer, and maybe some others. I found all to work pretty good. I prefer the Docotr cork grease slightly better than lal the others. There isn't a big difference at all, but enough to just use this one.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2006-08-01 06:26
I quite like the Doctor's stuff as well.
Also, one time an instrument tech put paraffin wax on a cork he replaced, after which it didn't need to be greased for a good couple months.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2006-08-01 12:19
"...If it's good enough for 'Miss America' lips its good enough for my clarinet corks"
Is there a hidden message here, that Miss America (I guess paid to say whatever she said) has lips that somehow resemble cork glued to a tenon?
I have encountered many, many tenon corks that are falling off. There is a pattern, that I agree is anecdotal. Almost all of them:
1. Have been glued with substandard glue, whose behaviour is closer to cheese than adhesive.
or
2. A Vaseline-based grease has been liberally used. Perhaps the problem is the "liberally".
I have encountered many tenon joints which are loose. There is a strong pattern. Most of them:
1. Are associated with an instrument that has been left assembled for very long periods, eg days.
or
2. Have the caked residue of a substandard grease (i.e. most of them), 'claiming space' between the tenon cork and the socket. You clean off the grease and the joint goes together MORE easily.
... in my humble experience.
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Author: redwine
Date: 2006-08-01 13:18
Hello,
Do you need another endorsement for the Doctor's cork grease? If so, here it is.
Ben Redwine, DMA
owner, RJ Music Group
Assistant Professor, The Catholic University of America
Selmer Paris artist
www.rjmusicgroup.com
www.redwinejazz.com
www.reedwizard.com
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Author: BobD
Date: 2006-08-01 14:29
I'm inclined to agree that the adhesive is the more critical factor in tenon cork failure.
Bob Draznik
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