 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2016-10-17 19:58
I've always repaired / overhauled my own clarinets with great success. I was given a handful of brief "how-to" sessions by a wonderful repair tech with great credentials (whom has since retired from the business), and it has served me well. However, since I didn't anticipate certain issues, I never asked about certain procedures.
Here are a couple of the questions I still have:
Key posts & guides:
Are ALL guides and posts threaded, "screw-in"-type mounts - or are other mounts out there to be concerned with? What about hard rubber and plastic clarinets?
For wooden clarinets, do the repair-folks here on the board prefer grandilla powder to adjust loose posts, or is there a more preferred method? What about on plastic and hard rubber?
Seating pads:
I was taught to always float the pads on a clarinet (unless the key itself is obviously bent). Yet, some repair books I've read indicate that the pads should always be pressed evenly into the cups, and the key should be bent to fit (like on a saxophone). Which is "normal"?
Thanks,
Fuzzy
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Author: Wes
Date: 2016-10-17 22:02
For loose posts, I have often inserted nylon cord in the hole before reinstalling the post in order to tighten things up. Then I cut off the cord left over.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-10-17 23:05
There are unfortunately some student and even intermediate clarinets, mostly plastic (possibly some in wood), that use a plug in post technique.
I believe even one iteration of the Buffet E11/12 may have used this.
For slight looseness on posts, especially when the post would tighten up but overshoot the in-line position, I was taught to use a fine coating of fine pumice powder between the shoulder of the post and the body.
For a badly mangled cheap plastic clarinet one sometimes has to resort to epoxy.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2016-10-18 04:12
Almost all of the instruments I've come across have screw-in posts. I've seen plug-in posts mostly on cheap plastic instruments. I used to use a dab of shellac on loose posts but now I find I get better results with the weakest loctite threadlocker. Can't remember the product code number, but it can easily be broken loose if necessary. I use epoxy if the hole is really damaged.
I always float pads on shellac. This way they can always be reseated if it becomes necessary.
Tony F.
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2016-10-18 16:20
Bending keys should not be a primary method of leveling pads (even for saxes). Bending front to back will often distort the pad cup, especially if the key arm is thick. If the pad is thick. I will bend side to side if when I'm floating a pad it has to be severely uneven to make it level with the tone hole. Also, I will reorient the pad cup if it is not sufficiently centered over the tone hole. Of course, if the key was previously bent out of alignment, go ahead and correct it.
There is a method of leveling cork pads which involves sanding the pad rather that floating. I don't often use this method. It may necessitate more bending depending on the quality of the instrument.
Steve Ocone
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2016-10-18 19:31
Some plastic clarinets have the posts molded into the body to save costs.
I almost always prefer glue to repair loose posts but the type of glue and method depends on the instrument and the problem.
Whether to bend (align) a key or float the pad depends on what area is hitting the tone hole first, why it is that way, the type of pad, the specific design and strength (of the key cup and key arm), etc.
Post Edited (2016-10-18 22:04)
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2016-10-18 20:38
Hello everyone - thanks for the great responses!
I wouldn't have even thought of some of the creative methods for loose posts (on wood, I've always just placed a small amount of grandilla powder in the bottom of the post hole so that enough upward pressure is placed on the threads to hold it...and the bottom of the hole is raise enough to prevent the post from tightening too far clockwise).
I use stick shellac for pretty much everything (pads, tenon corks, and key corks).
My one question that I'm still curious about: hard rubber clarinets (1900 - 1940s) - are the key posts threaded, or inserted? Since hard rubber is known to be brittle at times, I've always been afraid to attempt to twist a post out. I don't have any "test" hard rubber stock to test on, so any insight would be greatly appreciated.
(Steve - thanks for the note about saxophones! I don't work on saxophones as a rule - but I'm preparing to re-assemble an old C Melody Buescher, and I was under the impression that I was supposed to bend the keywork on saxophones with the "levelers" and such...so thanks for the head's up - I guess I'll need to do further research before starting that project!)
Thanks!
Fuzzy
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-10-18 23:09
On the majority of clarinets made of wood, ebonite and plastic, pillars are either screwed in or anchored in with a wood screw through the tab on the pillar base.
Artley/Armstrong plastic clarinets were different in they had splined pillars that were ultrasonically mounted into the pillar holes in the body, but they can be pulled straight out.
The short lived Buffet E11 France had push fit pillars with a specially shaped tab/lug to prevent them from turning that fitted into specially milled out recesses in the joints. But they often failed when the wood moved causing the pillars to drop out and were soon discontinued in favour of using tried and tested threaded and anchored pillars on its replacement - the E12F.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2016-10-19 18:16
If the keys are forged brass (plated with silver or nickel silver), they can be bent a few times, gently, before they develop metal fatigue, but beware of bending cast-spelter (pot-metal) keys as found on a lot of plastic student clarinets. That metal is brittle. It won't tolerate being bent. It will break easily.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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