 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Trish Neil
Date: 2001-04-19 02:00
Is silk a good material to use for pullthroughs? It is absorbant and won't catch on the inside of the instrument, but I have been told that it is abrasive. Any information on this would be appreciated.
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Author: Sara
Date: 2001-04-19 03:50
I think silk is better than the other types, b/c it has less chance of getting caught on things and its the only thing that I'll pull through my mouthpiece. I think that it helps not make the bore change as much as some of the others, but I'm sure if you searched the BBS here, theres tons of stuff on silk swabs.
Sara
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Author: Gene Wie
Date: 2001-04-19 06:07
Silk is great. Absorbs great, dries very fast, and is easily compacted. I use the "Gem" brand swabs with a rubber coated weight (and long lines, so you don't have to struggle to pull on the end like some of the cheap swabs).
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Author: Todd
Date: 2001-04-19 06:45
I also like my silk swab. I no longer use a cotton swab thru my mp for the same reason as Sara. However, I think cotton dries the bore a little better. So, I use the silk swab during rehearsals since it never gets stuck and at the end of practice, pull a cotton one through to make sure I get all of the moisture out. I've had a cotton one get stuck during a rehearsal. Fortunately I had a paper clip in my case and was able to make it into a fishhook shape to get the swab out. The next day I bought a silk one. Yes, silk swabs dry quickly. I spilled a cup of water on my swab one day. It was completely dry within 45 minutes.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2001-04-19 12:28
Silk is not very absorbant at all. It works by dragging the water out of the bore. Silk dries quickly due to the fact that is does not absorb water well.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-04-19 13:27
I agree Dee.
If cotton gets stuck it is because of something avoidable:
1. It is too bulky
2. It was folded or crumpled as it went in.
3. It has a badly designed feature (such as the cord attachment) which catches on the thumb or register vent.
Artificial chamois is absorbent and very strong. (The sort sold for washing cars)
Natural chamois is useless because it repells water until it has been saturated and wrung.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2001-04-19 15:35
I disagree Dee - finished silk fabric may have a coating or sizing on the surface when it comes from the manufacturer which makes it less absorbant to water but after it has been washed in anionic detergents it is extremely absorbant - more so than cotton of the same volume. A search on the properties of silk will indicate that it is prehaps the most absorbant "natural" product. Some of the best long underwear are made from silk because of the "wicking" moisture properties of the fabric. I agree with Gordon that a properly designed swab should not stick or get caught no matter what the material. I like silk because it easy to store and easy to use. Some of the new microfiber materials are great too. Just a matter of choice.
The Doctor
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Author: Pam
Date: 2001-04-19 22:13
I like the silk swabs, personally. I keep two so a dry one can always go in my case and the damp one can be left out to dry after practicing at home. I have forgot my swab on occasion before I started this habit. I do occasionally hand wash them. They dry really fast!
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Author: Andy
Date: 2001-04-19 23:58
I also like silk swabs too. When i first got my new buffet e-11 The swab that came with it was a cotton swab which I couln't even pull through the clarinet. The silk swab brand i use is Ann Hodge.
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Author: Terry Horlick
Date: 2001-04-20 00:06
Ok,
What is the story with those oboe players and feathers? It doesn't seem that would absorb much moisture. Probably fairly abrasive, and the stiff spine must cause it to miss spots.
Who knows about this weird habit?
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Author: jbutler
Date: 2001-04-20 01:01
Terry,
The bore of the upper oboe joint has a very small bore. The feather is used because it can get up into this small bore without getting stuck. The oboe's upper bore begins with a smaller diameter than your average #2 pencil.
John
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-04-20 14:55
Omar, I had to laugh. I have no reason to doubt your chemistry expertise and research, so the inference I have to make is that I have yet to come across anionically washed, or even washed silk. And that is probably true! Most players probably never wash their pull throughs!
Furthermore I am increasingly convinced that the "Pure Thai Silk" boxer shorts I bought at a Thailand silk factory are polyester.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2001-04-20 18:23
Gordon, I believe you are right about a great number of "silk" products out in the marketplace today - sorry about the boxer shorts but hope that they have a cute design on them anyway. My chemistry experience is sometimes a help and sometimes a hinderance to my daily life. My generic reference to washing would include soaps formulated for "delicate" fabrics such as Woollite and such. You can probably use most any laundry washing soap in cold water and just let it air dry. The women in community would have a much better handle on this than I do. My wife is a major quilter so we have a variety of these special soaps around the washing machine for me to wash out my swabs and shorts - hopefully both on a regular basis!
The Doctor.
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Author: graham
Date: 2001-04-24 07:25
Brymer (1976) p.108 (in my edition) criticises silk as being abrasive and lacking absorption. He advocates cotton or chamois leather, the latter to be changed frequently as it wears quickly.
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Author: Trish Neil
Date: 2001-04-26 04:27
Finally I'm getting discussion on the original question! It was because of the Brymer assertion that the question came up, but he offers no proof of his statement. A substance is abrasive to another substance only if it is harder than it. I doubt whether silk is harder than the extremely hard timber used in clarinets. Can someone give me any factual/scientific information on this point?
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-04-26 10:19
Just because a material feels soft and bends easily does not mean it is not hard. E.g. glass ifs fairly hard but fibre-glass feels quite soft, esopecially as it is slippery.
However, irrespective of how hard a material is, it still requires pressure against a surface to wear away that surface. The pressure of a silk pull-through against the inside of a clarinet is almost nill. I consider abrasion by a pull-through to be inconsequential and a highly exaggerated phenomenon. Perhaps it would be significant after several hundred years of use. There is likely to be more erosion from other hazards like moisture, air, and even, especially for some players, saliva, which is probably the worst culpret.
Instrumentalists can get so fanatical - Is it an over-mothering-of-their-'baby' syndrome?
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