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Bore maintenance advice

Author: Bennett ★2017
Date: 2017-06-16 06:59

My Buffet R13, vintage 2001, has a small leak in both the upper and lower joints. It won't hold a vacuum when sucking and allows a bit of air to flow when blowing A magnehelic gauge similarly shows small leakage. As far as I can tell, it plays fine. When I compare it to my R13 A, I find the two clarinets to play similarly.

Two technicians have looked at it and have been unable to find any leaks in the pads or cracks in the tonehole chimneys or elsewhere - this for both upper and lower joints

One technician suggested something I've never heard of before - coating the bores with beeswax or paraffin to seal them (I have oiled the bores with Drs Products bore oil.) Looking at the bores I can see that the Bb's bores are not nearly as shiny or smooth as the A's with what appear to be streaks of grain. I've tried to actually blow through the wood, holding it to my lips like a flute - w/o success but of course I'm trying to blow through a small section compared to air leaking out through the length of the whole joint.

I've read somewhere, probably here, that leakage through the maple of bassoons occurs but that grenadilla is too dense/oily for this to occur.

So what to do? Leave well enough alone? Go with a wax coating? This seems like it might cause other problems if it is totally vapor proof. Other avenues to pursue first?

Thanks for your advice

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Bore maintenance advice new

Bennett

2017-06-16 06:59