 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Steve
Date: 1999-03-28 19:55
I still have my old Vito plastic clarinet, which I no longer play. I may start my kids out on it, but the pads are shot. Are the keypad sets advertised by WW&BW for $16 of decent quality?
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-03-28 21:10
The pad sets are probably pretty good. The hard part is actually replacing the old pads as you need to take the keys off the horn and melt the glue to remove them. Then clean the residue out of the cups. Then you have to use the right amount of the right type of glue for the new ones. Too much and too little are both bad. Once the pads are in the the keys back on the horn, the pads may need adjusted a little to get a good seat with no leaks. This involves heating the cup enough to soften the glue so you can adjust the pad. The large pads can be a little tricky to get seated right.
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Author: Steve
Date: 1999-03-28 22:17
Thanks for the tips. The pads supposedly are self-adhesive, so the glue amount shouldn't be a problem. What is the best way to heat a key to remove glue? I'd like to do as much as I can myself, rather than pay $100+ to have this done at a shop. (The nearest shop is 20 miles away, too.)
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Author: Ben
Date: 1999-03-29 00:20
If the pads on your clarinet are in Really bad shape, you can just pull them off and chip out the old glue. Most likely, you will have to heat the the pad cup to soften the old glue, then you remove the pad and scrape out what's left.
When I did it, I just used a butane lighter. Hold the lighter beneath the key with the pad facing up. After a few seconds, the glue will be soft enough that you can take out the pad. It deposits a little ash on the key, but you can wipe it right off.
There is a detailed description of pad changing on this page in the Equipment section, under Care and Maintenance.
I've never heard of self adhesive pads before, so I be curious to hear how well they work for you.
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-03-29 00:56
Steve wrote:
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Thanks for the tips. The pads supposedly are self-adhesive, so the glue amount shouldn't be a problem. What is the best way to heat a key to remove glue? I'd like to do as much as I can myself, rather than pay $100+ to have this done at a shop. (The nearest shop is 20 miles away, too.)
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I can tell you are used to city conveniences. Out here the nearest anything is 20 miles away. Oh I can buy very basic essentials here in my local town (milk, gas, that sort of thing) but otherwise I have to drive 20 miles to Sioux Falls for it. Esentially, I end up driving there at least once a week to find all those things that I use that can't be obtained here in town.
As I said before, the trick to re-padding a clarinet is in the adjustments afterwards to make sure everything is seated and leak tight. Also in taking the keys off and on to get at them for re-padding, it is possible to bend the springs or twist the mounting posts and they would then also need re-adjusting.
Even if you succeed in doing your own repad (and it's actually not all that hard if you take your time), you should still take it in and get everything properly adjusted (spring tensions, rods checked to make sure they aren't bent, mounting posts not twisted and binding, etc). Adjustments and alignments will probably cost a minimum of $50, possibly more. And these items take training or a lot of practice on old junk throw-away horns.
My point is that you are not saving as much as you think by doing the work yourself. Even though I do some of my own work, I take my horn in every year or two and have it checked out to catch any mal-adjustments or misalignments before they start causing problems.
One other thing. Careful around the needle springs. They are just as sharp as their name implies. They were originally made from sewing needles and even today they are still made by the manufacturers of sewing needles.
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Author: Rick2
Date: 1999-03-29 04:49
I would be suspicious of the self-stick pads for a number of reasons. The foremost for me would be that, at least on the clarinets I have, I need the hot-melt glue to support the meat of the pad. On my horns, the pad cups are deep enough that a self-stick pad would only be sticking to the rim of the cup. The hot melt glue provides support for the pad (and in a couple of instances even sets the height of it) in addition to providing the stick. Skin pads can be moved around easily after heating the pad cup because they will then slide. I havent used self stick but I suspect you'd have to peel the pad up to move it. That would make a subtle adjustment darn near impossible. The self stick pads would probably be better used in an emergency repair kit for inside the case. You know, 5 minutes until you play and a pad falls off.
Regarding the hot glue, I used a candle when I first started but now have an alcohol burner. The candle generally adds the step of cleaning the lampblack off the pad cup. Also, when adjusting, be very careful that you dont get the plastic horn too close to the flame. (I cant possibly be the only person living dangerously can I?)
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Author: Ray Swing
Date: 1999-04-01 16:01
I used the pad set and repadded my el cheapo 57 year old clarinet and it came out just fine. You must follow the directions that come with the set as to adjustment. And you can fiddle with it afterward. If it doesn't work out, you can always take it to the repairman and have him do it anyway. So the most you will be out is $16 but you will gain at least that in horn repair experience. Don't get me wrong, as a novice repair person, you shouldn't mess around with a couple of $K horn. Let a good repair facility do it.
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