 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jonathan.wallaceadams
Date: 2018-01-22 23:47
Hello all,
Today, My clarinet fell off of its stand and the piece of p l a s t i c connecting the left B lever to the tone hole-closure-mechanism SNAPPED at the lever rendering it seemingly unusable. I'm fine because I found another lever that feels great and fits on the horn. However, I can't shake the feeling that these plastic connections are cheap and could've been created better (considering that it's a $4500 clarinet.) Has anybody else had this happen to them? Can this be fixed? Why does Buffet use these cheap bits of plastic?
Thanks
Just an aspiring student.
Buffet Tradition
Mpc.: Hawkins "G", Barrel: Moba, Reeds: Reserve 3.5+
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Author: jonathan.wallaceadams
Date: 2018-01-23 02:46
How do I get the remainder of the pin out to replace it?
Just an aspiring student.
Buffet Tradition
Mpc.: Hawkins "G", Barrel: Moba, Reeds: Reserve 3.5+
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2018-01-23 09:07
Heat the end of the lever (where the stuck broken pin is). It will "swell" and come out in a few seconds. You can even use a lighter. Use pliers or tweezers to grab the end and pull it out when it's starting to come out.
Although this is obviously done to save costs (not only of the part itself, but also no adjustment necessary) it's actually pretty solid. It can get a pretty hard knock if your clarinet falls.
It can be annoying to any person who had this break on their clarinet, but statistically it is pretty rare. In over a decade of seeing too many clarinet with these pins to count, I've only seen broken ones a few times and almost always a result of the clarinet falling.
I used to make new pins from metal but for a while now I use the method Chris P described in the other thread and no problems so far. Much faster and cheaper, though it does require having replacement pins.
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Author: Tom Puwalski
Date: 2018-01-23 20:31
You're clarinet fell off the stand and it broke and it's Buffet's fault? Suck it up a go say hi to your repair guy. what kind of stand was it.
Tom
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2018-01-23 21:24
Attachment: reinforcednylonpins.jpg (208k)
Have the pins reinforced with a steel core - it's a relatively simple job for any repairer to do. If I can do it, anyone can. See attachment.
As far as cutting corners, pre-cut foam shapes stuck on with double-sided tape may be fine for beginner model plastic clarinets, but you'd expect pro, prestige and higher level clarinets to be better finished.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: jonathan.wallaceadams
Date: 2018-01-23 23:20
Tom,
My stand is the K&M in-bell stand.
I'm looking into Rice Clarinet Work's Carbon Fiber Pins. I wasn't blaming Buffet on my clumsiness. Instead, I was addressing how it's strange that a $4000+ instrument has this facet after Buffet's expensive R&D.
Whenever I buy other pins do I even need to take it to a tech? Can't I just heat the end again and put the pin in the hole?
Just an aspiring student.
Buffet Tradition
Mpc.: Hawkins "G", Barrel: Moba, Reeds: Reserve 3.5+
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2018-01-24 02:58
You can replace the pins yourself as they're a push fit into the ends of the LH levers. So remove the broken off ends and fit the new ones into the holes.
The nylon pins are shaped well and only require a drop of thick oil to keep them silent whereas metal pins will need to be covered with a layer of goldbeater's skin or plastic to avoid sounding like a typewriter.
I personally think it's overkill to make metal or carbon fibre pins as well as the relatively high cost of such parts (last time I saw they cost around $20 per pin), so buying new nylon pins and reinforcing them with steel takes very little time to do and they'll be as strong as anything once done.
I reinforce them as a matter of course and include that in the cost of a service or overhaul (as well as respringing the Rh F#/C# key in a much better manner than the one Buffet still stick with). If you have all the gear set up and ready to go, the nylon pins can be reinforced in very little time.
- Mount the pin in your bench or lathe chuck
- Centre drill the end of the pin
- Drill all the way through with a 0.8 to 0.9mm drill bit
- Push fit the appropriate gauge needle spring
- Cut off the excess and grind the ends flush
- Refit the pin in the end of the LH lever
- Do the same on the others.
- Replace the LH levers and add a drop of thick oil to the holes in the linkage arms.
- Job done, lights off, go home.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2018-01-25 09:25
>> Whenever I buy other pins do I even need to take it to a tech? Can't I just heat the end again and put the pin in the hole?<<
If you have spare plastic pins and just replace the broken one, only heat whn removing the broken pin. Don't use heat when installing the new pin, it will heat the air trying to push your new pin out at best, but very likely swell and ruin the new pin too.
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Author: shmuelyosef
Date: 2018-01-25 23:23
The OP should feel lucky that they didn't snap a tenon off. That's another common outcome of tipping over a stand. Also the new 5 leg K&M stands are more tip resistant and fit in more bells, but for anything more than short supervised use I always use a peg on a sax stand...even when I'm only carrying a flute and clarinet.
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Author: dorjepismo ★2017
Date: 2018-01-25 23:36
Personally prefer a three-legged Hercules double stand, the kind with the yellow steel bracket that looks like something from a construction site. The problem with anything with more than three legs is that if the floor isn't flat, the clarinet can wobble, thereby giving it momentum that can destabilize the stand. But you can't carry a Hercules around in the bell, either.
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Author: shmuelyosef
Date: 2018-01-25 23:49
The Hercules is what I use since my old Protec folding stand finally gave up. It folds pretty compact and has to threads to mount posts. The old Belmont and K&M posts work in the Hercules which is a bonus.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2018-01-26 10:13
>> The problem with anything with more than three legs is that if the floor isn't flat, the clarinet can wobble <<
Not exactly. The legs/hinges/mounts/etc. can have some flex in them, enough that all legs will touch the floor. Three legs likely contact with more weight but the flex isn't enough to cause a problem (the three leg stands usually have the same flex anyway).
It's a compromise between the three points being distributed better on a three leg stand, but the five leg stand still has the extra areas preventing it from falling over, even with the three points with most weight on them being in less optimal positions.
Another issue is the foot print. Some of those five legs stand that fit inside the bell have smaller foot print so less stable.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2018-01-26 11:51
If you have a ringless bell, then avoid using stands or pegs where the peg is effectively wedged inside with no other support.
Pegs that only fit inside the bell with no other means of support will apply outward pressure and that will risk stress fractures if the instrument is placed onto them too heavily. The risks are much lower with bells fitted with a bell ring provided it isn't loose.
The ideal clarinet (oboe and flute) stand will have a flat base for the bell to sit on so the weight of the instrument is fully supported and also with the peg to fit loosely within the bell to prevent the instrument from falling over.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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