 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Koophakt
Date: 2018-09-02 06:12
So I have a buffet e11 with the serial 116**** and I have noticed a clanking noise when playing my right hand e/b key and my left hand f#/c# and e/b keys are a bit wiggly also. I do not know of any technicians in my area and was wondering how I could fix this problem. It's been existent for a while, but only just had the time/desire to fix it. Any suggestions are welcome, Thank You.
Wesley Wynn
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-09-02 11:46
The easier problem to fix is the clankiness of the RH "E/B" key. This happens when you release the key? Look at what parts are moving and what parts make contact when you get the "clank." I would guess you are missing some cork from one of the keys at that point. Quite frankly though, just asking the question makes me believe there would be a steep learning curve associated with taking keys off and gluing a bit of cork on and then putting keys back on.
The other issue sounds like the "paddle keys" on the left hand side are moving around too much. To fix that, the keys require a process called "swedging." This is where the tube of that key (which rotates around the rod) is pulled/stretched out slightly to make the gap between posts smaller. This requires a special tool and someone who has done this before.
My recommendation is to go to the next closest area that has a technician who can help.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2018-09-02 16:19
The noise usually comes from the left hand levers being loose. The fix can include refitting the left hand levers, placing thin material like pad skin between the lever pin and the hole, softer material where the E/B key hits the body, and lubrication. Sometimes the keys (right hand levers) also need to be tightened.
Steve Ocone
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Author: kdk
Date: 2018-09-02 17:10
I haven't looked at an E11 in a long time and have forgotten. Do the lh levers have pins or do they rh key arms sit on top of them with cork to damp the contact, as I've seen on many other student clarinets?
Karl
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2018-09-02 20:18
E11s share the same keywork as the B12 (as they were both made by Schreiber), so they originally had unpinned or stepped LH levers and then went over to using nylon pins seen on Buffet clarinets in the late half of the '90s (as well as those annoying point screws with the plastic collar).
The stepped design is prone to becoming rattly as the linkage corks usually fall off due to there being hardly much surface area to stick them onto (especially the linkage on the RH E/B key) or they compress through use. The linkage arm on the RH F#/C# offers the key cork a bit more staying power as it's recessed into the linkage arm.
The lower end of the E/B lever on the ones with the stepped design is best silenced with felt or Ultrasuede to cushion it as it's effectively an open standing key, so needs that silencing material when it returns as opposed to cork or anything harder which will make a load of unwanted noise. The F#/C# lever will be fine with natural cork as that can be sanded down to create that necessary small amount of free play between it and the linkage to ensure the F#/C# pad closes. On ones with nylon pins, there's usually a disc of cork or rubber glued to a blind hole milled into the joint as the silencing material.
The nylon pins themselves can be quietened down with a single drop of thick key or linkage oil (do not use vegetable or bore oil), but you'll usually find the noise is also due to the lack of oil in the key barrels or excessive lateral play or wear which can be sorted out by any repairer who knows how much to swage them by so they'll be a good fit and still work but won't bind up when the humidity levels drop.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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