 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bob gardner
Date: 2001-06-05 19:56
In another post it was mentioned that someone had buffet screws and not selmers. Arn't they the same. I assumed that screw, springs, pads, etc.etc were standard. Am I wrong!!!!!!!!!
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-06-05 20:10
Various brands use screws of different diameters, lengths, tapers, head shapes/diameters, and thread pitches, . So, unfortunately, a screw is not necessarily just a screw. Life should be so easy.
Springs are relatively standardized, but not completely. Pads are generally outsourced and are interchangeable for a given diameter, so you could consider them standardized.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2001-06-05 20:45
Although pads can be considered standardized for any given size, clarinet designers/makers will not necessarily choose to use the same size for a given location as other designers/makers. For example, one maker might use a 16mm pad yet another might use a 15mm pad for that location.
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Author: C. Hogue
Date: 2001-06-05 20:51
Agghh! These facts makes gnash my teeth. My hat is off to those of you who do repairs.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2001-06-05 22:20
How common is it for a repair tech to make a screw?
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Author: Bart Hendrix
Date: 2001-06-06 00:08
As the one who made the post that led to this thread, I have to put in my two cents, too. One of my most favorite horns is an eighty year old Kohlert. Awhile back I was asking here about having the barrel turned out to fit a modern standard mouthpiece (I also cleaned the barrel with a moist mouthpiece brush, removed tons of crud and improved the sound tremendously). It also had a problem with the rod for the throat G# key. When it had a repad about forty years ago, they must have lost the rod and replaced it with one that only fit when it had a piece of sewing thread on the rod's threads. I didn't notice the change until it was way too late to take it back, so I lived with it for a long time.
With some looking, I was able to find a repair shop a couple of months ago with a technician who had a previous life as a machinist. He was able to turn the barrel out and make a new rod to fit the G# key. While he only charged me $35 for the whole job, the rod was definitelly not a stock part.
In answer to the question, when it comes to clarinet repair, unfortunately a screw is not just a screw.
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Author: joseph o'kelly
Date: 2001-06-06 00:18
My backup horn, (a Buffet, Evette Master model) poses a problem with finding screw posts. They are mach smaller in diameter than commonly used ones by any brands, (including Buffets of moden vintage, older Eveete plastics and anything else I could conger up) I have found that screws for Buffet Eb clarinets are interchangable with it. Even the springs are a bit smaller.
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Author: Terry Horlick
Date: 2001-06-06 00:30
Those long screws are called steels... or so I am told by my repair lady. She felt that they were too worn on my old Evette and so she make up new ones. This seems to be a common thing, a good tech will do what is needed to do supurb work. She evidently has rod stock set aside just for that job.
If you can make a steel and can do lathe work (she does) then you can make the needed screws. If you don't have the correct die, then the lathe can be used to cut threads.
I found it interesting that she also modifies horns, she told me of a R13 she was putting pads onto because the owner had arthritis and couldn't seal the holes. This requires cutting the tone hole seats and replacing the rings with pad cups, also making new keywork from scratch.
I was really amazed to hear how far a good tech can go to do some creative and interesting things to the horns.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-06-06 07:48
I work on my own and make replacement pivot rods (I don't like the undescriptive "steels" term) at least 10 times per year. I have worked on 115 brand names (not models) of clarinet (let alone flutes and saxophones) and these rods most definitely are not standardized anywhere near enough to bother keeping very slow turnover stocks. Although a lathe is not needed for making them a very wide range of threading dies are vital, and odd sizes are expensive.
Pivot screws (as opposed to threaded rods) are a different matter altogether. I stock 23 variations (with extremely slow stock turnover) for soprano clarinet alone and this nowhere near covers the range. Adaptation is the name of the game; unfortunately posts and keys sometimes have to be modified to fit the nearest stock screw. A lathe is definitely needed to make a pivot screw; I do this perhaps once every couple of years, although it has never been for a soprano clarinet. The accuracy needed means it is not a quick process, and the charge made is not likely to anywhere near cover the costs of the time of the technician and machine.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-06-06 17:05
Hi, Bob !
How're things up your way? Are you playing in any groups this summer? Lots of community band activity down in the central (CA) region. This weekend there were bands from all over northern CA for a weekend long event kicking off the Carmichael Park Summer 2001 Concert Series. And I thought cultural events were dead in Sacramento  No, not really. There's still some life here.
Your question about screws is a good one, Bob. Not many people realize just how complex and un-standardized musical instruments are. And, clarinets are the 'easy ones' :]
To set up the lathe for a 'one time' threaded rod is time consuming, true. But, it's often the only way to go. Few shops I know of can possibly stock all the parts they might need for all jobs they might run into. They'd need a small warehouse. It's quicker and much more cost effective to 'make' the part, screw, key - whatever - than to search catalogs hoping to find and order a replacement and wait days or weeks for delivery of one item :
Old Buffet screws are very scarce, not interchangeable with any others I know of. Whatta ya gonna do? You make it.
In the long run making a part is the shortest route to custormer satisfaction which translates to - repeat business :]
Bottom line... the shop doesn't make money turning screws.
- ron b -
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-06-06 21:39
I might add that sometimes the best solution (and the one I mostly rely on, not owning a lathe myself) is to stock a large collection of "junk" clarinets/parts, and steal the appropriate screw(s) from a donor instrument.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-06-06 22:51
Naw, Mark - scavengers, vultures.... donor horn are dead already !
- ron b :]
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