 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Christoffer
Date: 2001-01-23 19:02
I normally leave my clarinet assembled during the day, and then take it apart for the night - since it's plastic, it isn't prone to cracking. But is there any reason at all to take it apart, or could I as well leave it assembled as long as I would? I could imagine that the cork on the tenons wouldn't like to be squeezed that way for an infinite amount of time, causing it to fit less tight, somehow, but what do I know - I'm not a ph.d. in cork physics ...
Generally speaking: is there any special rules for treatment of plastic that I should be aware of?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Francesca
Date: 2001-01-23 21:21
I'm not sure about your idea with less cork damage, but you've got to swab out the instrument. I'm pretty sure the pads get ruined much faster if spit gets caught under them. You can swab it out in one sweep if you want to save the time of taking apart the instrument.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-01-23 21:25
Christoffer -
The main reason for taking wood clarinets apart is to keep water from soaking into the end grain of the wood, particularly at the bottoms of the sockets. The wood tends to swell there and this is one of the main causes of cracking.
On plastic this is not important, though some plastics may absorb a little water.
However, as you say, the corks get compressed and glazed on the surface, and this is a prime source of leaking. Also, if the cork looses all elasticity, the instrument can fall apart as you pick it up.
Also, the joints may start to stick as the cork grease gets old and stiff.
That said, I keep an old Pedler assembled on a peg, with a cheap mouthpiece and a Legere reed, to pick up and blow on the spur of the moment. If it cracks, it cracks. It's lasted maybe 50 years so far without cracking. I think leaving a plastic clarinet asembled and taking it apart at the end of the day is good enough.
There's no special rules for plastic clarinet care. Just keep it clean. A good polishing with a fuzzy bottle-brush type swab may deposit some lint in the tone holes, but you can blow that out, and the shinier bore makes it play better.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Stormy
Date: 2001-01-24 00:30
I'm so glad someone asked that -- I keep meaning to but only remember at 2 in the morning when I should be asleep...
I do that too -- leave my (plastic) clarinet put together, probably not all day, but easily all afternoon. I pull the mpc off and swab it, but then go on with whatever I was doing before playing, and come back intermitently throughout the day. Glad to know that it's actually *okay* to do that!
--S.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Stefano
Date: 2001-01-24 12:42
There are at least 2 good reasons to de-assemble a plastic clarinet at least every night before going to sleep:
1) Not to ruin the cork so that it does not get compressed and glazed on the surface;
2) To dry the water formed by humidity that gets stuck in between the pieces and may leak down into the pads (it is good to absorb humidity by pulling through the swab in an assembled clarinet, but the only way to eliminate ALL the water formed inside the instrument is to dry each piece separately).
Stefano
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
