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RE: Hairline crack in bell

Author: Terry Horlick
Date: 2002-07-23 07:10

Carol,

FWIW I play on a 1925 Bb Buffet Full Boehm. I found the horn at a swap meet and had it fully restored by an excellent technician. The barrel had been amateurishly turned too short to use so I got a nice Chaddish barrel. The horn has a short and highly flared bell, shorter than a stock bell. The bell also has a crack through it at the socket and running a little way down (about 1.25").

The tech said it is not repairable... you evidently cannot pin a bell. The bell would require replacement with a custom hand turned piece of grenadilla! We tried some off the shelf bells and not only did they affect the lowest notes intonation, it seemed to change the sound a bit.

I have done woodworking and do not relish having to turn a bell on my lathe or pay to have one turned. So we opted for curtain #2. The tech flowed a little cyanoacrylate cement ("Super Glue") into the crack and then sanded the cork on the lower tennon so the fit is as loose as we dared make it. The ring helps to re-inforce the bell, the bell never gets wet, and I handle it carefully.

Now after a full year of use there is no change in the crack. I recommend sanding down your bottom <B><font color="red">cork only</font></B> for a looser fit. Be careful not to sand on the wood of the clarinet. Alternatively you can ask for your technician to loosen the fit of the lower cork. I recommend this approach as it does not further weaken the bell by cutting it's socket looser and if you get a new bell it is easy to replace that bottom cork to get back to where you started.

Be sure to swab out that bell each time you play!

The above is the experience and advice of a dentist and 37 year clarinet player, not a professional player, nor repair tech. I do have an engineering degree and some engineering experience, however. So take it FWIW, TH

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Hairline crack in bell new

Carol

2002-07-23 03:33