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 Hopelessly stuck!!!
Author: Courtney 
Date:   1999-03-14 03:29

The bottom joint and the bell of the clarinet I played today won't come apart. I'm afraid I'll hurt the keys if I twist too hard, and my hands are already red from trying. Help!!!


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 RE: Hopelessly stuck!!!
Author: Jake 
Date:   1999-03-14 03:34

try to pull a bit instead of twist the joint
when you try to take them apart. at least it work
for my case

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 RE: Hopelessly stuck!!!
Author: Rick2 
Date:   1999-03-14 04:02

Unless you know exactly what you're doing, take it to a repair shop and ask for help. You can cause damage if you force it. Let this be a lesson to you, always make sure that your corks are well greased. If it feels tight going on, it will be tight coming out. If it feels too tight, stop immediately and apply cork grease.

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 RE: Hopelessly stuck!!!
Author: Amy 
Date:   1999-03-14 04:10

This happens to me occasionally, try twisting the joint from different spots. Just make sure you don't accidently bend the rods on the bottom half. Gently move the joint back and forth as you pull outwards, this usually works for me. You probably won't break the keys, I never have and I've gotten my horn pretty tightly stuck before. But if you still have trouble, take it to a repair man, or someone that has the tools. Make sure you apply enough cork grease before you put it together again. And make sure that the cylinder on your lower joint isn't too wide to fit into the cylinder of your bell, that could be the problem of your bell getting stuck. That can probably be fixed to fit together more easily. Good luck!
Amy :)

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 RE: Hopelessly stuck!!!
Author: Linzi 
Date:   1999-03-14 04:20

Darn, I absolutely hate it when that happens to my clarinet. I own a Buffet R-13 and it happens quite often. It is not because of the cork but the way my clarinet is built. The diameter of the very end of the bell, where the bottom part is put in, is the same as the diameter of the wood where it is susposed to be put in. I know that sounds odd, but it is true. I just have to be careful not to put the bell on the entire way and I am fine. I get really scared when it gets stuck and I have to have someone else help me take off the bell. It is really embarassing but I am just afraid that the clarinet keys or wood will break. Just be careful.

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 RE: Hopelessly stuck!!!
Author: Mark Charette 
Date:   1999-03-14 13:18

Linzi wrote:
-------------------------------
Darn, I absolutely hate it when that happens to my clarinet. I own a Buffet R-13 and it happens quite often. It is not because of the cork but the way my clarinet is built. The diameter of the very end of the bell, where the bottom part is put in, is the same as the diameter of the wood where it is susposed to be put in. I know that sounds odd, but it is true. I just have to be careful not to put the bell on the entire way and I am fine
---
Linzi,
your bell is getting stuck on the shoulder - something that happened on my Selmer and my son's Festival, A 5 minute fix by a tech to relieve the shoulder height or enlarge the bell socket (the tech will know which). See what happens to organic material when the tolerances are <b>too</b> good!

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 RE: Hopelessly stuck!!!
Author: Dee 
Date:   1999-03-14 13:24

As the others have said, take it to a repair tech. In addition to checking the tenon and socket, have him check the cork. It may be too thick. While a little cork grease is good, if you have to use a lot, something is not quite the way it should be and the bell could still get stuck.

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 RE: Hopelessly stuck!!!
Author: Katherine Pincock 
Date:   1999-03-14 14:19

It's good to take it to a repair technician if it's really stuck, but there's another possibility--sometimes, if it's quite humid or warm and you play for a long time, the corks will swell so much that your horn can get stuck together. This happened to someone at the National Youth Band of Canada three years ago. The solution? Leave it out of the case overnight--some of the water evaporates out of the cork, and you can take the clarinet apart. If you think this might be the problem, be careful about taking it to a technician, because if he/she decides to remove some cork once he/she gets it apart, you may find the cork is now too small when the cork shrinks again.
If this is the problem, you can prevent it by swabbing out your clarinet frequently, and by checking to joints while you play to see if they're getting tighter.

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 RE: Hopelessly stuck!!!
Author: Ray Swing 
Date:   1999-03-14 14:41

#1 Take it to a repair Man as all others suggested.
#2 From now on grease the cork sufficiently (I put a slight amount on my corks nearly every time I play)
#3 I learned long ago to never grasp the lower section in a way that you could bend any keys. When removing the bell, Always grasp the lower joint in your left hand such that the gap between your thumb and 1st finger applies pressure to the thumb rest. Next, press your second and third fingers on the B natural and G holes (2nd and 3rd tone holes). Ensure the cup formed by the left hand in doing this does not touch any of the left side keys. Now holding the Bell in your right hand SLOWLY apply rotational pressure . Always make sure no part of the hand comes in contact with any of the side keys and make sure the pressure on the 2nd and 3rd tone holes is sufficient that you are pressing into the holes and not applying side pressure on the key rings. Assuming your hand doesn't slip, you will never bend any keys.

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 RE: Hopelessly stuck!!!
Author: Keith 
Date:   1999-03-15 15:02

My daughter had this same problem with her clarinet even though she was applying cork grease every time she played it. I took it to a repair shop to have it adjusted and the repairman told me it only needed to be cleaned each time it was played. Seemed she didn't take the time to run a swab through it each time she finished playing, and the saliva build-up kept the wood wet and swollen. She was instructed to clean it thoroughly and keep the case open overnight for a night or two. She has not had a problem since.

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