 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Sarah
Date: 2001-10-28 18:56
What is the effect of salt water on a clarinet ?
Sarah
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Author: Dee
Date: 2001-10-28 20:07
Salt water is likely to rust the springs very fast, much faster than plain water.
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Author: Peter
Date: 2001-10-28 20:35
It depends on whether you are boiling it to soften it for a stew or using it as an unusual conversation piece in your salt-water fish aquarium.
Just kidding.
Salt water is corrosive to most metals and leaves unwanted, corrosive residues upon evaporating from wood, or other surfaces.
If the clarinet was actually immersed in salt water, I don't see where rinsing the salt water off with clean, running, fawcett water will do it any further harm. At any rate, it will probably be better than to leave the salt water residue on it.
If it was immersed, remember also that the pads probably soaked up salt water. The residue there won't all come off by rinsing. You'd need to rinse and squeeze, as with a sponge. Depending on what type of metal the cups are made out of and/or what type of plating they have, the salt water residue might corrode them.
Aside from that, and after rinsing it in fresh water, I would dry it thoroughly and take it to a competent technician to repad and check over.
If it was not immersed, but just exposed to salt-water spray or even at the beach, it should still be carefully cleaned, because even the sea-wind blows corrosive particles that permeate and eventually corrode whatever they touch.
Someone else may have a more specific experience with clarinets and salt water, but that's my suggestion.
Good luck.
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Author: Sarah
Date: 2001-10-29 01:45
oh no ! lol
I'm making a college demo CD - and My friend and I were talking pictures of my clarinet at the beach for the cover- It wasn't my good clarinet ~ it was my beginner plastic artley. Anyways, it kinda got wet.. we didn't anticipate that wave coming ! lol. I was just wondering what's goina happen with it, I dried it out and all - It plays fine.. just should i beware of anything ?!
Sarah
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Author: Bob Curtis
Date: 2001-10-29 02:13
Saha - I have been a professional photographer for years and KNOW the effects of salt water on an expensive camera. IF your clarinet got immersed in salt water, DON'T HESITATE, RUSH to your nearest repair shop and explain the situation to them as you will probably have serious problems with rust. Rinsing the instrument off with fresh water will only slow down the process, not eliminate it. If, however, you got some of the spray from the beach on it and not immersed then your problem is not so serious. However, I do not know if I would recommend that you wash or spray clear water on any instrument which is made of wood as you cuould have some other problems arise, such as bad pads, corks, etc.
Next time, don't take a clarinet to the beach for such an endeavor -- find another way to get the idea across, cartoons, etc, anything except a clarinet if it is an expensive model or is in fairly good playing condition. Not a good choice IMHO!!!
By the way, there is a background system which I used in my studio in which I could show a slide on a screen behind the subject and they would look like they were ACTUALLY there -- it is called "front projection' - same technique as they used in the movies. You mightg find a sgtudio in your area who does this and they could work with you to product slides. I did this commercially several times and they look real and just like they were in the mountians, on the beach, in the snow, etc. Also, using Photoshop on a computer ths same thing could be done.
Good Luck,
Bob Curtis
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Author: Jim (E)
Date: 2001-10-29 04:23
I live near the coast, and keep a boat in salt water. It is the PITS. (Quite literally!) Any metal other than MARINE GRADE stainless steel or monel will deteriorate rapidly after such exposure. I use "Boeshield" a Boeing licensed product to protect the aluminum parts of the motor. It is brutal. If water soaked the pads, I would remove them so as to clean the metal under the pads in the cups. The springs and possibly the rods (if not stainless) will rust badly. WD40 or CRC would help them but will ruin the pads. An Artley, especially if it is older, probably isn't ecconomically worth a lot of work. Good Luck!
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Author: willie
Date: 2001-10-29 06:06
I live just a few miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico where offshore winds carry lots of salt and water particles inland and ruin everything. Even indoors, if I don't take a some precautions, my goodies are reclaimed by the sea. About twice a year, I disassemble my clarinet and clean it. Then I take a Q-tip and wash and DRY the springs. the next step is to use a Q-tip to rub oil on the springs lightly. I've found that 90w gear oil used sparingly works best and lasts longest. It stinks as if the dinosaurs weren't left in the ground long enough but that goes away in a day. The old cadaver clarinets I keep for spares are proof my system works as they all have rusty springs. Most are far newer than my main horn.
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Author: willie
Date: 2001-10-30 04:46
I'd like to caution you about WD40 as a rust preventer. It was customary for the boat crews in the Coast Guard to spray thier weapons (45s to M60s) with WD40 before going out on patrol as it made clean up faster and easier upon returning. We finally got a message from the top not to do this anymore as there is a mild acid in it that was etching even that hard ordinace steel. At first it was thought to be from the salt but crews on freshwater units were having the same problem.
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2001-10-31 02:34
I once carried a new clarinet back to the states from Paris wrapped in a towel that had been used in salt water. Not the best idea, but I was a teenager and forget that the towel was no longer pristine. The wood did just fine, but I ended with tarnished plating. Caveat swimmer.
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