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 Plastic clarinet in hot car
Author: CBarber 
Date:   2017-07-25 23:56

We will be going to Chicago in 3 days and 2 teenage daughters will each have their plastic clarinets with us. We will store them in the stow-n-go area under seats so there will be no direct sunlight on them. Would only be stored in car for 2 1/2 days. Would they be safe? Don't want to walk though chicago with them.

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 Re: Plastic clarinet in hot car
Author: jdbassplayer 
Date:   2017-07-26 00:26

They should absolutely be safe. The dash and a lot of the trim on your car is likely made of the same plastic as the clarinets (ABS). Personally I'd be more worried about the car being stolen.

-Jdbassplayer

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 Re: Plastic clarinet in hot car
Author: Caroline Smale 
Date:   2017-07-26 00:36

There are several different types of "plastic" that have been used in the manufacture of clarinets over the years.
Some is very hard, almost Bakelite in it's properties whereas others are much softer and heat sensitive.
The inside temperature of a car can become very high in the summer months, even if the items are not in direct sunlight.
There is also the question of the pads and the glue used to level and fix them to consider. Much of the glue is very heat sensitive.

personally I would never recommend leaving any instruments, plastic or wood, in a closed car for an extended time.



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 Re: Plastic clarinet in hot car
Author: kdk 
Date:   2017-07-26 05:59

The body of the clarinets may be able to weather the temps in a closed, hot car, but how vulnerable is the cement holding the pads and corks in place?

Is there some reason why they need to have the clarinets with them over the 2-1/2 days? Are you going to Chicago so they can audition for or play in something?

Karl

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 Re: Plastic clarinet in hot car
Author: Ursa 
Date:   2017-07-26 06:24

There's absolutely no way I would leave any woodwind instrument in a closed car in the middle of summer for more than the few minutes it would take to use the washroom at a rest area.

I have a very compact hardshell Yamaha case that slips easily inside tote bags, briefcases, carry-on bags, laptop bags, and backpacks for discreet transport. I've carried many other makes of clarinet inside this handy little case without issues.

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 Re: Plastic clarinet in hot car
Author: Tony F 
Date:   2017-07-26 09:58

I carry an old plastic Bundy in the back of my car for those times when I manage to talk my way into having a blow at a jazz club somewhere. It's been there for probably the thick end of 10 years now and has never failed me. Prompted by this post I dug it out and have just checked it over and played it.

Note, I would never do this with a hard rubber clarinet, I have a hard rubber clarinet and a couple of flutes that could get gainful employment as bananas through overexposure to the sun. I bought them for parts. The clarinet and one of the flutes leak badly and will never be playable, but the other flute still plays well and as much in tune as you can hope for from a flute. Mind, I don't advocate the procedure for anybody else. YMMV.

Tony F.

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 Re: Plastic clarinet in hot car
Author: Chris P 
Date:   2017-07-26 14:42

Don't leave any instruments in cars for long periods, ever.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010

The opinions I express are my own.

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 Re: Plastic clarinet in hot car
Author: Steven Ocone 
Date:   2017-07-26 17:16

A cooler might protect them. If you leave them in the car for a long time you might need some source of cold. Depending on how cold, you would have to guard against condensation by sealing the clarinets in plastic. If the car is in a garage out of the sun you might be OK without a cooling source or even a cooler.

Steve Ocone


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 Re: Plastic clarinet in hot car
Author: lisseyjj 
Date:   2017-07-26 17:59

Or maybe just put them in one of those insulated boxes used to transport food. The temperature should stay pretty constant in one of those and you wouldn't have to worry about sudden temperature changes.

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 Re: Plastic clarinet in hot car
Author: CBarber 
Date:   2017-07-27 05:48

NO the girls are just coming back from Marching Band Camp and we are going on a short vacation before going home.

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 Re: Plastic clarinet in hot car
Author: RLarm 
Date:   2017-07-31 13:27

No clarinet,irregardless of the material it is made of, should be left in a hot car with no ventilation. You can, but you will then have to take it to a repair shop and perhaps end up paying more to fix it than what you paid for the instrument. One band director friend showed me a bari sax mouthpiece that a student left on the dashboard for several hours at a shopping mall. It ended up looking like a Picasso painting. Another time a student came into their lesson and you could feel the heat radiating from the case. She opened it up and the tube of cork grease had totally melted. Needless to say it was quite an awful mess.

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 Re: Plastic clarinet in hot car
Author: Bob Bernardo 
Date:   2017-07-31 16:35

Don't leave cane reeds in a hot car either.


Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces


Yamaha Artist 2015




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 Re: Plastic clarinet in hot car
Author: Chris P 
Date:   2017-07-31 18:45

I've had the task of sorting out oboes and clarinets that have been left in cars (both hot and cold). It's not a pretty sight and usually a fairly costly repair - sometimes a complete rebuild if all the pads have warped (which can happen with cork pads). The shellac or hot glue used to install the pads can ooze out and make a mess. Key corks and tenon corks can come unstuck and generally things will end up in a right unplayable mess.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010

The opinions I express are my own.

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