Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2006-08-20 09:39
I have found no problem quickly and cleanly removing pads stuck in with hot melt glue. I heat the key cup while at the same time pulling on the pad. As soon as the surface of glue in contact with the cup melts, all the rest of the glue comes away with the pad.
I don't like the white or cream pellets - probably George's glue (or equivalent) because it give no visual indication when it is hot enough.
For clarinets I used to use shellac, but after changing to a higher 'model' of pad which did not stick well with shellac - perhaps because of some coating or release agent from the pad manufacture - I changed to JL Smith's translucent amber pellets.
Many (most? ... all?) craft store glue sticks have a too-low softening temperature. Pads can move about if the instrument is left in a warm environment.
I still use stick shellac for sax pads. Partly because it does not 'string' much, partly because it goes solid sooner, and probably mainly from habit.
Some makers, including LeBlanc, used for some time (and may still do), a hot melt glue that had a sticking power not much better than cheese. Other than that, if hot melt or shellac fails, I reckon it is almost always because the METAL was not hot enough. just applying the adhesive to the back of a pad, and then pressing it in a cold cup is often not satisfactory. I heat the pellets in the cup.
I don't like ending up with non-supporting pockets of air behind any pad. Within reason, technique is a far more significant issue than the type of glue used IMHO..
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