 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: lyntc10
Date: 2009-09-02 01:55
I have a Buffet R13 and I haven't played it in a while (5 months) and didn't take very good care of it the last time I did (left the cloth in their damp) and now the metal is all really dull (has a white film on it, is this mold) and hte metal on the bell has stains on it. It looks like mold/rust. Can I fix this?
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2009-09-02 03:40
No, I'm afraid you need a new clarinet.
Kidding. Polish the metal with a cotton or terry cloth rag with a bit of Brasso or other metal polish, taking care not to get any on the wood (if you do, wipe that off right away).
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-09-02 10:07
The larger bell ring is made from unplated nickel silver, so it will tarnish to look old faster than the plated rings and keywork. But that's only a cosmetic thing and won't have any effect on the sound. As the bell ring is fitted in such a way that it won't come off (without damage to either the bell ring or the bell itself), it never gets plated.
The bell ring is a solid nickel silver ring fitted to the bell blank and turned to shape along with the rest of the bell during manufacture, not fitted on after the bell has been made. You'll see this done within the first 30 seconds of this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DZgoYmbU-w (Can someone tell me what the background music is on this clip as I've never heard it before!)
The best way to polish the bell ring is to machine buff it - but if you haven't got access to a buffing machine then some elbow grease and metal polish on a rag will work.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2009-09-02 10:12)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2009-09-02 11:12
"Can someone tell me what the background music is on this clip as I've never heard it before!)"
Me either, Chris. Maybe Tony knows.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Buster Brown
Date: 2009-09-02 12:35
Thank you, Chris. I've always wondered why my bell ring wasn't silver plated on my R13. I should have watched the video.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2009-09-02 13:02
...they should ship a DVD along with every clarinet. Would (partly) justify the high prices. ![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
--
Ben
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-09-02 13:12
Considering how little a DVD costs to produce, I can't see why not.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: John Peacock
Date: 2009-09-03 08:16
Chris - thanks for the interesting video. Fascinating, if terrifying, to see the haphazard hand finishing of the bore. But two things about bell rings:
* Some companies (Selmer) plate them, and presumably Buffet didn't form them in the one-pass way in the Good Old Days. So there are other methods for getting them fitted. I wonder when Buffet changed?
* Why have a ring in the first place? Yamaha's literature claims it affects the sound, which I find hard to believe. I could imagine it's to prevent cracking, like tenon caps - but B+H always managed without, as does the Tosca. I'd be interested to know if there's a reason for the Tosca bell shape, other than that it looks cool.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2009-09-03 09:13
I have reason to suspect quite strongly that certain vegetable and animal oils, perhaps as they go rancid, give off vapours that accelerate the tarnishing of nickel. So there is a possibility that a bore oil is involved in this tarnishing.
I also have evidence that polyurethane varnish fumes tarnish nickel (to a dull, rough, off-white surface) very quickly indeed. So I suspect that it is possible that the vapours from polyurethane foam, commonly used in case linings, may do the same, but at a slower rate.
Several manufacturers have had to address the issue of vapours from case materials tarnishing nickel.
But yes, a good brass polish will shine it up again.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-09-03 09:26
The bell ring does add strength to the bell and will hold it together when it cracks, but makers claim it adds density and improves the sound.
It's only decorative, and in more recent years more makers are choosing to do away with it completely (though B&H had been mostly making ringless bells for decades across their range).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: lyntc10
Date: 2009-09-03 23:30
Does anyone know what kind of metal the keys on my R13 are? It's over 10 years old, I bought it new. Are the rest of the keys besides the bell silver? Will the polish work on even the brownish/reddish (rust colored a bit) looking parts on the bell? There's also a bit of green on the other keys... Also, what kind of cloth should I use to polish the keys? Just a cotton cloth? And, do you keep your cloth swab in your case? I usually do, but I feel like it's not good to keep that damp cloth in there.Chris P wrote:
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2009-09-04 01:48
Chris P, I think the main purpose of a bell ring nowadays is to act as a bumper against dings (I know we've all banged our clarinet bells against our chairs or music stands at least once in our lives, haven't we?). My theory only.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-09-04 08:50
>> ...they should ship a DVD along with every clarinet. <<
When I somehow couldn't their manufacture video, I asked Buffet where I can find it, and they offered to send (for free) the DVD which have it on it. The main part of the DVD is the film about the clarinet player (forgot his name, sorry) who climbed to one of the tallest mountains (maybe Europe's tallest? I don't remember) and played his Greenline clarinet there. It's great film!
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2009-09-04 16:46
I put the concerto into my iphone program Midomi and it said that it was the Orchestre Et soloistes Du Theatre National De L'Opera
I wanted to see if the program could really tell the performer apart so I played Sabine Meyers recording of it and sure enough it said Sabine Meyer.
Then I tried a few more recordings of it and it said Sabine Meyer.
Thought I had something there for a sec....
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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