Author: JTJC
Date: 2022-10-04 17:38
Hi Dan,
My ideas on the use of a digital dial guage for measuring the lay haven't been fully worked out yet. I can use the tip gauge I refer to and run it the length of the rail and past the Zero point. That's the basis of it. The idea is to have a jig which would hold the tip guage and allow it, or the mouthpiece, to be incrementally moved the length of the rails, say in 1mm or 0.5mm increments. That way you get both measurements - position along the rail and depth (from the flat surface, what a feeler gauge would usually be measuring). The thing measuring the increments is in fact the second tool you refer to, but it's part of the jig, it would be a scale on it. Because the dial gauge has a digital data output readings could be automatically and reliably taken via cable to PC or other device.
There are a number of problems to work through. Setting the Zero point is one. The lay starts at Zero, the point at which the curve starts on a rail. But there are two rails and they may not be symmetrical - they are not the same distance from the tip. So there would be a need to accurately align the readings from the two rails. I'm still thinking about all this.
However, I may not get anywhere as it gets very messy. The measuring tip would need to follow a path along a rail, end to end. Mouthpiece rails are not necessarily flat across their width. Apart from manufacturing inaccuracies there are things like Rail Tilt. So, which part of the rail across its width to measure on? It needs to be set as it'll be used for all mouthpieces. Feeler guages avoid this problem by riding on the 'highest' part of the rail width.
Re the sore thumb and need for a consistent position of measuring glass to mouthpiece. I like the rubber band idea. I thought maybe some sort of box arrangement might do it. Mouthpiece would be held in a small box and the glass would go on top, over the lay. Position of the mouthpiece would be adjusted and fixed via screws in the sides of the box. Alternatively, the glass measure is adjusted, and fixed, relative to the mouthpiece. One screw/adjuster to alight the mouthpiece tip with the zero on the glass gauge. A second adjuster for side to side adjustments, to ensure gauge and mouthpiece are symmetrical.
All just ideas. I think I'm stuck with glass gauge and thumb for quite some time.
|
|
The Clarinet BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
