 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-06-06 23:43
Here's a question for the techs on the forum. I was just going over a recently acquired clarinet and noticed that one of the pads on the upper joint is made from a material I'm not familiar with.All of the pads in the upper joint are cork except for the second ring. I had expected to see a bladder pad here to match what was installed on the other end of the bridge however this is not the case.
The installed pad looks just like a cork pad except that it is bright white. Is this some type of synthetic cork?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-06-06 23:52
It could be a Valentino pad or some other type of synthetic pad.
I presume you mean it has a crisp leading edge (the side walls and seating face forming a right angle) and sits within the pad cup to give a stepped appearance rather than being almost flush with the sides.
Gore-tex pads look like regular skin pads but have a PTFE coating which is white but does discolour when the natural wood dyes soak into it and they are usually almost flush with the outer diameter of the pad cup. There are also treated leather pads that are bright white (and they sit within the pad cup like cork pads), but they too discolour when the wood dye gets on them.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-06-07 00:06
Chris P wrote:
> I presume you mean it has a crisp leading edge (the side walls
> and seating face forming a right angle) and sits within the pad
> cup to give a stepped appearance rather than being almost flush
> with the sides.
>
Exactly. Out of curiosity I just pulled the key to get a better look at it and it appears to be some type of foam. Neoprene maybe? In any case it'll be getting replaced as most of the other pads are leaking badly despite being apparently new.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2011-06-07 09:37
SteveG_CT wrote:
> Exactly. Out of curiosity I just pulled the key to get a better
> look at it and it appears to be some type of foam. Neoprene
> maybe? In any case it'll be getting replaced as most of the
> other pads are leaking badly despite being apparently new.
When you remove it, check its backside - maybe there's a brand name printed on the backing, eg EvaTEX or something like that.
--
Ben
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: John Peacock
Date: 2011-06-07 09:50
I just bought an old buffet that has been repadded with what sounds like the same things. They look disgustingly cheap: raw foam at the sides without any form of cladding, and a shiny plastic surface. But I have to admit that they seal perfectly, so I'll be replacing them partly just out of traditionalist prejudice; but a better excuse is that they seem thicker than traditional pads, so the venting is not always as you'd want it.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jasperbay
Date: 2011-06-07 15:36
The Zheng Hoa synthetic pads out of China look very similar to the white pads talked about in this thread. I've actually had pretty good results with these pads as far as playability and sealing, great moisture resistance, too.
I still prefer regular tan leather pads, but their slight 'edge' is mainly esthetic, to be honest.
Clark G. Sherwood
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2011-06-07 22:13
I also tried some of those Zheng Hoa pads - not bad, but if Zheng Hoa then I prefer their regular pads (extremely firm felt, nearly comparable to cork pads in the feel), or if synthetic, then my home-made EVA pads (without the membrane, but with tapered edges). Normally I use precision or MusicCenter pads, depending on the required thickness.
The material convinced me to order some MusicCenter Evatex pads, just to see what a well-known company would come up with.
--
Ben
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-06-08 00:14
I pulled the pad but there are no markings of any kind on the backside. Looks to have a hard plastic backer with the foam material on top. A bit too spongy for my taste. It will most likely be replaced with a tan leather pad along with all of the poorly executed cork pads whenever I get around to repadding the instrument.
Post Edited (2011-06-08 00:38)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
