 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Walter Greenwood
Date: 2015-07-21 23:56
This is bizzarre. I have a Selmer Series 9 that has spent some years in the case since I acquired it. It had belonged to a pro player who played it regularly until he passed away. The joint between the upper and lower joints doesn't close all the way. The tenon isn't tight or binding, but solidly bottoms out before the gap is closed. The tenon is actually too long for the mortise that recieves it, by several millimeters. The serial numbers match, so I know the joints belong together. The only explanation I can come up with is that the tenon has expanded lengthwise or the mortise has contracted lengthwise. If the horn were doing that, I would expect to see problems with the key mechanisms, but I don't. What the heck is going on here?
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Author: BartHx
Date: 2015-07-22 01:38
Might it be possible that the edge of the socket on the lower joint had some damage and the socket was shortened to prevent it from spreading down the joint? The lower joint socket on my Series 9 has a depth of 16.0 mm. How does yours compare?
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Author: KenJarczyk
Date: 2015-07-22 01:53
Any chance that there are undetected tuning rings in the socket?
Ken Jarczyk
Woodwinds Specialist
Eb, C, Bb, A & Bass Clarinets
Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Baritone Saxophones
Flute, Alto Flute, Piccolo
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2015-07-22 02:05
Ken,
I thank you have broken the code. I would make sense that a tuning ring might have been inserted purposely to overcome a clarion register tuning issue. Maybe even glued in.
It is not the tenon that it too long but some of the space in the mortise is taken up by a tuning ring.
HRL
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-07-22 02:09
Measure the length of the tenon and the depth of the socket using vernier calipers to be certain they're both different.
If anything, the tenon really ought to bottom out in the socket leaving an absolutely tiny gap on the outside between the socket ring and the tenon shoulder to be sure there's no gap between them (so both bores meet with no gap), but that's seldom the case and the majority of tenons don't fully reach the bottom of the socket on most woodwind instruments. It's only a minor point, but in a perfect world that shouldn't be the case.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Walter Greenwood
Date: 2015-07-22 02:57
Mystery solved: I was careless when I "measured" the socket. The dimensions match. The wood that borders the upper edge of the cork band (around the lower tenon of the upper joint) is ever so slightly too big around to fit into the socket. I live in a place with more consistent humidity than where the clarinet lived previously, so I assume up this is simple case of swelling caused by chronic moisture. If I push the joints together with a little more force then usual, they stop suddenly with an audible whack that led me to think the tenon was bottoming out in the socket.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-07-22 03:37
You'll need to get the tenon shoulder shaved down to make it a good fit.
Only trust someone with a good reputation to do this as they only have to remove a tiny amount of wood from the upper tenon ring by scraping it with a very sharp scraper or scalpel blade to achieve a good fit (shaving a tiny bit off and checking the fit as they go as opposed to machining or filing it down). If too much wood is removed, then the middle tenon will rock and with such a short middle tenon on Selmers, that's the last thing you want.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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