 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mare
Date: 2002-01-21 18:30
I am presently in Taiwan which for most of the year is wet and hot, so has a horrible climate for clarinets, and clarinet reeds.
I brought with me when I came, my wooden B&H Edgeware clarinet (I don't know its age) but soon after I arrived, I unfortunately fell off my bicycle and broke my jaw, so I didn't end up playing it much.
However, as soon as I could more or less open my mouth again ok, I opened my case again to find my clarinet covered in a thin layer of thin green powdery mould, even though I had dried it carefully before last putting it away. I know now I should have bought a special kind of cupboard to store it in, but my question is, how to clean it properly?
I have read articles that say to clean reeds using hydrogen peroxide (my reeds had little lice running over them)
but I am afraid to inflict permanent damage on the wood, moreover I don't know what concentration to use.
I wiped off the fungus as well as I could, I guess the roots (hyphae?) of the fungus extend into the grain? Do any restorers deal with this kind of problem? The clarinet was not very expensive and I am only a beginner but I love it very much and am feeling very bad about it.
It doesn't seem to be cracked or anything like that, although the wood isn't shiny any more. I took it back to Europe last time I went, staying here it would suffer more of the same; in my apartment, fungus grows in the paintwork and even on perfectly dry books, a dehumidifier doesn't help very much.
Sorry that I have been so careless of my clarinet, this is my second time visiting this site, I hope you can help me. Mare
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2002-01-21 19:35
>Sorry that I have been so careless of my >clarinet, this is my second time visiting
>this site, I hope you can help me. Mare
I wouldn't say this is careless! It's on the end of the environmental scale, so I'm sure it was unexpected.
Hopefully one of our correspondents from Singapore or other tropical area can help out here. I know we need to get the humidity lower to keep from getting the fungus or mold to grow.
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Author: willie
Date: 2002-01-23 15:33
We have the same problem here along the Texas Gulf coast as it a very humid sub-tropical zone. I opened my old Jeffrey up the other day (been in the case for about a year) and found it full of mold. I've seen instruments a the school do this also as they will put them away after a football game on Friday night, and then open them on Monday to find mold. Just wiping it down won't get rid of the fungi as it is in the nooks, crannies and pores. It just looks better for a while. I've found that swabbing it with a solution of bleach/water will get rid of it but you have to do the entire horn AND the case and other articles in the case. On the outside of my clarinets, I use a Q-tip to get in the tight spots. Then after drying, I use another Q-tip a re-oil the springs. Once they start rusting, you will have to replace them as they will loose strength or worse, snap off. Getting all new springs is expencive.
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Author: mare
Date: 2002-01-28 11:26
Thanks... must be VERY dilute, I presume... ?
Sounds a bit of a problem if it causes rusting despite oiling.
Am looking at some restorers' sites for other instruments, will let you know if I find anything different.
Thanks again, Mare
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Author: mare
Date: 2002-01-28 14:30
Hi Willie, and anyone else who reads such old messages..
Have not had much success in searching restorer's sites, but started looking at natural anti-fungal agents after remembering that garlic is used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for ringworm (but can cause dermatitis)..
These might be better for the wood (really I don't know, but they they are 'vegetable' oils).
Essential oils of: mustard; garlic; cinnamon; clove.
Oregano oleoresin.
Mustard essential oil is most potent (according to a Danish study on food preservation)
Don't know about metal parts. Don't know about duration of effect.
Mare.
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