 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Molloy
Date: 2008-04-01 13:25
I have a one-piece body grenadilla clarinet from about 80 years ago that is badly warped. Is there anything that can be done? It's a full boehm A and they are hard to come by, so I hate to give up on it.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-04-01 13:35
Describe "badly warped" - is it crumhorn-like or rather screwdriver-like warped?
If keys are binding, I think that can be addressed. I don't think, however, that wood can be successfully (and long-lastingly) unwarped.
If it plays fine otherwise, I wouldn't worry.
--
Ben
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-04-01 14:19
Has it warped recently (within the last 20 or so years) or has it always been warped?
I know it's not a clarinet (though it's still woodwind and made from grenadilla), but my cor anglais has a banana-shaped top joint bore, though this has been realised during manufacture and the necessary steps have been taken to incorporate this 'feature' into the instrument it is (eg. the angle the toneholes enter the bore at have been altered so they enter the bore where they should, rather than at a tangent), and it plays beautifully - possibly even better than ones with a straight bore.
It could have happened either while drilling the pilot hole if the drill wandered off-centre, or if the pilot hole was straight and the joint warped as it dried, then as it was mounted between centres to turn the joint to shape (using the ends of the bore to centre the joint with), the outside was turned straight but the bore was left banana shaped.
Though if the joints have warped after turning, both the bore and outside of the joint will be equally banana shaped.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2008-04-01 14:48
I do not do it commercially but have some success with regulated rehydration and using various oiling formulations at correcting structural changes in wooden clarinets that are "dried out". Larry Naylor also reports rejuvenation of instruments using his oil immersion technique. In my experience sometimes they return to dimensions when manufactured and some times they do not.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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