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Re: Wobbly barrel

Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-10-15 11:35

Saying things like "it should be less than a half-hour's work" or "
Any repairman can do this for $5 to $10" is only going to cause trouble if it takes longer or costs more as each repairer will take as long as they have to and charge what they feel is right for replacing tenon corks.

Don't go along expecting to be in and out within half an hour and only expecting to pay $5 for a tenon cork replacement as you may be in for a much longer wait and may have to pay more.

A slap-dash tenon cork replacement can be done in minutes and cost very little, but it may not be the prettiest or most reliable job. I've seen loads of clarinets listed on eBay supposedly having an 'artisan' or 'top quality' overhaul only to see really grotty looking tenon corks that are flat on the surface and still have square edges (instead of being rounded off) and finished with coarse grade abrasive leaving the surface looking like a ploughed field. They have to look as good as they function as well as lasting a long time.

But the socket and tenon should ideally be as good a fit as possible without the tenon cork fitted as this will prevent rocking or wobbling - the tenon cork is there to apply outward pressure on the socket to keep the joints together and also to act as an air and water-tight gasket. But with aftermarket barrels and also with previous repairers being a bit over-enthusiastic with their sanding (or just poor workmanship on the instrument to begin with), tenons and sockets don't always end up being a good fit with each other and fitting a thicker tenon cork is done to hide (but not cure) this shortcoming.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

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