 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: stephen
Date: 2000-06-04 16:09
When you get a crack in your horn. it is supposed to be fixed. After it is fixed can you still see where the crack was???? Please help me if you can!!!?!!!
Sincerely,
Stephen :-)
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-06-04 16:24
I understand that they put self tapping screws in the crack and the fill with a filler.
I'm sure one of the repair people will give a more detailed account.
Bob
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-06-04 17:18
It just depends on how big it was and how much it settled back into place on whether or not you will see it afterwards.
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Author: J. Butler
Date: 2000-06-04 17:32
The crack should be allowed to close up as much as possible before any pinning begins. In this manner the crack will be less noticable and the wood will be more stable. Some techs use "blind" pins that you can not see, others allow the pin to be seen from one side. I prefer blind pins, however some techs don't want to put the clarinet through an X-ray machine to find where the pins are in case of a need for additional repair.
J. Butler
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-06-04 18:04
Although naturally I like the idea of a repair that's *both* solid and undetectable, if I must choose, I'd rather have the most *stable* repair tha twill leave the clarinet in the best possible playing condition. I'd prefer a visible repair that would hold up than an invisible, cosmetic repair that might come apart. I see a lot of flea market clarinets on which a repaired crack has opened up again. It looks to me as though the repairs that don't hold lead to either an unrepairable mess or an even uglier repair later on. That's not always the repair tech's fault, of course, since some wood is so unstable that it's going to keep on warping for several years, no matter what.
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Author: ron b.
Date: 2000-06-04 21:42
In as small a nutshell as I can, stephen, here goes...
As with a repair of most anything, there's more than one way to do it. And, the choice is, as always, yours - the owner of the object in need of fixing. But you're better off with some knowledge of the most common, tried-and-true methods (and your options) going in. Some states require repairers to give you this info up front.
Some of it depends on, in the case of woodwind instruments, as mentioned above, the condition of the wood and the nature of the crack. It's either a crack or a CRAAAACCCKKK!!! Some cracks can be fixed quite nicely by pinning to prevent the crack splitting further, then filling the remaining gap and dressing the filler material (usually grenadilla chips and glue) to be as imperceptable as possible. Either the 'blind' method or the one sided pinning approach both accomplish the same thing: They attempt to prevent further damage. Some techs are very good at this, some acceptable and some... well, ask around before you - you know....
Some barrle cracks are best left alone, if they're not severe (all the way through), or simply glued to fill. Pinning a barrel is not common.
Another way, maybe better if the wood might be 'unstable', possibly subject to some (more) warping later (very difficult to predict), is to use shrink bands. The shrink band process is very direct. A precise groove is cut into the body of the horn, on a lathe, then a metal (sterling silver) ring is compressed into the groove by mechanically shrinking it into place. The silver ring will of course be noticeable forever. It must be a near perfect fit to look good, but it's a durable repair if done correctly. A skillful tech or horn restorer will make a neat job of it.
Either method requires proper tools/materials and practiced skill on the part of the technician. Neither of these repairs are advisable for the do-it-yourselfer.
The least desireable remedy, the home variety, is to fill the crack with something - anything - I've seen all kinds of stuff used. ROTFLOL!!! Just about anything will fill the crack and render the horn playable... for a while. Eventually, if the horn is worth saving, the crack will have to be cleaned out and re-done properly or mickey moused... again. These kinds of 'repairs' don't last.
The last option: do nothing...
in which case chances are pretty good that nobody will ever be able to play it and it turns into a wall hanger or a lamp.
ron b.
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