 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: dblomd
Date: 2012-07-24 01:16
Is there a way to clean padsavers? These are the fluffy things that you stick in the instrument after you're done playing it. I was wondering because I've had mine for a while and realized that it's probably nasty. What do you do to clean yours?
Senior Music Education Major, Proficiency Piano
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Author: Merlin_Williams
Date: 2012-07-24 01:55
Those things are a big, fluffy, nasty, evil waste of time and effort.
Throw them away and get yourself a decent pull through swab.
Jupiter Canada Artist/Clinician
Stratford Shakespeare Festival musician
Woodwind Doubling Channel Creator on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/WoodwindDoubling
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Author: dblomd
Date: 2012-07-24 02:04
I use a pull through swab first. I was always told to swab first then stick the padsavers in later. My first band teacher would never let anyone get away with just using a padsaver as a cleaning device.
Senior Music Education Major, Proficiency Piano
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Author: Merlin_Williams
Date: 2012-07-24 02:18
Padsavers leave lint and stray fibres in instruments. If you swab out an instrument properly, there's absolutely no need to stick one of those things in it.
Jupiter Canada Artist/Clinician
Stratford Shakespeare Festival musician
Woodwind Doubling Channel Creator on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/WoodwindDoubling
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Author: Simon
Date: 2012-07-24 03:48
I asked a similar questuin about 12 months ago after my repair tech suggested I shouldn't use them. The overwhelming majority on this board agreed with my repair tech, don't use them, just use a good quality swab.
You may want to do a search.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-07-24 06:49
Don't use padsavers on clarinets.
They're fine on saxes (I use them on all mine and haven't had any trouble) but I'd never use them on any wooden instrument. I've seen the state they leave the bore in on a clarinet I rebuilt, so get a good quality cotton pullthrough and use that instead.
And wipe the sockets dry after playing with a separate piece of kitchen roll instead of using the same pullthrough you use in the bore as you'll get grease on it which will eventually build up in the top joint toneholes making things very stuffy.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: jmsa
Date: 2012-07-24 09:57
Also the wood needs to breathe and these padsavers prevent air from entering the bore. Never use them!
jmsa
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-07-24 10:13
If you're using them on saxes, they can be washed in the sink or in the bath with any kind of detergent - although probably best to use soap powder or any other fabric detergent.
And if you are using them on saxes, be sure to bin the old fluffy ones with the thick white wadding and cotton threads (they usually have a rubber bung on the end) in favour for the new microfibre ones which are green/black for soprano, red/black for alto and blue/black for tenor (and have a black plastic stopper on the end). The new ones will compress right down to the wire so they won't snag or rip out the lower 8ve vent tube as they're pushed in or pulled out. And when using them (as with pullthroughs), insert/remove them S-L-O-W-L-Y instead of whipping them out or ramming them in fast!
But don't use them on wooden clarinets - they should never have made them for this purpose.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: davyd
Date: 2012-07-24 13:44
Fair enough; I'll dispose of my clarinet padsavers. Never quite saw the point of them anyway.
What brand(s) and material(s) of swab(s) is/are recommended?
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Author: LJBraaten
Date: 2012-07-24 14:43
Silk - Hodges or the Doctor's products. I have both, I like the doctors a little better. I also have a swab I made out of nylon, roughly based on the doctors design. It seems to work as well if not better than the silk. The advantage of lighter materials over cotton is that they are less abrasive and easier to pull through the mouthpiece.
Laurie
Laurie (he/him)
Post Edited (2012-07-25 00:48)
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Author: jmsa
Date: 2012-07-24 16:36
I use the Vandoren burgundy micro fiber which is excellent in every respect.
jmsa
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Author: Wes
Date: 2012-07-24 21:55
The black microfiber Buffet swab included with a new R13 is a great swab but I don't know where they can be purchased.
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Author: jmsa
Date: 2012-07-24 22:40
Would the navy blue Buffet bass clarinet swab work on a Bb clarinet.
jmsa
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-07-24 22:50
It might be too wide to fit in the bore of a Bb or too wide to go past the speaker tube (check it with just the barrel to see if it'll go through easily) so you may need to trim it down. But that can cause loose threads and fibres to come off and get stuck in toneholes, so best getting one specificaly designed for Bb clarinets.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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