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"Standard" Upper Barrel Socket Bore?

Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2013-03-05 14:57

Is there a standard for the diameter of the socket for the mouthpiece tenon on a Bb/A tuning barrel?

Mine are quite different, and I want to match them before going on a mouthpiece hunting expedition.

Thanks

Bob Phillips

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Re: "Standard" Upper Barrel Socket Bore?

Author: kdk
Date: 2013-03-05 15:20

I'm sure there is some kind of standard barrel socket size, at least for the major brands, and for tenon sizes on the standard blanks. But the manufacturers don't advertise the dimension among the specs for either mouthpieces or barrels, so other than doing the measurements yourself, you really have no way to know exactly what socket diameter you're getting in either a barrel or a mouthpiece.

When you say they're "quite different," can you be more specific? Have you measured them (how much is the difference)? Or does your mouthpiece simply slide into one easily and with more difficulty into the other?

I have occasionally had problems fitting a mouthpiece cork (never the tenon itself) into the socket of one or another barrel I tried to use on a Bb or A clarinet. For myself, I have always solved this problem by carefully sanding the smaller socket to match the larger one, then if necessary having a mouthpiece cork installed to fit that larger opening. You don't have to sand much, just be careful to keep it round by holding the abrasive still and turning the barrel in complete circles, and make sure the abrasive goes all the way to the bottom of the socket.

Karl

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Re: "Standard" Upper Barrel Socket Bore?

Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2013-03-05 17:29

Thanks, Karl
On my Buffet RC Bb, I'm using a c.a. 1961 Buffet 65-mm barrel. (because it provides the best sound of any I've tried on that instrument) Its upper bore is not perfectly round, and measures in the range of 22.55 to 22.70 mm.l

I've reamed (using scraper and sandpaper as you described) an Ivrolon (plastic/rubber) barrel for my Lyrique A clarinet to close to the size of the Buffet barrel.

I've recently gotten a Yamaha SE A clarinet with a 64.2 (!) mm barrel with an upper bore, also not round that measures in the range of 22.40 to 22.5.

That small difference (~0.005 inches) is enough so that a mouthpiece wrapped with teflon plumber's tape to fit the larger barrel is far too tight in the smaller barrel. Pulling the mouthpiece will move the ligature and/or pull the tuning barrel off of the clarinet. If the mouthpiece is wrapped to fit the smaller barrel, it is loose in the larger.

After the too-tight Lyrique, I'm just concerned that the correct fix might be to close down the too-big barrel instead of reaming out the too-tight barrel.

Bob Phillips

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Re: "Standard" Upper Barrel Socket Bore?

Author: kdk
Date: 2013-03-05 20:28

I'll defer to experienced techs about whether it's feasible to close the socket opening and what you'd use. I imagine you can build layers of lacquer (nail polish) around the inside or maybe a tech could make a .005" hard rubber insert to glue in.

I don't know the Yamaha line well - is the SE A wood or something else? I don't know how workable Ivrolon is - if your Yamaha barrel is made of wood, it may be easier than the Lyrique barrel to open.

Karl

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Re: "Standard" Upper Barrel Socket Bore?

Author: BartHx
Date: 2013-03-06 16:40

It may depend on the age of your instrument. I have an early 1930s Kohlert on which I had to have the socked reamed almost 1.5 mm to even come close to being able to use a modern mouthpiece. Its original mouthpieces simply fall out of a newer instrument.

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Re: "Standard" Upper Barrel Socket Bore?

Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2013-03-07 18:24

I posted this query on the Yahoo group: Musical Instrument Repair Technician and was told that Boehm clarinets have 22.5-mm diameter upper tuning barrel bores.

To shim my oversized socket required a bit less than a 0.007-inch diametrical bore reduction. I managed that by cutting a strip of 22-pound printer paper (it measured 0.0035 in thickness) with its width equal to the depth of the socket and length just sufficient to wrap into the bore.

After cleaning the cork grease off of the wood with acetone, I glued the paper into the bore with ordinary super glue. I was able to get the paper to stick to the wood by pressing it into place wearing a vinyl glove.

After letting the glue harden, I cleaned up the socket with a sanding roll.

Bob Phillips

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