The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jack
Date: 2018-02-12 11:07
So I am having a problem with the barrel or bell being very tight after a couple hours of practice and very difficult to take off from the 1st and or 2nd joint. Maybe because the type of wood is aftermarket and expands (or not) to a different degree then the original 1st and 2nd joint. (Backun cocobolo to Buffet grenadilla. Any suggestions?
Am thinking there is a very thin slick type of tape that is sometimes used to help seal these joints when they are assembled. If someone can remind me about this type of tape, then I will try it because I think because of how slick it is, it should make it easy to disassemble the clarinet.
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Author: GenEric
Date: 2018-02-12 12:47
If a joint is loose, it's common to use plumbers tape or teflon tape to help them seal.
I'm not aware of a tape that makes the instrument easier to dissemble though. If it's harder to disassemble, just use cork grease?
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2018-02-12 16:55
Some wood may need to be removed. Best done by someone experienced with this.
Steve Ocone
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Author: Burt
Date: 2018-02-12 18:08
Assuming that it's the cork on the joint, and not the wood, that's touching the barrel and bell, use sandpaper or a file on the cork. And, as GenEric wrote, use plenty of cork grease.
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Author: LC007
Date: 2018-02-12 18:12
You're having problems taking it apart - meaning the barrel and bell are too tight. But you don't mention how tight they are when you're putting it together. Try more grease. Tape will only make the joints even more tight. I would be careful removing wood. Once wood is removed that's it... it's gone. Cork on the hand can be sanded lightly and if over sanded can be replaced.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2018-02-12 18:39
An experienced repairer can tell if it's the wood or the cork.
First thing to check is whether it's harder to assemble and/or disassemble when the barrel is also starting to cover the inner wood shoulder of the tenon.
If this happens, then it's about 99% of the time that the problem is the wood.
If the problem is the wood itself, it is in this area most of the time, and not the outer end of the tenon (though that can happen too).
If it's easy to assemble and only hard to disassemble after some playing (or worse if you play for longer), then it's also much more likely to be the wood and not the cork.
Did you check the original barrel? If there's no problem with it, and possibly other barrels (if you can try them), then it might be better to enlarge the barrel socket.
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Author: jack
Date: 2018-02-14 13:49
Thank you all for your thoughts. It is harder to disassemble the longer played and now having read your responses, having a tech take off a bit of wood off the aftermarket bell and barrel is probably the way to go.
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2018-02-14 21:45
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0LW2wWGJU4&feature=youtu.be
I learned this technique from Lohff & Pfeiffer, repair technicians out of both Denmark and the USA. I frequently use it when the joint is a bit tight to take apart so as to help avoid bent keys. Give it a try before you start messing with the joint itself.
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2018-02-14 21:47
A video expert I am NOT, but I couldn't find the words to explain how to do this, so made a video. You'll have to copy/paste.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0LW2wWGJU4&feature=youtu.be
I learned this technique from Lohff & Pfeiffer, repair technicians out of both Denmark and the USA. I frequently use it when the joint is a bit tight to take apart so as to help avoid bent keys. Give it a try before you start messing with the joint itself. DO NOT remove any wood until you give this a try. It's worked 100% of the time for me. Best of luck.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2018-02-15 08:39
That is rocking it, which works if it's a little tight, but it shouldn't be needed. If the barrel (or any joint) is really stuck, rocking sometimes helps, but often doesn't.
Coincidentally... a couple of months ago someone came with some minor problems with their clarinet. I noticed that the barrel was hard to assemble. After checking, it absolutely needed some of the wood removed. He said that when it's hard to disassemble he is rocking it a little and it comes off (though more than in Roxann's video). After explaining the problem, what causes it, how to repair it, what's the risk of not having it repaired and that he shouldn't need to rock it to disassemble, he eventually chose to not have it done. He called yesterday, barrel and upper section are cracked...
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