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Cork swelling

Author: Paul
Date: 2001-05-18 18:15

Hi there. One of my pupils' clarinet won't go together because the corks are so narrow. Does anyone know how to swell them other than with a cigarette lighter etc, flame which takes ages to do.
Cheers,
Paul.

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RE: Cork swelling

Author: Dee
Date: 2001-05-18 19:50

Dip a table knife in boiling water and just run it around the cork. May need to repeat.

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RE: Cork swelling

Author: Anji
Date: 2001-05-18 21:37

I carry some teflon plumber's tape for a short-term fix.

1st, clean the cork with denatured alcohol and a cotton ball to remove grease.

2nd, wrap the cork tightly with one or two lengths of the plumber's tape.

3rd apply cork grease to the tape layer.

4th (now this sounds tricky) following the direction of the tape wrap, twist the two sections together.

This doesn't last indefinitely and may come off during disassembly.

This fix will last until the compressed cork may be replaced.

Carry a roll of this stuff, some Q-tip swabs and Elmer's 'Stix-All' for mishaps during recitals.

anji

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RE: Cork swelling

Author: ron b
Date: 2001-05-18 21:59

Excellent suggestion, Dee. I know it works but,
ummm... make sure you run the knife around *flatside* against the cork :|

- ron b -

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RE: Cork swelling-treatment

Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2001-05-19 14:01

Excellent quick fix ideas. The cork should probably be replaced because resurrection rarely happens once the cork cells have been collapsed, filled with peroleum cork grease and the cell walls fractured. The answer for new cork or cork that is not permanently compressed is a cork treatment that will maintain the moisture content within the cork and preserve the cell walls of the cork in a natural way so that they will compress and rebound normally. As with any other "wood" product I recommend natural oils that maintain a controlled moisture balance in the cork, or other treatments that do not infiltrate the cork cells and cause permantent collapse of the cork.
The Doctor

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RE: Cork swelling-treatment

Author: mw
Date: 2001-05-22 02:20

OT to Corks ---- Stix-All is recommended by a number of folks for floating of (silicon) Valentino Pads. Its supposed to work wonders. Actually, they recommend Elmer's ProBond Stix-All ... which is no doubt the same product that Anji refers too.

Best,
mw

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