 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2008-12-15 10:40
I am trying to solder an extension onto the lower joint F/C key and I am worried about something. I h ave done this with other keys in other places, but this one is a problem, because the crow's foot is soldered to the bottom of the key, I can't use any high temperature solders because then the crow's foot will fall off.
Any suggestions for this?
The only non-lead solder that I have is tin solder for electrical work. I tried putting a few scraps together with this and it seems okay, but I would l like to here if there are any better suggestions.
Thanks
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-12-15 11:17
Can't you clamp the key and foot together so that it won't fall off even if the silver solder is temporarily melting?
The X-Acto Xtra hand vice is coming to mind, or some metal g-clamps...
--
Ben
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-12-15 12:06
The crow's foot is probably silver soldered to the key, right? You can use something like 96/4 (or 95/5, etc.) tin/silver solder. It's about twice as strong a regular soft solder (tin/lead) with a little higher tempeture. You can probably use this without melting the silver solder. I'm not completely sure if this will be strong enough for your purpose but I'm pretty sure it will. I have used this on a key once where I was sure there won't be a problem with the strength.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2008-12-15 15:31
Wrap the crows foot in a damp ball of cotton or woven cloth. It won't be able to get above the boiling temperature of water until the cooling wad dries out.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-12-15 16:43
You're better off silver soldering the extension to the key, and as Ben suggests, clamp the crows foot so if the solder does melt, it'll stay put.
Are these keywork extensions going to be a permanent fixture or reversable later on if need be?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2008-12-15 21:20
These will be permanent for me but taking them off is not as hard as putting them on.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2008-12-16 13:50
If there's a stained glass supply store near you, they'll have a product called a heat-sink. It's a non-flammable wrap that feels similiar to several layers of paper towels. Wrap it around whatever you want to protect from welding or soldering heat.
Caveat: I would not wrap a wooden clarinet in heat-sink and try to solder with the keys on the clarinet. That'd be lazy and plain dumb. I'd be afraid the wrap might slip off at an inopportune moment or I might leave a gap. But I wouldn't hesitate to wrap the crow's foot, off the instrument, because the worst that could happen there, if the wrap somehow fell off, is that you'd have to re-solder the foot and replace the bumper cork. Be aware, though, that some heat will travel from the place where you're soldering up the metal into the inside of the heat sink. The crow's foot won't stay cool. It'll be too hot to touch right away. But, chances are pretty good that it won't get hot enough for the solder to separate.
Hot-glass artisans use heat-sink in such large pieces that, if the store teaches classes (most do), I'll bet the teacher would be willing to clip off a little piece for you, big enough to wrap the crow's foot or similar metal parts on a clarinet, for very little money. I've never checked in hardware stores, but I'll bet they carry heat-sink, too, in the section that sells welding equipment. (I know about heat-sink because I'm a retired stained glass designer-builder.)
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
Post Edited (2008-12-16 13:58)
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