 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bill
Date: 2000-11-16 20:38
A couple of weeks ago, I posted info about Lawrence Frank's Clarinet Repair Manual which I got via eBay. The week I got Paul Heimann's Birds Eye View of a Clarinet Overhaul via eBay. Info is available on Paul's web page.
http://www.geocities.com/biedman/BIV.html
The video shows the overhaul of a Selmer Signet clarinet. Paul makes the overhaul look easy. It's just what I needed to compliment the book. I didn't realize that a clarinet had so many parts. It is the complete overhaul, e.g., you see Paul buff and pad each key. He gives a short explanation before each operation, and I fast forwarded though some of the repetition. Unfortunately for me, none of the keys needed swedging, no spring replacement, and no crack repair, but I think everything else was shown. All in all, I thing it is worthwhile for someone that is interested in seeing an overhaul, and can't see in person.
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Author: J. Butler
Date: 2000-11-16 22:15
All I have to post is that I've been repairing instruments for 26 years now, and I'm still learning new concepts about clarinet, sax, oboe, bassoon, and flute repair. I'm glad there are VHS tapes that show this process. However, you state that "Paul makes the overhaul look easy." That comes from years of "practice" my friend.
John
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Author: Bill
Date: 2000-11-16 23:00
Author: J. Butler wrote:
I'm glad there are VHS tapes that show this process. However, you state that "Paul makes the overhaul look easy." That comes from years of "practice" my friend.
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Interesting that I had a comment relating looking easy with years of experience in my draft post, but deleted the latter. I thought it would give a negative implication to the tape, i.e., "he makes it look easy, but ---".
Several years ago, I took a one week flute padding course given by a professional flute maker, so I know what's involved. I have a set of tools, shims, pads, etc. I still don't feel that I have the "skill" to repad a flute or a clarinet, but I wish I did. I'd need to serve an apprenticeship with lots of supervised practice. I don't know about others.
I'm glad I have the book, and the tape, because it's nice to know how what's involved. If I can find a clarinet to work on, I'd like to give it another try. My goal is to do "simple" adjustments to avoid having to send the clarinet off for repair, unless it needs a complete repad, adjustment, or overhaul.
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Author: jbutler
Date: 2000-11-16 23:42
Bill,
I did not mean to leave any negative connotation to my post. Sometimes we "read" things into postings and emails (the downside of indirect communication). I think if you have the interest, tools, and the time to sit down and do work on your own instruments, then by all means go for it.
John
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Author: mark weinstein
Date: 2000-11-17 01:18
John, I certainly didn't take anything negatiive from your post. Nobody ever stops learning. The hard you work, the more you learn.
NOW, I'd like to post a WISH.
I WISH that somebody would start a Clarinet Repair School. The objective would be to provide 5 days wherein all students could work on enough clarinets that they would gain hands-on insight & be able to do everything at home.
(BTW: I saw the Video & emailed the seller re: his eBay auctions. After questioning him he told me: No swedging, no post work & no springs. BOY, and Springs are important!)
I have a client that does Schools with Dentless Autio Body Repair. (no hammers, all specialized tools) The Schools are given every 6-8 weeks whenever they can roundup 3-5 students. BOY, it really works! Every student leaves with a specialized toolkit.NOT cheap, but it really gets you 0-60 fast!
So thats my wish ......
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Author: J. Butler
Date: 2000-11-17 02:02
Mark,
Let me think about it. There would be some issues to resolve for me since my workshop is at the house. I would have to find a facility that to accomodate the equipment, etc. It is a "do able" thing however. I don't mind sharing what I've learned over the years. Back to the buffing!
John
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Author: Ken Rasmussen
Date: 2000-11-17 02:32
The great dark mystery to me is how you get up the courage to start altering tone holes. You can only go so wrong when messing with keys and pads. You can REALLY do some exciting damage when you start "improving" the intonation.
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Author: J. Butler
Date: 2000-11-17 03:21
Aw, shucks, Ken. You just get the Alfred E Newman attitude and tell yourself. "What, Me Worry?!" ;^ )
John
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Author: mark weinstein
Date: 2000-11-17 03:32
IMO, only a real designer shoulkd be allowed to THINK of altering a bore or physically changing a tone hole. Even then, I say let the designer think & let the owner use resonance fingerings. (or suffer in most cases) I can think of only a handful of people who are qualified to really alter an instrument.
John, I am sure I missed something earlier. I wasn't aware that you were teaching a courseat home, or elsewhere.
BTW: My wish wasn't for a free 5-day course. I think such a course would necessarily be expensive. You get what you pay for & there ain't no free lunch. The number of hacks out there is astounding. Floating a pad isn't any easy task, its an experienced task. mw
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Author: Willie
Date: 2000-11-17 04:13
I wish John's house was next door to me. Right now I'm trying to "float" a couple pads on an old Pedler. I just did my good horn in two evenings, but this Pedler is kickin' my butt.
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Author: RON B
Date: 2000-11-17 05:20
I can't resist throwing in a couple cents worth of 'for whatever it's worth' here.
In *my opinion* books and tapes fall short. Erick Brand's repair manual has been around for a long, long time, is 'one of the best' out there, and it doesn't cover much more than the bare basics. It also contains some woefully outdated information.
I've taken up repairing clarinets now, at a late stage in life, since I retired and have the time to do it. I had some experience (a couple of years) long, long ago - not a 'real' apprenticeship, which may be why I abandoned it, but I enjoyed doing it then and still do, all these years later. I consult from time to time (once a week, when possible) with a very experienced technician as I go along. Without that; the advice, encouragement, and periodic 'critique' of my progress it would be a frustrating and perhaps disheartening endeavor at best and, I'm almost sure, the interest would have soon evaporated.
I'm fortunate to have met a person who, like John, is willing to share. But it still takes hands on experience and, you're right, John, lots of practice - at least as much, if not more, than playing a horn. Please, let me back up here. I don't mean to minimize the value of books and tapes; they are good references - reminders - to those aspects of the craft that so easily slip our minds at crucial times. I've found that keeping a notebook is helpful too.
I love to play and maintain my own instruments and would encourage anyone interested in doing so to... do so  Of course, I'd advise diving into an eBay junker first. Then, who knows (?), you might even turn it around for a profit... if you haven't whittled away the tone holes by the time you get it fixed :]
Happy Horns to You!
RON B
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Author: RON B
Date: 2000-11-17 05:25
I can't resist throwing in a couple cents worth of 'for whatever it's worth' here.
In *my opinion* books and tapes fall short. Erick Brand's repair manual has been around for a long, long time, is 'one of the best' out there, and it doesn't cover much more than the bare basics. It also contains some woefully outdated information.
I've taken up repairing clarinets now, at a late stage in life, since I retired and have the time to do it. I had some experience (a couple of years) long, long ago - not a 'real' apprenticeship, which may be why I abandoned it, but I enjoyed doing it then and still do, all these years later. I consult from time to time (once a week, when possible) with a very experienced technician as I go along. Without that; the advice, encouragement, and periodic 'critique' of my progress it would be a frustrating and perhaps disheartening endeavor at best and, I'm almost sure, the interest would have soon evaporated.
I'm fortunate to have met a person who, like John, is willing to share. But it still takes hands on experience and, you're right, John, lots of practice - at least as much, if not more, than playing a horn. Please, let me back up here. I don't mean to minimize the value of books and tapes; they are good references - reminders - to those aspects of the craft that so easily slip our minds at crucial times. I've found that keeping a notebook is helpful too.
I love to play and maintain my own instruments and would encourage anyone interested in doing so to... do so Of course, I'd advise diving into an eBay junker first. Then, who knows (?), you might even turn it around for a profit... if you haven't whittled away the tone holes by the time you get it fixed :]
Happy Horns to You!
RON B
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Author: J. Butler
Date: 2000-11-17 11:15
To all:
I was "tongue in cheek" on my last post. No, I don't alter tone holes either. I resurface them and otherwise clean them up, and that is about it.
Mark, I do not teach a course in clarinet repair, but would be willing to do so if I could find the facility in which to set it up. My wife would not like it if I were to take on an adventure such as this at the house. If there are enough of you out there interested I would be willing to take on the project. Give me some time to work on details and I'll post progress on the BB.
John
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Author: Bill
Date: 2000-11-17 11:24
Author: J. Butler wrote:
Mark, I do not teach a course in clarinet repair, but would be willing to do so if I could find the facility in which to set it up. My wife would not like it if I were to take on an adventure such as this at the house. If there are enough of you out there interested I would be willing to take on the project. Give me some time to work on details and I'll post progress on the BB.
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John this would be great. I just started another thread on course development. Jonathon Landell did this for flute, and I included a link to his web site.
Also, I did not think that your reply to my post had a negative connotation. I meant that I didn't want to write my review with anything that might be interpreted as a negative connotation.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2000-11-17 13:58
I asked Steve Fowler (Pasadena, MD) if he is apprenticing anyone, and he said "yes" without giving a name. I would love to learn how to repair. Trouble is, I'd only want to work on clarinets! Steve has a shop full of other stuff he works on to pay the bills and bring the money in---none of which seems to interest him "artistically." I guess I feel good that I am (or seem to be) one of his customers who bring in projects he finds very interesting. --Bill.
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Author: mark weinstein
Date: 2000-11-17 15:05
Bill, EXACTLY my sentiment on the matter. I *ONLY* want to work with Clarinets, nothing else. I also don't want to replace a great repairman. I know the quality these great repair people put out --- I don't have the time or inclination to compete.(in my case, I have my own business & if needed to make more money I only need to look to my own business - simply put, my motivation is that I want to "dabble " & do minor repairs in my own workshop, from time to time)
While I haven't seen the Video on Clarinet Repair it is supposed to be very good in teaching those areas it does cover. I have heard this from a knowledgable source who bought it to see the "media & translation" (as opposed to buying for educational purposes --- this individual is considering a series of tapes).
John, please keep us posted. FWIW - I see this as as fly-in on Sunday, go home on Friday or Saturday. My Dentless Repair guys stockpile Cars for repair during the interim weeks & then they are repaired in class. They give an approx. 50% discount & limit the repairs they take on to those which are commercially feasible & which aren't a "step out" (out in left field).
mw
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Author: J. Butler
Date: 2000-11-17 22:53
Don't worry about the quantity of clarinets at all. I have probably 18 to 20 that I repair for my school alone in the summers (not for profit) and another source (music store) that would probably be willing to help the "cause". My main concern is the facility. I'll have to do a lot of poking around. I might be able to get the local community college to lend a hand. I've got some connections there.
I think the idea of a Sunday afternnon get together/orientation would be great. Monday through Thursday a real "hands on" training seminar with a wrap up on Friday morning, then out to the airport Friday afternoon. Tickets might be a little cheaper to buy Sunday-Saturday layover, that would be a factor. I don't think that I could really teach more than four or five at a time and do it justice however.
John
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Author: mark weinstein
Date: 2000-11-17 23:12
John lives in a suburb of Houston, TX ... Sugarland. Just a little south & barely west. mw
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Author: John Dean
Date: 2000-11-20 18:08
Hi John,
Just to say that as you know I have been buying old big bore Selmers most of which need attention. I have tried to do this myself and by and large succeeded but the fine tuning has to be done by my repair guy. However I am getting better and have the video mentioned so in a few years I should be cutting down on my repair bills and gaining in knowledge on the clarinet! Pity you don't live nearer to the UK! BTW what do you know about Omega Selmers like the Q series Centered Tone on E-bay at the moment. Looks interesting. Catch you later,
John
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Author: mr.birdie
Date: 2000-11-21 13:26
All; It is nice to get some feedback on my video. I am taking notes, and plan to revise it including some of your suggestions, keep them coming. Thanks for all your support. Paul
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