 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Joe B
Date: 2010-03-26 22:17
I have a Buffet Festival clarinet that I got off of that auction a few years ago. I love the way it plays and it tunes better than most Buffet's I have played. The problem is with the tennon that connects the upper and lower stock. It seems Buffet did not size it right so that section has a severe wobble. I've had to have a new tennon cork put on each year, which makes the situation somewhat tolerable but still wobbles, taking away my fork Bb. The situation is such that once the cork compresses in time, if I take my right hand off the clarinet, the lower section will fall to the floor. My repair person is about 60 miles away and says there is nothing that can be done other than repeatedly replacing the tennon cork. What I have have done is put a wrap of our old familiar friend, duck tape, around the whole tennon joint, which makes it better than just replacing the cork. It also gives me back my fork Bb. It looks like ****, but it does work. Does anyone who deals with repairs have any suggestions other than replacing the clarinet?
Joe
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2010-03-26 22:53
Sounds like there are 2 ways to fix this problem.
1). have the tenon inner and outer shoulders skimmed in a lathe to a true round section and then have metal or ebonite rings machined and fitted over the tennon to restore it to the correct, close fitting dimensions.
2). Have the socket re-lined again with metal or ebonite and machined to the correct dimension.
In either case the tenon size should only be a few thou smaller than the socket so that even with no cork fitted there is virtually no wobble. The cork then is only required to have sufficient thickness to provide enough friction to keep the joints together and airtight.
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2010-03-26 23:30
I don't know if this is the case with the Festival clarinet but now for maybe 3 years or so I've been using the Doctor's slick cork grease and use the Doctor's cork life twice a year on my 5 year old Festival Bb clarinet and I also make sure to wipe the cork after each playing but both tenons on the upper joint still wobbles a bit when I pull them out and I really need to pull them both out so the throat tones don't get too low specially when I tune to 440. They though stay together when I play but they are not tight. I did not have that problem when I used a Buffet R-13 Prestige Bb clarinet made in 1993 from 2001-2005 as my main instrument and the cork was not replaced on it when it got a overhaul in 2001. I also have a R-13 Prestige A clarinet that is made in 1994 that I use as my main and only A clarinet also been using it since 2001 and the joints are very tight but it got the upper cork on the upper joint and the cork on the lower joint replaced in 2001.
I've been told that the cork on the joints should last for about 10 years at least. Is that about correct ?
Is this maybe a problem only with Festival clarinets ?
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Author: GLHopkins
Date: 2010-03-27 00:05
There are a few ways to help with this problem. The least expensive way is to run a tenon cork the entire length of the tenon and then fit to the socket. I don't like the looks of this, but it works.
The way I would solve this is to install a tenon cap on the tenon in question. I've ordered ready made caps, and I've machined my own out of brass and german silver. This is something that should be done by a qualified tech. Your Festival is too nice of a clarinet to let just any jack-leg tech mess with it.
Another way to do this is build up the end of the tenon with wood dust and CA glue and then turn it down on a lathe to the correct diameter. It looks original, and should last as long as the original tenon should have.
I just put caps on the center tenons of a couple of my personal clarinets a month ago. I had been using really tight corks, and the caps get rid of the wobble and allow you to use a thinner cork.
Post Edited (2010-03-27 00:07)
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2010-03-27 01:08
With all of my horns, along with the mouthpiece I use, I've extended the width of cork, so that the cork takes up most of the tenon. If you decide to do this, you should get excellent results, little or no wobble and the cork will last much longer, perhaps 5 or more years.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2010-03-27 02:27
You might consider examining the tenon on the upper joint to see if it is square. I've had one that definitely was not square, and I ended up replacing the tenon.
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Author: Koo Young Chung
Date: 2010-03-27 04:51
Maybe the repairman didn't use the best quality cork and/or didn't install properly.(i.e., too thin)
The cork is supposed to last very,very long.
Do you keep your upper and lower joints together after playing?
The tenon cork is supposed to swell a little bit because of the moisture condensation each time you play.
I advise you to consult with a better repairman.
Post Edited (2010-03-27 04:52)
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2010-03-27 05:22
Well your repair person is using cork that is too thin. Even if the tenon is too small for the socket, one can put a thick cork on and it will stay together. It will still move a bit, but it won't be on the floor.
Get a new repair person that knows what they are doing.
Also for a real repair, the socket needs to be smaller. This can be a small or big job depending on the amount that it needs to be changed.
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Author: donald
Date: 2010-03-27 06:16
I have seen the socket of a barrel, which had obviously been machined to an over-large diameter, coated with layers of what appeared to be shellac (or nail varnish?). This was only visible on close inspection, and lasted for many years without any problems (eventually the barrel cracked- i don't believe this was in any way linked to the socket...).
An easy dIY solution, and easily reversable if it doesn't work
dn
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2010-03-28 10:15
It could be the tenon itself that is the problem but some things to consider:
If it's very good imediately after the tenon cork replacement but lasts only a year then it's also possible the tenon itself is fine and the problem is the tenon "groove". If that is the case, then:
- Some clarinets are designed to need very thick tenon cork. Very thick cork (about 1.6mm or more) is IMO much too thick to be reliable long term. A thicker cork with the same outside diameter (after installation) compared with the socket diameter is basically the same as a softer cork = less support. In this case there are methods to solve the problems. My preference is to first glue a harder, less squishy material, like rubber-cork first, as a tenon cork. Then glue reasonable thickness natural cork over that.
- This is especially a problem for the instruments with the two big waves for a tenon "groove" which some Buffets have. The cork will only really be supported in two small "edges". Terrible design. In this case I will fill the gaps to create a solid smooth surface for more support, then glue natural cork over that.
- Some people like to have the cork with a barrel shape. Sometimes this is fine and no problem, but especially for the middle tenon which is short any legnth of extra support can help. So actually you'd want as thick cork as possible for the longest length (assuming the necessary cork thickness is not too thick in the first place).
Post Edited (2010-03-28 12:24)
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Author: RAB
Date: 2010-03-29 12:55
What I had had success with is to build up the "shoulders" on the joint with the cork on it with carbon fibers and then turn it down until it just fits into the tenon receiver without any cork on it. Once I am happy with the fit, no wobble and no hanging up as the joint is removed, I then put the cork on and sand it to fit. I have put metal tenon rings on in the past, but I have not had any problems with the carbon fiber procedure.
Again there are several methods to fix this. This is the one that I prefer to use.
Rodney Berry
Repair Dept
Muncy Winds Music Company
Boone, N.C.
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2010-03-29 16:06
Here is $0.10 fix. Put some electrical tape inside the lower joint tenon socket.
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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Author: Joe B
Date: 2010-03-30 00:40
Rodney,
Can I contact you in regards to having this done on my Festival?
Joe B
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Author: RAB
Date: 2010-03-30 12:09
Yes you can contact me at work. You can use either, repair@muncywinds.com or rod@muncywinds.com.
I do not know where you are in case you might live next door to one of these repair shops, but there are several repair persons out there that do this. I think that Tim Clark and perhaps the Brannon's might do this also.
Feel free to contact me and I will be glad to discuss this with you.
Rodney Berry
Repair Dept
Muncy Winds Music Company
Boone, N.C.
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