 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chanson
Date: 2017-08-25 05:37
Hi, I'm currently in my undergrad and recently bought a beautiful new set of R13s. I'm trying to be hyper-dilligent about cracks and care; I broke them in for a while, humidify my case, warm up the instruments with my hands before I play if they are cold, etc. I've become somewhat of a hypochondriac about it since the music building at my university is so hellaciously cold and dry. Of course we all know that sometimes cracks happen despite the best laid plans...
So I actually have several questions:
- How can you tell a crack early on before it is wide and through the wood? I know you can see and feel it once it's big enough, but I'd like to spot them soon enough to take care of them myself.
- Do you think small, shallow cracks can be glued by a non-professional (i.e. me, the player) and if so what kind of adhesive do you use/recommend?
- Where is the threshold where you think the crack can no longer be glued and must be pinned? Is that threshold determined by the length of the crack or the depth?
And lastly...
- What are you best bits of advice for humidifying a small space (like a locker) in the winter months?
Thanks a bunch!
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2017-08-25 09:05
In short, it is not possible to tell or predict much in advance, except relying on experience and statistics.
Some cracks might reach a certain size and then just stop, without any repairs, never causing problems. Some cracks will gradually grow and grow. Some might even be stable for years, then suddenly become larger because of change in weather, etc.
The size of the crack doesn't necessarily have to do with it. Sometimes a crack will be small, but grow very fast and all the way into the bore. A crack can be pretty wide but never reach the bore. Some cracks are even just inside the bore, never reaching the outside (not often).
Cracks that reach both sides obviously have to be repaired so they don't leak.
For cracks that don't reach the inside, any repair beyond gluing is usually to be on the safe side if someone is worried. I've seen very bad looking cracks hold just fine with only glue. I've seen pretty innocent looking cracks easily re-open after gluing (but not often).
Some people will immediately replace any tone hole the crack reaches too.
I've done bands, pinning, gluing, tone hole replacements... and my approach is to do the least necessary. I would always prefer to just glue a crack, doesn't matter how "bad" it looks, and only do anything else if I think it's really needed.
My city is relatively dry with drastic temp changes, so there are more cracks than average.
It's hard to explain how to see them... the regular grain usually looks a bit more... grainy. Cracks will usually not have grain texture in the same way, but they can have it too. Cracks can look about the same as cracks in plastic or metal. That's for closed cracks.
For open cracks you can usually see that it's deeper than the grain (the grain is very shallow).
As far as doing it yourself, it really depends on your technical ability but also experience. The important things are to have the glue wick all the way to the bottom and to not make a mess.
Post Edited (2017-08-25 09:09)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-08-25 15:24
Clarineteer wrote:
"Cracks are usually in a straight line and grains are not."
Cracks will follow the line of grain which isn't always a straight line. There are no straight lines in nature.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Grabnerwg
Date: 2017-08-25 19:32
To avoid cracks, the most important thing to do is keep the instrument humidified. Never assemble the clarinet if the rings are loose, that indicates there is shrinkage of the wood.
I live in Chicago, where the winters are long and hard, and I have radiator heat. that makes for a very dry indoor environment. I run three humidifiers in my basement work space, but that is often not enough. To offset this, I make simple humidifiers out of kitchen sponges and zip lock plastic bags. I dampen the sponge, put it in the baggie, and puncture the plastic with a toothpick. I make sure that each clarinet that I own, or have for sale, has one in the case.
In 20 years, I have had only one crack appear in all the instruments I have had here.
Walter Grabner
www.clarinetxpress.com
World Class Hand Crafted Clarinet Mouthpieces
New and Used Bufet Clarinets
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-08-25 20:25
All wooden clarinets are at risk of cracking. Even with your best care there are always going to be situations that will push your clarinet to it's material limits, such as rehearsals or concerts in cold halls or churches, outdoor concerts and travel. You can only do so much to protect your interest, but there are always factors beyond your control.
But don't be too upset if cracks do occur as they can always be repaired. It's inconvenient, but it's always a possibility which should be dealt with as and when it happens.
If you do get a replacement top joint under warranty, then you'll have to treat it like a brand new instrument and play it in all over again. That is important - you can't just pick up from where you left off no matter how much of an inconvenience that will cause - do the right thing and you'll reduce the likelihood of cracking the replacement top joint.
I can't stress enough never to buy brand new clarinets from late September through to March as humidity levels are going to drop during that period (not talking equatorial or tropical climates here, but Northern Hemisphere climates - the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere). Buy in late March or early April and play it in according to the maker's guidelines - usually limiting playing to around 30 minutes and increasing by 5 minutes per day for the first few weeks.
The other year I told someone who had a replacement top joint for their Buffet complain after I told them they'd have to play it in like it's a brand new clarinet, which it pretty much is. They expected they could carry on as they had before and weren't happy.
The biggest risk to wooden instruments is a lack of understanding. So get to grips with what you're dealing with and you'll have less chance of any problems. If problems do arise such as binding tenons and sockets, then get that dealt with immediately instead of slapping on a ton of cork grease or sanding tenon corks and still not curing the main problem which is the movement of the wood and not the cork. If socket rings become loose, then have them refitted.
Any brand new instrument should also be given both the manufacturer's guarantee as well as the company that sold it setting it up before being sold as well as a couple of free check-ups within the first year. Binding tenons, loose socket rings and any other regulation or mechanical problems that happen in that time, provided you or anyone else hasn't taken a screwdriver to it and made things worst which will invalidate the warranty, should be covered.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: perryg114
Date: 2017-08-29 01:29
All the stuff above is good. I have had good luck using Loctite 430 to seal and repair small cracks. You can fill gaps and repair chipped and worn tenons with it and Granadilla dust. The recommendation to keep it humidified is good. It seems like recommendations on oiling the bore are somewhat conflicting. So I don't know what to tell you there.
Perry
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