 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mmatisoff
Date: 2016-06-12 03:16
About six months ago I purchased "Synthetic UltiMax Cork Lubricant." My experience has been pretty bad. When I first apply the lubricant (liberally), the joints fit smoothly together. Once connected, however, the lubricant works like epoxy. I leave the clarinet assembled in my studio. It's very difficult to take the joints apart. Today, I wasn't even sure I could get them apart without causing damage to the keys. Is there a better cork lubricant out there that keeps the cork pliable? Thanks.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-06-12 04:15
I second the vote for Doctor's cork grease, been using for well over 10 years now with no problems.
I'm not sure that leaving your clarinet assembled in the studio, I'm assuming for long periods, is a sensible idea. That in itself is not good for retaining the cork's pliability even when using a good grease.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2016-06-12 04:48
I used the Doc's grease for some time, but found that for me it did not last long. A while ago I found this grease
http://www.wwbw.com/Yamaha-Cork-Grease-420655-i1133749.wwbw
lurking in my drawer and tried it. It worked really well, lasts a long time between applications and is pretty inexpensive. I think it is well worth checking out.
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2016-06-12 06:39
I doubt there's a cork grease in the world that will keep wood tenons from binding if left to sit wet with the instrument assembled. You may not be doing that, but there are people who do. Perhaps you are taking the time dry the tenons and sockets before leaving the reassembled instrument on it's stand. Perhaps your instrument is not made from wood. I've been using Ultimax for the last year or so, and really like it, but people do seem to have strong opinions about it both pro and con. I tried the Doctor's first and didn't particularly care for it, but judging from posts here and elsewhere it's probably the more popular of the two products.
Using it "liberally" might also be part of the problem. It's more tacky than most greases and it doesn't take much to do the job.
Anders
Post Edited (2016-06-12 06:41)
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2016-06-12 07:59
I doubt the Ultimax grease caused your clarinet to bind. More likely leaving it assembled did. How long did you leave it assembled?
Regardless, I don't especially like Ultimax cork grease because it is sticky. I prefer Alisyn and Doctor's and although I prefer the former slightly, I recommend the latter because it comes in the convenient lipstick tube as opposed to Alisyn which comes in a tiny and very flimsy box. I mean Dr Slick from Doctor's and not his synthetic grease, which I don't like at all (even though it is made of the same materials as Alisyn, it's very different).
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-06-12 11:54
Bad practice is leaving any clarinet or any other woodwind instrument on a stand for hours in between playing.
While you may have dried the bore, water will always collect in the sockets and this is especially bad for wooden clarinets as the joints can bind.
So always take your clarinet apart. dry the sockets with tissue or paper towel and only use the pullthrough for the bore and not to wipe out sockets with as that will pick up cork grease and transfer it and fibres to the toneholes which takes some doing to clean it all out when everything gets stuffy in the throat notes.
Always put your clarinet back in its case when not playing as that's the most protective place for it as opposed to being left out on a stand, laid on a table or worse still - laid on a chair.
If you find your joints are binding, then have them fitted by a competent repairer as they will remove just enough wood from the tenon rings or in the socket by the socket ring to ensure the joints are still a good fit and neither bind nor wobble. Don't attempt to get the sandpaper or files out and do it yourself as chances are you'll make things worse and that'll cost you considerably to get the tenons sleeved so they fit properly again.
Binding tenons can't be cured by liberally slapping a load of cork grease on - cork grease should be applied very thinly, evenly and at regular intervals to keep the cork supple, airtight and waterproof and above all to aid assembly so you're not stressing the keywork or tenons. The cork is only acting as a seal and also to apply enough pressure in the sockets to keep the joints together, but the tenons should fit in their respective sockets and not rock even without the cork fitted.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-06-12 19:18
I have experienced something similar in year past (brand cannot be remembered after all these years) with a particularly slippery, or oily sort of cork grease. My belief is that the "grease" itself also penetrates the wood acting to further expand the joint.
The standard whitish, waxy cork greases that come in the chapstick type tube are for my money the best cork greases for clarinet.
I use the Vandoren brand ones.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-06-13 01:02
La Tromba is my cork grease of choice. It's really heavy like axle grease so you don't have to use much.
I bought a 1Kg tub of it which will last an entire lifetime, so to get through it quicker I bought a load of 5g clear plastic tubs off eBay and decanted some of it into them and put one in with every instrument I service or overhaul so I know they're using a decent cork grease instead of using the cheapo lipstick-style stuff that's too thin and soaks right through the cork.
http://www.cfs-kriens.ch/woodwind.shtml
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2016-06-13 12:51)
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Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2016-06-13 09:52
The petroleum content in most cork grease is what eventually renders the cork useless. Dr Slick is based on elm bark and contains no petroleum so the cork lasts a long time but you need to use it every time yo assemble the clarinet. A small price to pay for a large result.
Post Edited (2016-06-14 11:28)
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2016-06-13 12:15
>> but you need to use it every time yo assemble the clarinet. <<
Not true. There are more than a few players here who use this cork grease, only put a small amount if the joints aare a little difficult to assemble without... never any problems as a result.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2016-06-14 17:34
I've been using the "cheap" tube cork grease all my professional life and never had a problem, 55 years as a pro. I make sure the corks are not to tight and I apply the cork grease often. Sometimes to the cork itself and sometimes to the inside of the joint it's going into. I don't over apply.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: mmatisoff
Date: 2016-06-17 18:04
I now take the clarinet apart each evening after practicing. The joints no longer bind. Thanks for insights.
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