 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2016-06-28 00:40
Hello everyone!
I'm currently in the process of re-padding a vintage Buffet pre r13. During the restoration process I noticed that the left-hand 1st finger ring key was not springing back, removing the key revealed that there was no spring operating that key. When I went to remove the key I also noticed that there was no hole for a needle spring in the upper post where it would normally be. There is a hole that I assume the spring would go into on the key itself but it is towards the upper end of the instrument meaning the spring would have to go on the post below it. The problem with this is that there is already a spring in this post for the 2nd finger ring key. Because of this I am not sure how the spring was originally installed. My best guess is that there was one long needle spring that operated both keys from either side of the post. Can anyone confirm if this is how the spring is supposed to go? Is it worth finding a very long needle spring or is there a more effective way to fix this problem?
Here are some photos that show the problem:
http://m.imgur.com/a/HlumZ
Thanks everyone!
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2016-06-28 01:14
Attachment: IMG_4840.jpg (493k)
Attachment: IMG_4843.jpg (367k)
Here are a couple of photos of my pre-R13, from around 1946. There's a separate spring for the LH1 ring which is attached to the upper post. That's odd that your upper post doesn't have the hole for the spring, maybe that post somehow got swapped out for another one?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-06-28 01:59
Scroll down - nothing to see here!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2016-06-28 22:06)
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2016-06-28 04:43
It can be hard to find a spring that is broken off flush with a post and even harder to remove the remaining piece.
Steve Ocone
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Author: BartHx
Date: 2016-06-28 20:48
If you find the possibility Steve suggests (a spring broken off flush with the post), be very careful how you approach it. One of my references suggest using a sharp punch on the broken end of the spring. Maybe it's just my old eyes, but even taking the post out and working with magnification I find that very difficult to do (the broken end of a spring is rarely perfectly clean and flat). They make a plier like tool designed specifically for this purpose, but even that can be a bit tricky to use. If that turns out to be the problem, it is your first time addressing that problem, and the instrument is of significance to you I would suggest taking it to a professional tech. If they mess up the post, it's not your problem to fix it.
Again, maybe it's just my old eyes but, in your first photo, the threads of the post seem to have some sort of foreign substance on them. If that is the case, it could be an indication of possible past problems with this portion of the instrument. If a repair there was done by someone without adequate experience, they could have tried to adjust the spring in question without adequate care and caused a point of fatigue where it entered its post.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-06-28 21:58
Ignore that.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2016-06-28 22:01)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-06-28 22:05
Sorry, just realised I was looking at the wrong photos!
What they've done here is what is often done on some flutes where a single needle spring is flattened somewhere near the middle so two keys share the opposite ends of same spring, which is what you mentioned in the original post - so run with that concept as it's the right one.
http://m.imgur.com/a/HlumZ
So find the correct gauge spring and then fit it in the pillar so it engages in the spring catch (or hole) in both keys. Then flatten it at the point where it fits into the pillar to keep it in place - you can always cut the ends to length either before or after fitting it, but probably best to cut the ends off afterwards to be certain it engages in both keys properly.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2016-06-29 01:03)
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2016-06-29 02:38
Thanks Chris!
I was able to make the string from stainless steel spring wire. Both keys now work perfectly.
-Jdbassplayer
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