 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: AllieChiaradonna
Date: 2013-03-17 04:09
Hello to anyone reading, and my apologies for posing this question that may be simultaneously trivial and fruitless.
For the last four years, I have played on a Lomax L'Opera 2, Zinner Blank mouthpiece. It's excellent for me, gets me close to what I want. HOWEVER, about a year ago during a lesson, someone who will not be named noticed that the metal plate "Lomax" symbol had fallen off of my mouthpiece, and proceeded to use superglue on the mouthpiece, to re-attach it.
Of course, me being the student, I naturally trusted his judgement, however seemingly insignificant this detail may have been.
And, of course, since this point, one can guess - I have been getting what I believe to be some parasitic vibrations in my sound. It is not anything in the instrument at all, as I have performed extensively on my alternate set, believing there to be a problem with my R13s. There is nothing in the ligature, as I have alternated ligatures to test the problem. Same goes for reeds.
I have recently come across an old Vandoren 5RV that gives (again, for me) some similar attributes that I find pleasing in my approach to clarinet.
However, I am still interested in removing this superglue/unnecessary metal attachment to my Lomax. I mean, in theory, the plate would interfere with the vibration of the mouthpiece in the first place. And, while this might be all entirely within my head, I truly believe it not to be, granted 1: many have told me the same result with my sound, and 2: this is not present in other mouthpieces.
SO, this question I pose to any chemist clarinetists, or any player out there who may have had a similar experience:
Is there any formula that will remove the superglue/metal attachment without damaging the mouthpiece hard rubber? At all?
I've read that Acetone can do a pretty good job of removing super glue, by removing the bonds that plastic makes, but, as I'm not sure of the plastic content of Zinner Blanks, I am VERY hesitant to try this. And I'm even more hesitant to try by force - but, trust me, this thing is on there good.
Again, I apologize if this is a waste of time to anyone reading, but this is quite the predicament! I just want to have my piece playing again.
Thank you for your time.
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Author: LJBraaten
Date: 2013-03-17 05:26
You are right about acetone, it would probably damage the mouthpiece, that stuff is known to melt plastic and rubber. My first thought is an expert instrument repair person. They would likely know the best way to remove something like this and avoid damage. But if the repair person is the one who put the plate on, it would be entirely appropriate to point out that "the kind act of repairing the mouthpiece has unfortunately resulted in unintended consequences."
Laurie
Laurie (he/him)
Post Edited (2013-03-17 05:27)
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2013-03-17 12:35
Superglue is to some extent water-soluble. The degree of solubility depends on the specific formulation of the glue used. You could try leaving the m/p in cold water when not in use. Eventually the bond will loosen. This shouldn't damage the m/p, but use only cold water.
Tony F.
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2013-03-17 14:53
The best solution may be to carefully apply just enough heat to the metal plate to release the glue bond. The best way (and only way I would use) would be by electrical resistance. I do this with a split tip soldering gun with the tip cut off. The plate will complete the circuit and heat up.
I also use this tool to remove and insert register and thumb tubes, and for heating pad cups.
Steve Ocone
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Author: Jim22
Date: 2013-03-17 19:01
I'd be tempted to try to remove it mechanically without generating significant heat. Maybe with a dremel using a drum sander bit. Once its off the mouthpiece could be sanded with very fine sandpaper. It doesn't really seem like a likely vibration source.
Jim C.
CT, USA
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Author: ww.player
Date: 2013-03-17 19:12
I'm not a chemist but I have worked extensively with the materials involved. Although acetone is a solvent, I don't believe it chemically interacts with hard rubber. Also, I don't think that Zinner uses acrylic in any of their blanks. In other words, using acetone to remove the super glue should be OK. I have used it on rubber mouthpieces to remove patches without any damage before.
Just to be sure about your mouthpiece, test it first. Go to the least important part of the mouthpiece, the flat ring that faces the barrel. Putting a bit of acetone on a paper towel, lightly rub a little onto the surface there. My guess is that you'll see nothing, meaning that acetone is fine on your mouthpiece.
Just to be 100% safe even if it passes the test, use a paper towel or cotton swab and be sure to keep the acetone away from the table, rails, and chamber of the mouthpiece. Also, rinse the acetone off thoroughly when you're done. The worst case scenario is that your mouthpiece won't be quite as pretty as it used to be. If it does interact, it will dull the finish.
BTW, heat and hard rubber do not go together well, so I would stay away from the soldering gun and power tools.
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Author: AllieChiaradonna
Date: 2013-03-17 21:03
Hello all,
Thank you so very much for these responses! I'm truly grateful that such a resource like this exists. Again, a big thank you to each of you, helping out young clarinetists with problems like this!
I will let you know when it is removed from the mp. AGAIN, many thanks! I wish I could offer more than just thanks over the internet Bboard, but, for what it's worth, your suggestions should probably save my best mouthpiece. THANK YOU.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2013-03-17 22:53
An alternative approach might be to avoid the whole problem of breaking the bond - trying to figure out by touching the plate (probably having someone else do it while you play, or touching with the RH while you noodle around with LH notes) to find out where it's loose and vibrating. Then drop in a little *more* superglue where the vibration is and apply pressure to try to make the bond more uniform and stop the metal from moving. Most of the methods suggested for removing the (apparently) poorly adhered plate sound as if they pose at least a small risk of further damaging the mouthpiece.
I wouldn't, myself, worry about any theoretical damping of the mouthpiece's vibration - you must have liked the sound before all of this happened as evidenced by your wanting to try to restore it.
Karl
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-03-18 03:00
Acetone is nasty stuff, and unbelievably flammable. Wait for Spring and do the work outdoors at a wooden picnic table with the wind at your back.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Catherine B.
Date: 2013-03-19 05:03
You might try un-cure cyanoacylate debonder. Its a super glue dissolver that in most cases is less harmful than acetone. You can usually find it in hobby or craft stores. I definitely recommend testing it in a small unnoticeable area first to be safe. I've used it many times on wooden clarinets to clean up ugly filled cracks or to take apart unfortunate cases where some one reattached a pad or cork with super glue. I don't recall any instances of having had to try it on a mouthpiece yet so I'm not sure how it will react with rubber. Do make sure to thoroughly clean your hands because it will suck the dye right out of a wooden clarinet.
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