 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2022-03-13 22:21
Getting a tenon cork replaced on my Soprano clarinet not too long ago, for $100 mind you, reminded me of a story by my near balding father in law, and how the barber takes just as much (unnecessary) time with his haircut as he does with another client with a full head of hair.
I guess time is money and either client deserves equal treatment if they're being charged the same.
Anymore, the repair tech, lovely and competent though she was, spent extra time [telling me an anecdote about her time at Interlochen] to do that which I resolved to do myself forever more going forward (and have)--after all, she did charge what I thought was a whopping amount for the amount of cork and contact cement (and [lack] of expertise) she needed [at least on this job, if not others], and [the needed] time to do this, which was about 4 minutes in total, if that.
Anyway, especially in light of not being without my instrument if a repair can't be done on the spot, and considering I'm pretty handy (I've also done free easy repairs for friends) I thought I might buy this:
https://www.musicmedic.com/products/repair-kits/musicmedic-com-clarinet-repair-kit.html
What do you think? Thanks.
Post Edited (2022-03-13 22:24)
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2022-03-13 22:59
$100 for a tenon cork!?! And I feel bad I had to up my price to $25...
It's definitely a good idea to learn small repairs. That being said I'm not really a fan of the repair kits you can buy. Yes I'm sure they will come in useful for emergencies, but I feel unless you are doing regular repairs you will not use half the provided supplies. And even if you are doing regular repairs you will deplete the small amount of each material they provide very quickly. You can make your $95 go a lot farther by buying supplies individually. Purchase your cork, pads, pad slick and screwdriver from Music Medic. For contact cement, hot melt glue, sandpaper, razor blades and a torch (I would probably recommend a butane lighter instead, ideally one of the "stem" ones with a flexible head) your local hardware store is the best place. I get much of my supplies from Walmart even.
-JDbassplayer
Post Edited (2022-03-13 23:00)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-03-13 23:23
A good deal is what you think is a good deal.
Tenon corks (as easy as they may be for some to do) are repairs that I do not do for myself. So if I had a catastrophic failure of one and needed it done for some important event, $100 would seem quite reasonable if that were the only option at the time. (also I don't wish to deny anyone their means for a living).
Bottom line is that there are all sorts of repairs in life that can be cheaper to do yourself; automotive, home remodeling, clarinet. Chances are though, a person who does this regularly is probably going to do a better job than you can learning as you go.
Satisfaction and cost effectiveness are...........subjective.
....................Paul Aviles
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Author: Matt74
Date: 2022-03-14 03:29
$100 is way too much for only a tenon cork.
I think its very unfortunate that a repairer would charge like that. I hate it when people have bad experiences with techs. When a tech does their job competently and reasonably they have so much to offer.
All you need to do tenon cork replacement is:
Sheet of cork from instrument repair supplier.
Razor blade.
Straight edge, like an engineers ruler.
Fresh contact cement.
A couple grades of fine sand paper.
A white candle to wax the cork.
This is excellent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOXEG56QUgY
Plan on messing the first one up and having to re-do. Just be super careful not to scratch or damage the wood part. Don't try to melt the wax ON the cork. Just melt the wax and apply it, then rub it in hard and remove the excess.
Don't get a repair kit (IMO). You will do better to get what you need and get nice stuff. The pads probably won't fit. You can get a full sheet of cork for about $20.
- Matthew Simington
Post Edited (2022-03-14 22:19)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2022-03-14 05:09
The best way by far to learn to do small, relatively simply repairs is to sit and watch an experienced tech do it once or twice. Or watch a YouTube video, which you can stop and start as needed (something we couldn't do when I was a student).
I agree that the kit is probably not an efficient way to buy repair tools. Buy the specific supplies you need for a particular task and the tool(s) you need to do it. You'll always have the tools on hand for the next job. Having a few sheets of cork and a good, sharp utility knife available means not having to wait for them to be delivered if a cork falls apart unexpectedly. Recorking a tenon is one of the easiest repairs to make, arguably easier than replacing a pad.
Don't forget that you can replace the tenon cork **temporarily** with Teflon tape or even (the old way) thread wrapped around the tenon. That can give you additional playing time until you have the 15 or 20 minutes to make the replacement with cork.
Karl
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Author: kdk
Date: 2022-03-14 05:19
Matt74 wrote:
> All you need to do tenon cork replacement is:
>
> Sheet of cork from instrument repair supplier.
> Razor blade.
> Straight edge, like an engineers ruler.
> Fresh rubber cement.
> A couple grades of fine sand paper.
> A white candle to wax the cork.
I'm not sure if you really mean rubber cement or Contact Cement, which is applied the same way but is much more durable. I've never tried rubber cement, but I suspect it will let go fairly quickly.
I've never waxed a cork, nor have any of the repair techs I've gone to. I guess it seals the cork, which may be good thing or not - I don't know what if anything sealing out moisture does to the cork's resilience. I don't think it's necessary, but can you give a reason why it's important?
Karl
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2022-03-14 06:35
Replacing tenon corks is not difficult and does not require great mechanical aptitude or workshop skills. I always encourage players to learn to carry out these simple tasks themselves if possible and I've coached a number through the process. My standard rate for a tenon cork or similar minor repairs for band-mates is a bottle of wine.
Tony F.
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Author: vintschevski
Date: 2022-03-14 07:27
Tony F., which particular year of Penfolds Grange do you request for those amazing repairs?
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Author: Matt74
Date: 2022-03-14 08:54
Karl,
Contact cement, like Weldwood, Barge, or Ferree's. I wasn't aware of any difference between "rubber" and "contact" cement, but "contact cement" is probably the better term. "Elmer's Rubber Cement" definitely isn't strong enough.
The tube of Barge I have is "Barge All Purpose Cement - Ready to use for Rubber, etc."
Weldwood is "Contact Cement", and is a "neoprene rubber adhesive".
Feree's is "Quick Dry Cork Cement".
The reason you put wax on the cork is to seal it against cork grease. Otherwise the solvent in the cork grease is easily absorbed and dissolves the cement. Wax also helps the lubrication. It's not strictly necessary, but is part of a proper job, and highly advised. Usually "canning" wax is recommended, like "Gulf Wax". That's what I use, but it's just paraffin wax so a plain unscented candle is ok if you don't need a lifetime supply.
- Matthew Simington
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2022-03-14 09:41
As others suggested I wouldn't get the kit, instead just what you need.
Replacing a tenon cork is one of the easier repairs and as long as you're not very technically challenged, and with some practice, it shouldn't be too difficult (it might work great the first time even).
A couple of things re Matt's list, contact glue is much better than rubber glue for this, and for the cork sheet the thickness is critical, make sure it's thick enough. 1.2mm (3/64") and 1.6mm (1/16") are the most common sizes (most small suppliers don't have in between sizes).
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Author: Hunter_100
Date: 2022-03-14 19:05
I recently had both a mouthpiece tenon cork replaced, plus 3 new master pads put on to replace shot skin pads. Total price was $85 and it was done in about 30 minutes while I waited in the store.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2022-03-14 19:29
vintschevski
Date: 2022-03-14 07:27
Tony F., which particular year of Penfolds Grange do you request for those amazing repairs?
For a simple tenon cork repair any reasonable merlot or chablis would cover it. For a full repad I might consider a half-case of "Hill of Grace"
Tony F.
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2022-03-14 22:07
DavidBlumberg wrote:
> $100 for a tenon cork is a joke of an expensive price. Maybe in
> NYC possibly but I can’t see that anywhere else.
>
LOL David, you sorta nailed it. Worse, it's Northern suburbs.
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Author: Matt74
Date: 2022-03-14 22:18
Some of you may have an advantage in being older than myself. Rubber cement was not a thing when I was growing up.
For those who, like me, may also be ignorant:
"Rubber Cement" is meant to be temporary, is not dried before adhering, and is made with natural rubber. The whole idea seems to be that it's removable. Apparently it's used for scrapbooking and that sort of thing.
"Contact Cement" is permanent, is dried before adhering, and is made with synthetic rubber. It's used for laminating countertops.
To wit (scroll down to see both listed):
http://www.bargeadhesive.com/products.html
So, yes, obviously I meant contact cement.
- Matthew Simington
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Author: kdk
Date: 2022-03-14 22:50
Matt74 wrote:
> Some of you may have an advantage in being older than myself.
> Rubber cement was not a thing when I was growing up.
>
> "Rubber Cement" is meant to be temporary, is not dried before
> adhering, and is made with natural rubber. The whole idea
> seems to be that it's removable. Apparently it's used for
> scrapbooking and that sort of thing.
>
Well, it *can* be applied by letting it dry first. which will create a stronger bond, but still very peel-able. When I was a student in the 1960s and 70s I used rubber cement to hold my mouthpiece patches (cut from rubber work gloves) to the mouthpiece surface. Brush onto the mouthpiece and, I think, onto the back of the patch, wait for it to dry, place the patch on the cement. Excess cement around the patch was easy to remove - just rub it with a finger and it would roll off. When the patch wore out, it was very easy to pull it off, clean the remaining cement (again by rolling it off with a fingertip), and do a fresh patch.
Needless to say, it would be harder to do - messier to put on and very much messier to remove - with standard contact cement.
Karl
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Author: kdk
Date: 2022-03-14 23:03
Matt74 wrote:
> The reason you put wax on the cork is to seal it against cork
> grease. Otherwise the solvent in the cork grease is easily
> absorbed and dissolves the cement.
It's interesting that you say that. I've never had cork grease dissolve the cement with one exception - I did have 3 corks come off when for a period of time I was using one very popular brand of grease. I switched brands and have not had a problem since.
I guess it depends on what's in the cork grease.
Karl
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Author: StanD
Date: 2022-03-16 19:34
Anyone remember this? Waxed dental floss (tape), preferably the wide variety (if still available), has served me well a number of times. The waxed variety is very stable, compacts well, is long lasting and can be easily adjusted for a tight fit. Besides, a container of the stuff is quite inexpensive and portable enough to keep in your clarinet case.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2022-03-16 23:25
Clarineat wrote:
> $100 for a tenon cork repair is crazy.
>
Only if no one will pay it. Even less crazy if anyone ever goes back to the same shop for a second cork replacement.
Karl
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2022-03-17 09:16
Karl,
The reason usually given for waxing the cork is to create a barrier that keeps (at least for awhile) cork grease from permeating the cork and degrading the glue. I have also seen lanolin recommended. I do it but I have no idea if it actually works.
Best regards,
jnk
I apologize if someone else already explained this. I didn't see any explanation as I admittedly skimmed through the thread.
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