 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: RefacerMan
Date: 2025-07-14 19:38
I have a Buffet clarinet barrel that has the top ring put on upside down. It is stuck on there really tightly. Is there any way to safely remove the ring so it can be put on correctly? Thanks for any info.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2025-07-14 21:05
If it's upside down then it likely fell and someone attached it back the wrong way... which means it might not be attached very hard, or they secured it particularly hard...
I guess it might be worth trying gripping with a rubber matte or some other none slip material, though slim chance it would work.
If it's a press fit, the only realistic way is to use something extremely thin (like a razor blade) and very carefully pushing it between the ring and the barrel shoulder, using gradually thicker things.
Unless it was glued, and then it's a guess what glue was used. Heating it could loosen the glue but heating the ring without heating the barrel itself is tricky and could require special tools.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-07-14 22:56
I use a grenadilla block with a wedged tip which is held firmly against the edge of the socket ring turnings to get purchase, then tap it with a mallet to ease it off.
Do that on opposite sides with each strike and go all around the entire circumference of the socket ring to remove it. Once you get a gap forming between the socket ring and the barrel, then use that to gain better purchase against the lower edge of the socket ring.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2025-07-15 17:27
I use the same method as Chris P, but first I heat the ring with an electric soldering iron. It needs to be a fairly large iron, not one of the tiny irons used in modern electronics. Do not use any solder, all you want is the heat. When the ring is hot they pop off quite easily.
Tony F.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-07-15 20:20
I only use heat if it doesn't budge after the first few taps, but use my bunsen burner and glance the socket ring against the edge of the flame to heat it up. If any resin bubbles out of the wood, that can be scraped down with your thumbnail.
DO NOT USE HEAT ON PLASTIC/RESIN CLARINET SOCKETS!
When refitting, thoroughly clean the recess up as well as the inside of the socket ring with alcohol or solvents, then check the fit of the socket ring (making sure it's on the right way up!) and if it's loose, score the inside of the socket ring with a scriber and do the same on the recess around the socket, then apply a few drops of superglue and allow that to run all the way around it (leaving around a 1mm dry area around the top edge and base of the recess), then refit the socket ring by pushing it on and then tapping down on opposite sides and going all the way around it with a rawhide or plastic mallet until it's hammered home. Any superglue that's oozed out around the socket ring can be cleaned up with acetone on a cotton rag. The superglue will take up any gaps and also secure the socket ring as it's got into the gouge marks you made. You can always use liquid shellac if you prefer.
Many socket rings have a slight bevelled inside edge on the lower side, but those that don't can always have that done by using a deburring tool or scraper to put a slight bevel around just the lower inside edge. DON'T do that on the top side or that'll leave a small gap between the socket ring and the wood which doesn't look good (but can always be filled in with a drop or two of superglue allowed to wick its way around if it's like that).
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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