 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: dubrosa22
Date: 2017-03-28 22:25
At a 'real-world' auction in Adelaide I just picked up a Leblanc LL model 197 (Full Boehm to Low E as illustrated in the brochure here: http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=249127&t=225458 )
Serial #31xxx
I got it for a very good price with enough room in the budget to restore it. The wood and mechanisms are all in very good condition just very dirty and well used but not destroyed by any means.
The only issue (besides completely shot pads) is the severely worn keys. On the pinkie touches, a few banana keys and the throat note keys. Really, really worn! On some keys there are some very deep grooves.
I know some folks have quite acidic skin oils, I myself don't have this problem, but the guy who played this clarinet must've simply dripped with vinegar!
Besides polishing and buffing smooth there's not much besides replating to be done right?
The keys are, I think, nickelsilver but it's hard to tell sometimes and I need time to examine it more closely. .
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Vaughan
Post Edited (2017-03-28 22:39)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-03-29 00:25
I'd personally strip it down completely, prep all the keys (file, paper up and polish) and then have them silver plated by a reputable woodwind specialist as the keys will need to be fitted after plating (have a minimum of 25 microns of silver for a durable finish).
Have all the pillars, rings and other fittings silver plated as well (apart from the bell ring which can't be removed without damaging the bell - that can be polished).
Any keys that are really worn out can be built up by hard soldering strips of nickel silver sheet to them and reshaping - it'll all be hidden under the plating.
I think it's well worth spending the money on a complete restoration/rebuild as this is a pro level clarinet. The cost of a restoration is far less than the cost of an equivalent clarinet if you could buy one new.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: dubrosa22
Date: 2017-03-29 01:15
Thanks Chris, sounds like a lot of work but about what I expected.
My short term plan is to thoroughly strip it down, clean and polish it best I can, repad and cork it and then decide if it is worth replating in silver.
Thanks for the advise on building up the worn areas that's a great idea if I go the replating route.
Can anyone recommend a decent silver replater in Australia?
Vaughan
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2017-03-29 01:32
From the pictures it is hard to see how badly indented the key surfaces are.
Unfortunately at this period Leblanc moved to thin nickle plating and I have seen many examples of where this has not stood up to the wear very well.
From the sharpness of the tonehole chimney edges it doesn't look as though the clarinet has been too heavily used, so very acidic fingers are probably the main cause.
My unplated 14xxx serial clarinets show virtually no significant indentation on touchpieces after 56 years use, despite fact that my fingers are mildly acidic.
Assming your fingers are not acidic then a good clean and polish of the keywork would probably stand up to many more years use.
Personally I don't like removing pillars that have been firmly anchored in the wood for many years unless absolutely essential. they are rarely quite as snug again afterwards.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-03-29 01:58
If the pillars are removed and then silver plated, then they will be a snug fit afterwards. The pillars on my Selmers were a snug fit once they were silver plated.
Marigaux plate their pillars along with the keywork on their instruments and they're a snug fit when it comes to fitting them back into the joints and getting them all lined up correctly.
I had an LL full Boehm until recently and while the keywork was silver plated, the pillars were nickel plated (apart from the upper forked Eb/Bb mechanism shared pillar which had an extra threaded section hard soldered to it).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: dubrosa22
Date: 2017-03-30 22:59
I had a closer look at the LL tonight and ascertained that the Ab throat note key is the worst worn, the rest not so badly. Worn but not ground-in finger wear. So replating could be overkill after some elbow grease, we'll see.
For kicks I thought I'd slap on a mouthpiece and reed for and incredibly it played! Looks are very deceiving! It's crusty with dirt and dust and dry as day old toast but the pads are sealing well! I only quickly played bottom to top and back down again but the tone and tuning was quite good. A nice ringing French sound to my 1010 ears
Of course cleaning and polishing the horn and keys will probably ruin these mostly dead pads but it's nice to hear it alive and well before stripping it down and repadding.
V
Post Edited (2017-03-30 23:58)
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