 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Wally
Date: 2011-11-29 16:21
I haven't seen it mentioned, so I though I would.
About two months ago, I bought a new case for my R13 from Mike. This is a sealed, humidity controlled case that is very well made and holds the clarinet safely--Mike told me he threw a clarinet in the case out of a second story window and it was fine. But the real issue here is the humidity control. Presumably the case holds the humidity at about 50-55%, using one of those "humidi packs" in a holder built into the lid (and replaceable of course). When closed, the case is completely sealed, even requiring a release valve to open it if it's been exposed to big changes in temperature or pressure.
I've had this clarinet for about 40 years and for the first time I can remember I see two things: the parts fit together with a precision and consistency that makes them feel like they were actually made to go together. The other is that the clarinet sounds consistent from register to register--like everything is coming from the same instrument. There is an integrity to the sound from register to register that I don't remember hearing from this instrument before, and a consistency from session to session.
It's worth looking at this case. I play only the Bb, but Mike has the cases for other instruments too.
Wally
Wally
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Author: Wally
Date: 2011-11-30 04:27
Ken, thanks, I didn't think of that. I didn't say it before, but I see that others on the Board do this: I have no connection to Lomax, except that I'm a happy customer.
Wally
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2011-11-30 16:05
looks cool.
How heavy is the case?
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2011-11-30 16:16
I don't humidify. It's so dry here that it's just not worth it. The only time I cracked my clarinets was when I was humidifying them, since then, nothing.
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2011-11-30 16:31
I'm with Sean.
Humidifying can be dangerous when there is a big difference between the humidity in the case and the humidity in the playing environment.
Abruptly moving a humidified piece of wood into a dry environment stresses the wood, and that can cause cracking, as any woodworker knows. (This is also very true for temperature differences.)
Let the games begin...again!
B.
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Author: Wally
Date: 2011-12-01 03:04
Sylvain- I weighed the case with an R13, two barrels, two mouthpieces and several odds and ends in the case--it's 6 pounds 7 ounces. The case itself isn't very heavy.
Sean and bmcgar-- I have some comments on the functioning of the case that I wasn't careful about outlining in my first post. This completely sealed case and the Humidipak used it it are intended to *stabilize* the humidity level of the wood, not to "humidify" the clarinet. The idea of throwing some water emitting device in an unsealed case is a completely different idea.
The Humidipak will both release and absorb moisture to stabilize the case interior and clarinet at about 50% (humidipak.com). I understand from Mike, who has done a tremendous amount of research on this, that the humidity of grenadilla will only change about 6-8% in any 24 hour period, either up or down. This is born out by the fact that the benefits I have in using the case took several weeks to come about (and Mike told me it would take that long). Using the clarinet in even a very dry environment, particularly with all the moisture added to it from saliva and condensation, is not going to dry it out to any critical degree. I wouldn't leave it out of the case for days on end when not using it, but I wouldn't do that anyway for all kinds of reasons.
I don't know if either of you have tried stabilizing the humidity of your cracked clarinets, but probably not. The usual thing about throwing some moisture in an unsealed case might well be a bad idea and would certainly not be a useful one. The Lomax case approach has nothing to do with such practices.
The issue with wet wood and carpentry has nothing to do with this. "Wet" in carpentry means inadequately cured and this will often crack as it cures. As for just adding moisture to or drying out cured wood, we know that is not good for it. Fine furniture needs to have humidity controlled and stabilized.
Wally
Post Edited (2011-12-01 03:05)
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Author: bmcgar ★2017
Date: 2011-12-02 00:42
"Inadequately cured" has little to do with wood problems that come from temperature and humidity shock. In either case, it's not the amount, it's the variance. However, I won't elaborate. This is one of those topics that never dies.
Check with the curator of a museum that has lots of antique wood furniture, go with your own empirical evidence, or work according to a theory. YRMV.
B.
(who puts orange peel in his cases in the winter, not to guard against cracking, but to keep the pads from drying out)
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Author: Wally
Date: 2011-12-02 02:57
B.,
I agree with you, "it's the variance" that you want to avoid. That's exactly what the Lomax case does. It is designed to narrow that variance way down, much narrower than could one could ever find in any ambient environment, which includes a clarinet sitting in an unsealed case. When the clarinet is removed from the case for use, it will not be exposed to "humidity shock" unless it is left out of the case for days. I know quite a lot about about the conservation of paintings, including very elaborate, often original, wood frames. What we are always after with artwork is as narrow a humidity range as possible. Like Mike's case.
By the way, I'm not sure this topic has ever been discussed because I'm not sure a case like this has been available before--completely sealed with two way (up and down) humidity control. This has nothing to do with putting a source of moisture in a conventional case.
Wally
Post Edited (2011-12-02 03:09)
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