Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2021-01-22 00:39
As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention…
From my readings, any part of a clarinet (after proper greasing) should be able to easily slide into a tenon socket around one-third of the way. If a player has to struggle to even get this far, something is wrong. If the tenon end slides in easily, the dimensions of the tenon end and the socket diameter are probably alright, unless, of course, the bottom of the socket is slightly smaller. Obviously, if the end of the tenon seems a little too snug and you haven’t even reached the cork area...STOP! As mentioned above, the end of the tenon, most likely, is a hair too big and needs to be trimmed down ever so slightly. Again, the tenon should easily slide into the socket the first one-third of the way. If the tenon goes in easily one-third of the way and then takes a rather brute force to get the tenon completely into the socket, again, there is something wrong. One of the problems could simply be not using enough cork grease. (I once bought a new, student clarinet which included the mouthpiece. I simply could not get the mouthpiece on. After returning it to the dealer, I was told that he sold hundreds of this particular brand and the “kids” didn’t have this problem. He then told me flatly that I didn’t apply enough grease.) If, after applying an ample amount of grease, the corked tenon portion still gives a “too snug” feeling, I would first suggest applying a little cork grease to the inside of the socket wall (but not the bottom edge). As the greased tenon is pushed into a dry socket, the grease at the bottom of the tenon cork is going to start becoming non-existent due to being rubbed off onto the dry socket. Applying a thin layer of cork grease to the dry socket wall might be able to alleviate the “tough to put together” problem. Lastly, the cork may simply be a little too thick and may need to be trimmed down.
IMO, if a clarinet is hard to assemble, it’s going to be harder to take apart, especially near the top portion of the clarinet where more moisture will expand the wood slightly thus making the sockets slightly smaller.
Yes, I’ve had stuck mouthpieces as well as stuck bells, mid-joint sections as well as stuck upper sections to barrels. In the past, the “brute force” method usually worked for me. However, if your keys are a bit thinner and flex more easily, the slight bending techniques mentioned above would probably be a better choice.
Then, after you’ve taken it apart, try to figure out why it was so hard to put together in the first place.
jdbassplayer, please allow me to politely disagree with your assertion that "it’s the same method regardless of what joint is stuck." I view the stuck mouthpiece as being unique because no keys are involved. I wouldn't hesitate to us "brute force" in this situation, however, when keys are involved, I hesitate in using "brute force" to protect the keys. Also, I view the stuck mouthpiece differently because of the shortness of the mouthpiece yielding less bending material available.
Just my two cents worth.
Post Edited (2021-01-22 01:00)
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The Clarinet BBoard
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