 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sandee
Date: 2001-05-04 01:34
2 questions -
My clarinet is still pretty new, and I apply cork grease every time I put it together. I don't remember doing that as a young person, when I played in school. How often does every one apply cork grease? I'm using "The Doctors" grease...
#2 - I'm confused about case humidifiers. Why am I swabbing everything so carefully if my horn needs humidity?
Any thoughts are welcome.
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Author: Mandy
Date: 2001-05-04 07:00
I've had my E-13 for about 3 months and I still apply cork grease every time I assemble the instrument I do not however gloop it on real thick and always wipe the tenons and sokets thoroughly after playing.
I think the last thing I'd want here in the UK is a humidifier so I'm afraid I can't really offer much help on that score.
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Author: Todd
Date: 2001-05-04 07:20
I also apply cork grease every time I assemble my clarinet. I apply it to the corks on the upper joint and lower joint to make it easier to put it together. My corks are a little tight and I don't want to apply any excess pressure to any keys, etc., that could torque them off line or make them start to vibrate. I don't apply cork grease to my mouthpiece because it is relatively loose. Living in Seattle, I don't use a humidifier. I've never had any problems with my clarinets drying out or cracking. A need for a humidifier may depend on the type of climate you live in.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2001-05-04 12:06
I use cork grease when I feel a slight resistance as I start to assemble. If this occurs, I back off, put on cork grease and then restart.
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Author: beejay
Date: 2001-05-04 13:38
Your question about using a humidifier is one I've asked, although I do use one (a photo canister with some of that sponge used to keep flowers moist) despite the unrelenting dampness so far this year where I live (near Paris).
And is it necessary to get the instrument bone-dry when putting back in the case? I use a silk swab that leaves a thin film of moisture, which quickly dries in the air. It seems that scrubbing with anything harder will only do more harm than good. I do thoroughly dry the joints, however.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-05-04 14:44
I suppose I apply grease on average about every 20th assembly.
Using it every time can just be a habit. Frequency does depend on the cork which is quite a variable material, and many manufacturers make the corks too tight. This is probably the case for Sandee.
"Cork" on many modern instruments is synthetic cork which has high friction and does not "hold" cork grease to effectively reduce the friction. This could also be the case for Sandee.
Most cork greases dry out and "cake" badly, becoming highly viscous and "claiming" space between the cork and the socket, hence forcing the cork to get overcompressed, and making the joint MORE DIFFICULT to assemble. So the player keeps adding more and more grease in an attempt to overcome the problem, which just keeps getting worse from the regular "feeding"! In these situations the joints actually go together more easily if all cork grease is REMOVED!
The Doctor markets 2 very different cork greases. When using the synthetic one less is needed, less often. (Clean off old grease first.)
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Author: Rina
Date: 2001-05-05 00:35
I had enormous problems with my joints when I had them recorked (the old corks had worn too thin funnily enough). 12 months and lots of cork grease later I ran into a problem - I could find my cork grease anywhere.
Solution - reach for the lipbalm which I had on the table (another side effect of playing the clarinet is chapped lips). Wonders of wonders! Might I just say to all clarinet players that lip balm makes an excellent cork grease, and it lasts longer than the one I was using before, so in three days, I haven't had to reapply.
Who knows, it may work for you too :-)
As for humidifiers - I've never used one, and my clarinets are fine. Just make sure that they're at room temperature before you play them.
R
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-05-05 05:38
If you think that lip balm is great then you haven't tried the synthetic greases.
By the way, Sandee, anybody who feels they have to apply grease for every assembly possibly has a problem of the timber of the tenon binding or jamming, i.e. nothing to do with the cork. A symptom of this is that when the cork is well greased there is a slight binding even before the cork enters the socket, or a tightness for the last few mm of assembly. A technicial can correct this.
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Author: Harold
Date: 2001-05-05 19:02
Since the other replies didn't fully address your question about humidifying vs. keeping the instrument dry, I will give it a shot! Keeping the wood instrument in a somewhat humid environment (e.g., above about 45% relative humidity) tends to cause the wood to "swell" somewhat -- not so much that you would really notice it. But, this slight swelling has the benefit of actually preventing or at least limiting the absorption into the wood of WATER (i.e., like the condensation you get while playing the instrument, actual drops of water). Conversely, if the wood dries out, as it might in a dry environment (and especially if also not played on a daily/ regular basis), then the wood will tend to shrink slightly with the possibility of resulting in tiny avenues for water to be absorbed in the wood in specific locations (leading perhaps to cracking). Hope this helps with your question.
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Author: Mandy
Date: 2001-05-06 09:34
I still apply grease at every session because even though the joints on my E-13 fit very well I don't want to have to grip over the keywork to tightly(I have large hands,long fingers and sometimes don't know my own strength).When I bought my clarinet the technician adjusted the slightly stiff joints while I was in the shop but a couple of days later the middle joint was binding so I took it in again to be freed.Three months later they still fit like a dream and I still regularly use the cork grease but I also wipe it completely away from the tenons and sockets after every session so this is probably why I need to use it this often and not because my joints are binding.
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