 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: RefacerMan
Date: 2018-12-20 19:33
I know some repair persons will drill a small hole on the end of the left hand lever for the f/c key and fill that small hole with what looks like thin white silicone "string". Can anyone tell me exactly what that silencing material is and where to buy it. As usual, thank you for any information you can provide.
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Author: BobW
Date: 2018-12-20 21:58
Teflon
JL Smith's
http://www.jlsmithco.com/tubing-cord/ptfe-tubing-3ft
Post Edited (2018-12-20 22:00)
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Author: shmuelyosef
Date: 2018-12-22 10:06
Bob
I have seen this stuff on the JLSmithco site a number of times. Can it be glued? If not, does it stay put? teflon is notorious for 'flowing' ie if you compress it into a hole it will relax and fall out.
Any tips would be useful...I assume that you use the smallest gauge and drill with a #52 or #53?
Jeff
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2018-12-22 12:09
Attachment: lhlever.png (1095k)
Teflon or nylon monofilament can be fitted into the key - a piece of between 1 and 1.2mm diameter is sufficient. Drill the required diameter hole into the key but drill a blind hole instead of drilling all the way through so it won't get pushed out the other end, then push fit the monofilament into the blind hole. It'll usually stay in on its own accord, but a drop of superglue will help fill any air voids.
The nylon pins in the LH levers on Buffet clarinets are push fitted into close fitting holes and they don't often drop out due to the air having been pushed out when they're fitted and then effectively being held in by a partial vacuum.
If you are going to fit a nylon or Teflon tip to the LH F/C lever foot, fit it right into the corner of the piece and drill into it at an angle so the point of contact between it and the RH F#C key is as near to the RH F/C key barrel as you can get for a snappy action with very little travel in the LH F/C key. Fitting it any further back will only result in a mushy action with too much travel in the LH F/C key - it'll feel like the new Buffets that have an adjusting screw on the RH F/C key which makes contact too far back on the LH F/C foot.
Do be aware that Teflon can be crushed if you use too much finger pressure and nylon is more forgiving, plus nylon can be shaped easier or gently melted against the edge of a flame to form it into a mushroom-shape.
See attachment - the nylon (or Teflon) tip is circled and marked in red.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2018-12-22 12:18)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2018-12-22 15:08
Hey Chris,
Funny you mention the newer Buffet LH alternate C adjustment screw (and teflon).
I have just gotten a new silver plated Greenline R13. I love the tactile response of the key. It's reminiscent of the Boosey 1010 (last time I really enjoyed the feel of this key). This is a brand new horn and perhaps they improved the key work recently.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2018-12-22 15:20
They made the LH F/C action worse if anything by fitting that adjusting screw. I serviced a relatively new (two years old) RC not so long ago and I corked that linkage as I would do on any other Buffet to make the LH F/C lever action snappy and switch-like.
Howarth clarinets had a much better solution by fitting the adjusting screw to the LH F/C lever foot so that could be adjusted and it didn't change the contact point between it and the RH F/C key linkage.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2018-12-23 12:22
Nylon is the most common material, you can use a guitar string. I compared teflon and nylon and any difference in feel is completely unnoticeable, so I prefer the more reliable gluing of nylon. Although it's very rare that it comes off either way so not that critical. That said, I don't particularly like that modification and even reverted it back a few times.
There are the two separate issues of the feel and the travel of the lever.
>> fit it right into the corner of the piece and drill into it at an angle so the point of contact between it and the RH F#C key is as near to the RH F/C key barrel as you can get for a snappy action with very little travel in the LH F/C key. <<
It depends on the instrument. In some cases putting it where you'd get the least travel of the F/C lever would be too little travel and won't have a good feel. Moving it closer to the key would also increase the force necessary to move it, but...
>> Fitting it any further back will only result in a mushy action with too much travel in the LH F/C key - it'll feel like the new Buffets that have an adjusting screw on the RH F/C key which makes contact too far back on the LH F/C foot. <<
Yes exactly, for whatever reason they made it so there's a lot of travel for the lever. Who knows why...
>> This is a brand new horn and perhaps they improved the key work recently. <<
Maybe. For a while before they added the screw, this linkage was very inconsistent in the way it was shaped and soldered. Some clarinets had a drastic angle with a sharp edge. Maybe they changed the adjusting screw position very recently.
Before the adjusting screw, Buffet had (for decades) a pretty sharp edge against squishy cork or their spongy synthetic cork. So even with the increased travel, also being farther away from the key hinge, I can see why some players would prefer the new version... if those were the only options. So it's possible that this is what you like, even though yours has the "bad" position with the long travel. Without making drastic design changes (such as moving the location of the hinges), they can do a temporary linkage to find the best position for the contact point. It can be moved closer to the key significantly before the feel gets worse than the lever travel.
Some clarinets had a better design, closer to the ideal of rolling instead of sliding. I also like the idea of newer Selmers, with a "normal" linkage but an adjusting screw on the lever side, only used to remove play.
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