 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Joe
Date: 2001-09-20 02:35
I anticipate upgrading from a 'resonite' to a professional clarinet in the near future. I live in Tucson, AZ where temps range from 28 degree nights to 110 degree days during the year. Humidity drops from 60% down to 6%. My new treasure will be kept in an air-conditioned house where temp excursions are minimal. However, no hunidity control is available. I have two questions:
1) What storage precautions should I use to minimize the possibility of cracking? I'll play at least an hour every day. I've thought of keeping a damp cotton ball in a perforated 35mm film can in the case with the horn during our dry season. Good idea?? Practical? Harmful?
2) What is the proper "break-in" procedure for a new wood, (Leblanc/Buffet), clarinet?
All help/suggestions appreciated.
Joe.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Katherine
Date: 2001-09-20 02:42
I use a dampit for my clarinet, it needs to be wetted every couple of days, or even every day when it's really dry, you can find them in any woodwind catalogs. some people put orange peels or sponges in their cases. Also, there are small humidifiers for rooms that you can buy, i have a friend with one of those. For new clarinets, don't play them too much at first, i was told to play mine no more than a half hour a day for the first 2 weeks, i think. good luck!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: KevinS
Date: 2001-09-20 03:59
Hi Joe,
Welcome to living with woodwind instruments in the desert! I live in Las Vegas, where average humidity through the year is 8%, and temps in the same range as Tucson.
I've had troubles keeping my horns (Buffet R-13's and top of line Leblanc horns, 6 of 'em!) properly humidified. I've tried most of the in case humidifiers. Most functional and practical is one like you describe, a film canister with holes in the lid, but instead of cotton ball, a small square of sponge, like the ones used in the kitchen. They hold more water and release it gradually. Another poster here on this BB, Mark W. turned me on to this. Also, at the advice of the people here on the board, and many instructors, try to keep your horn(s) in a closed room, the size of a bedroom. In the room, place a cool mist humidifier, and try to keep the humidity in the room around 50% or so. You can buy the humidifiers at your local home center, Sears, or if you're paranoid about the creepy crawlys in the CAP Water in Tucson (used to live there, know all about it! Nasty Stuff!) you can go here:
<www.woodwind-shop.com>
Mr. Ohme sells the only humidifier I know of that comes complete with an ultra-violet sterilizer.
For the most part, taking these precautions should take care of your horns! If, in the extreme case, your horns shrink up too quickly, you might try temporarily putting a couple of pieces of Orange Peel in your closed clarinet case along with the horn. It worked for me when I was in a bind during July and August.
Good Luck,
Say Hello to Laszlo Veres and the Arizona Symphonic Winds for me sometime!
Kevin Stockdale
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mw
Date: 2001-09-20 04:12
Good ideas.
Leblanc sells a humidifier ... $4.50 not worth $1.00, it leaks.
Go to an ART or HOBBY STORE ... buy some dry sponge .... a large sheet goes for next to nothing. Cut (3) 1' x 1/2 " inch strips & place them in the film cannister ot the pill container ... add very little water & watch them GROW & fill up the container. < the dry sponge is way better than the sponges I steal from my wife & it doesn't PO her nearly as much >
I use a Sears Humidifier in the house .... constant 45 degrees all year round. Air conditioning ain't great for clarinets (you have to understand what A/C does).
I (sometimes) block the a/c vents in the music room & try & keep temperature in the 72 degree range. Really it's whatever youj like as long as you understand the impact on tuning that temperature has.
mw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2001-09-20 10:14
Some very good suggestions about environmental humidity control. How about some internal wood humidity control. We have discussed oiling the wood many times on the BB but one of the advantages of natural plant oils is that they maintain a natural water balance within the wood because of their unique abilities to interact with water and yet maintain the characteristics of an oil. We should all take some lessons from the desert plants and their abilities to survive in very low humidity situations. They seal the exterior pores with a waxy like oil (the differences between waxes and oils is only a matter of their side chain structures) to prevent water loss by evaporation. The vascularature (pores and channels in the makeup of the wood structure) is protected by an outer layer oil and the structures of some of the other plant oils hold a layer of water molecules tightly bound to the oil surface. The ability of one class of oils to hold water tightly and a second group to quickly absorb available moisture is unique to the desert plants. Of course the genetic makeup of desert plants is different than rain forest plants which makes the plant structure less dependent on water but some of their unique adaptations can serve us well in caring for our horns - - the idea of oil combinations to hold and maintain a moisture balance within the wood.
The Doctor
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2001-09-20 13:02
I agree with L Omar Henderson
Oiling the instrument is important but choosing the right oil is also important. Petroleum based commercial bore oils are pretty useless. Where I live i find sweet almond oil is great but where I have been teaching for the past few years which is across the mountains with a much drier climate with a larger variation I have found the almond oil not as effective. Linseed oil is another option. Air conditioning itself may be a problem. The tree which the wood grew from did not live in air conditioning. Try playing the horn in properly and allowing it to "season" to your climate.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Anji
Date: 2001-09-20 13:05
Hey Joe,
Would you afford any more protection in buying a 'Greenline' instrument?
Presuming you can play several, you might be able to get the best of both worlds.
What do the symphonic and session players in your neighborhood do for this prollem?
Moreover, what must your reed situation entail!
anji
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Stephen Froehlich
Date: 2001-09-20 13:29
Why do I get the feeling Dr. Henderson is hinting at a product of his?
http://www.doctorsprod.com/BoreDr.html
Personally I've never used his products (well, yet anyway), however I know from watching the board for a while that he and his products are well regarded. I believe he lectures on this stuff quite a bit. Think of him as the world's leading expert on Clarinet chemistry.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-09-20 14:35
The Doctor's stuff is good stuff. I use his natural and synthetic cork 'greases' and his bore treatment.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2001-09-20 15:56
Dear Stephen,
It is a very fine line to walk on my part (and I may fall off now and again) but I am very passionate about the research itself. I doubt that many have thought about the adaptations of desert plants to their environment but I think that often times Nature has worked out common problems that we face, if only we would examine the answers already present in other natural systems. I have promised to steer clear of direct product endosements but all who read the BB should look to available sources, research on the topic, advice from other experts, and personal experience to make choices of products that they use in their musical endeavors. Another Sneezy sponsor has some research information and personal experience on the topic and this should be read and analyzed too! A lot of the products on the market are marginal, useless, or even harmful to instruments and the discussions here on the BB often fall back to old wife's tales, third hand recommendations, and unscientific observations. I believe that education is the key: -- analysis of current research findings, and recommendations of true experts (master repair persons, natural product chemists, museum wood and fiber conservators, government and private research experts, etc.)
The ultimate choice is up to the player!
The Doctor
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Randy
Date: 2001-09-20 19:07
If your looking for a good humidification device to put in to your case go to a cigar shop the humidifiers work with water and don't leak. cigars are supposed to be stored at 70% humidity... the ones I have in my humidors work great
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2001-09-20 21:14
Dear Randy,
Seventy percent relative humidity is a little high. Mold, mildew and bacteria will grow at that RH too. So that the water flux (flow in and out) of the instrument is not too great, (it is not only the moisture content but the rapid movement of water that causes severe hydrostatic pressure changes in the wood and may actually accelerate potential cracking) the relative humidity should be kept around 45-50% (there is not a direct correlation between RH and water flux but a "sort of " exponential relationship where at lower RH the water flux is less than at high RH - I am sure that you are not interested in the integral equations but they are well described).
The cigar humidifiers have chemical formulations of hygroscopic (water loving) chemicals and chemicals that act as water sinks (reservoirs). These mixtures can be adjusted using different proportions of each chemical type (or different chemicals with slightly different properties) to maintain almost any desired relative humidity. The commercial brands all hover around the 70% range desirable for cigars. I have developed a formulation (for my own use - I do not have it as a product) that maintains a relative humidity of 45% +(-) 3% for a cigar humidifier that holds my reeds.
I don't know that I have seen a cigar humidifier (in my cheap price range) that would hold a clarinet. Maybe they make them bigger in Texas! One important extra item necessary is a relative humidity meter (sort of like a smoke alarm - it tells you if you need to recharge (refresh) the relative humidity control factors).
The Doctor
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2001-09-20 21:36
Sorry, my brain is still (always) fried and jet lagged. I see that you meant to put the humidifier tube in your case and not a giant sized cigar humidifier (silly me). The tubes for cigar humidifiers are designed for a particular volume, (they come in various sizes) which is supposed to be a virtually air tight compartment. The composition and volume of the chemicals used is not designed for a case that will be opened and closed often and the chemicals used are not designed for rapid response (if that were the design, then different chemicals could be used and addition of one's with larger water holding capacity) The absolute volume of the tube and chemicals would have to be adjusted. This is a separate point - chemical composition could be adjusted to act as a slow or fast reacting formulation - one for dry environments and one for wet environments - or maybe a combination of the two? I still like the idea of the giant cigar humidifier that would hold a couple clarinets!
The Doctor
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mw
Date: 2001-09-21 20:03
Randy, I (respectfully) beg to disagree regarding Cigar Shops & Humidifiers they sell.
I have visited every ship in a 200 mile radius or so. One is very highly rated nationally. I have bought several. Amost all of them leak. They were ALL way too expensive for the junk I bought.
None worked as well as the small pill or advil bottles.
best,
mw
ps No more ciogar shops, I have to go home & take an immediate shower for the STINK. Of course, I am an ex-cigarette smoker! : )
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2001-09-21 21:20
Dear mw and Randy,
I think that mw's idea - he obviously has done a lot of practical experimentation on the subject - is a good one for the humidifier (and cheap - I like that too). My only concern might be adding too much humidity if the case were kept closed for long periods of time - I guess that this would be limited by the capacity of the sponge reservoir but might be significant. I do not have to cope with extremely dry environments all the time so I guess in those situations that you just keep adding as much humidity as possible and never get too much - in Georgia in the summer we need to remove as much moisture as possible.
The nice thing about the concept - not the kind of humidifiers sold as mid-grade cigar box humidifiers which can weep water doplets if soaked too much (the really good kind have a GoreTex like membrane over the holes - U.S. $29.99 - would not want to drip on the Havana's) - is the RH range achieved. The potential benefit of chemical formulations is that they can either take up moisture if the RH is above their formulation design or give up moisture if the RH is below the formulation design - keeping a relatively constant RH. Concepts are only good if put into practice and it would require a product of relatively high cost which most of us would refuse to pay -- so go cheap, simple, and take care!
The Doctor
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Joe
Date: 2001-09-22 17:09
Interesting discussion .......... thanks to all for contributing! Really, an education in itself and I especially appreciate the links provided. There's a wealth of information out there, just not always easy to find. At first, the responses sorta made me want to regress metal clarinets. :-))
I think that I can live with the "sponge-in-a-film-can" solution ....... ANYTHING to keep this beautiful creature from cracking!!
Thanks to all ......... Joe.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
