 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: rick77
Date: 2014-02-19 17:32
The thumb rest on my R13 broke last night. The part that slides up and down (the actual thumb hook) snapped into two pieces.
Who sells the R13 replacement thumb hook. I only need the part that slides, not the complete assembly.
Thanks!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-02-19 19:05
You're much better off fitting an entire Jupiter or Yamaha thumbrest assembly than putting up with the crappy Buffet cast things that will just keep on breaking or stripping their threads.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2014-02-19 19:14
Funny, just the other night a local student came over to have a clarinet repaired, and one of its problems was exactly the same thumbrest issue. I replaced it with a standard fixed thumbrest (having the same attachment screw spacing) from a donor clarinet.
So now I've seen multiple cases of two endemic modern-Buffet problems: The broken thumbrest and the broken nylon pins for the l.h. spatula levers. Pretty lousy quality for such an expensive line of instruments.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-02-19 14:18
As for nylon pins, they can be given some backbone by drilling all the way through them with a 0.8 to 1.0mm drill, push fitting the appropriate diameter steel spring and grinding it flush with the ends.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: pewd
Date: 2014-02-19 20:47
You can get one here:
http://www.wwbw.com/Buffet-Crampon-Replacement-Clarinet-Adjustable-Thumbrest-585536-i1533293.wwbw
Its usually the threads on the screw that get stripped, you should replace the entire assembly, it only takes a minute or so (only 2 screws).
This remains, unfortunately, a poorly engineered part on Buffet clarinets, they fail far too frequently.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-02-20 02:10
This particular part is "pot metal." Usually gives out when overtightened. If you hand tighten (or just give the slightest extra nudge with small pliers, it should be fine. But I agree that replacing with a standard thumb rest is desirable.
As for the nylon pins, I just replace with teflon pins. The idea is great, nylon is just not the material for this juncture.
.......Paul Aviles
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2014-02-19 21:17
Teflon, Paul? No no no! Teflon extrudes (squeezes out) over time, it has great anti-friction properties but is pretty bad in all other mechanical respects.
I hope you meant to write Delrin (another Dupont trade name, by the way), a much better choice for this application.
For the two clarinets I fixed, I used old-fashioned steel pins, with old-fashioned "fishskin" (bladder) as the noise-reduction material.
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Author: rick77
Date: 2014-02-20 03:46
Hey guys thanks for all of the great info. I've got a spare (Buffet E-11) clarinet that is cracked so I was thinking about taking the fixed thumb rest off of it and putting it on my R13 but the screw spacing is nowhere near the same.
I don't really want to drill a new set of holes for a different thumb rest so I'll probably just order the replacement thumb rest that Paul from Dallas provided a link for. It's $23.00 and a little change and no shipping from WW&BW. I'm sure the replacement thumb rest will eventually fail too but it costs less than a box of reeds so it's not that big of a deal.
I bought my R13 used about two years ago and the thumb rest screw was a little stripped out when I got it. With the new one I'll be careful to not over tighten the screw in hopes that it will last a while.
When I take my R13 to a pro to get it worked on I'll have him put a fixed thumb rest on it.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2014-02-19 23:24
Replace pins with traditional metal.
Make them, or buy them from Kraus (who sells only to technicians)
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Author: pewd
Date: 2014-02-20 05:47
Replace the nylon pins with carbon fiber.
http://www.clarinet-repairs.com/carbonfiberpins.html
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: rick77
Date: 2014-02-20 06:15
Thanks Steven! Very kind of you. I'll send you and email.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-02-20 12:00
I'm not the tech but am told that these are teflon. Perhaps a teflon mixture with something else. I have clarinets that have teflon coating over the metal pins as well. The point though is that the having a juncture at the paddle keys with teflon involved in some way, gives you a permanent "silencer" to the mechanism without having to add some buffer that degrades fairly rapidly (the old timers used to place a small square of fish skin in their to make this quiet, usually wearing out within a month or so.........the very first "repair" work I learned to do on my own).
...........Paul Aviles
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2014-02-21 09:22
"The point though is that the having a juncture at the paddle keys with teflon involved in some way, gives you a permanent "silencer" to the mechanism..."
Actually, although Teflon provides very low friction, it is a very noisy material to have in linkages.
"... without having to add some buffer that degrades fairly rapidly (the old timers used to place a small square of fish skin in their to make this quiet, usually wearing out within a month or so...."
I cut them from two thickness of 'fish-shin" (which is probably not fish skin) glued together with to quality contact adhesive, which possibly greatly extends life. They typically last several years before even even a point of puncture, let alone becoming noisy.
When a slightly thicker one is needed, I use spinnaker cloth, as used on Americas Cup racing Yachts, many of whose sails are made here. Although very thin, it is very, very tough.
Buffet just got it wrong. There are plastics that are plenty strong enough for this part, but whatever it is that Buffet chose, it is too weak.
What is really odd is Buffet is not cooperative about selling replacements. That would be the quickest way to use up their probably huge stocks of substandard product. Like the really poor linkage felt used on Selmer saxophones, and the sluggish-action F#/C# spring on Buffet clarinets, and Buffet's brittle plastic tenon socket "reinforcing" rings, I guess we are going to have to put up with this for decades.
I reckon there is only one reason Buffet change to these plastic pins - it took a few $ off production costs.
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