 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Deliberate53
Date: 2011-05-21 18:16
Friends, I have a 1969 vintage R13, which I have owned since then. In 1979 it developed a hairline crack in the bottom tube that bisects the four top tone holes. It has been stable for more than 30 years and I have never bothered to do anything about it. But I am wondering if if such a defect can have an effect on intonation or tonal quality. I have been playing it so long with this, if there is something amiss, I would miss it. Thanks.
David
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2011-05-21 18:50
A hairline crack as mentioned, as long as their is no leakage at any of the toneholes, should have no effect on tone or intonation.
You say it has been stable for a very long time so it's likely to remain so, however I would personally consider having it carbon fibre banded just to ensure it never moves.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2011-05-21 19:08
Kalmen Opperman recommended against banding, saying that it eventually compressed the bore and spoiled the response. A boxwood barrel he made for me developed a leak through a knothole area, and he sealed it with the thinnest available cyanoacrylate (SuperGlue), which is holding fine.
As Norman says, if it's stable and not leaking, leave it as it is.
If the crack goes through a hole that's covered by a pad, take it to a good technician, who can fill in any gap in the rim so it seals tight.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Deliberate53
Date: 2011-05-21 19:12
Many thanks for the advise and confirmation. I have come to regard the crack as a "birthmark" of sorts. Perhaps in 30 more years I may have to deal with it.
David
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Author: ddavani
Date: 2011-05-25 03:13
Don't get too comfortable however. Cracks can get worse and in my opinion, you should get it professionally looked at; you won't be obliged to fill the crack if it is only a surface crack at that point. If it bisects the tone holes, that's not a good thing under any circumstance and that can contribute to many pounds of air leakage.
My personal opinion would be to have it filled, because I can guarantee you that if the way you describe it is true, there is certainly a good deal of unnecessary leakage. If you fill the crack and get rid of the leakage, it will make playing much easier even if you don't notice at first.
-Dave Davani
http://allclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: claaaaaarinet!!!!
Date: 2011-05-27 00:49
Buffet guru Francois Kloc helped me with a crack I had in my A clarinet. It was about half-an-inch long and extended through a tone hole in the upper joint, but not into the bore itself. He drilled out the tone hole, put in a wooden plug, and then re-drilled a new tone hole through the plug. He smeared some kind of resin mixed with grenadilla wood dust into the crack, so you can't really even tell it's there anymore unless you know to look. The clarinet plays fine and the crack has never grown.
His philosophy on cracks was straightforward and non-alarmist. Cracks happen because there is tension/pressure in the wood, and the crack relieves that pressure. In your case, you like the way your clarinet plays and it hasn't changed in years, so I would recommend you leave well enough alone. Otherwise, you might end up spending money unnecessarily and possibly creating a problem where there seems to be none.
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