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Re: DIY cork repair

Author: Chris P
Date: 2020-08-02 13:39

I've got three bench pegs and six holes drilled into the front of my bench so I can move them around or remove them completely when they're in the way.

One way I used to do tenon corks using the bench peg was to use a scalpel to do the initial shaping of the new cork, turning the joint by hand using the bench peg as a centre and trimming the cork to rough shape like a mechanical apple peeler. Then only minimal sanding was needed to finish it. I still do that on cors anglais, alto and bass clarinet tenon corks as they're too long to fit between centres on my lathe which will accommodate a full Boehm A clarinet lower joint at the most.

Also I just want to stress the importance of the overlapping joint - please bevel one end of the cork strip to form the overlap joint which is airtight and far more durable instead of butting the ends together as that won't last for long. I've had people tell me how much effort they've gone to in achieving an almost invisible seam when butting the ends together, but I have to tell them that's all good and well but it'll never last as every single butted cork joint I see has failed.

Obviously when making the overlapping joint and you choose to shape it on a lathe, have the overlapped end pointing skywards as it's facing you unless you can put your lathe in reverse if it isn't or it'll make the join look scruffy or tear it up (or have the tenon cork you're sanding by the chuck if you like to live dangerously). I prefer to do the sanding by the tailstock instead of by the chuck for safety.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

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