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 Taking care of Wooden Clarinet
Author: William 
Date:   2002-07-31 02:57

Hi,

I have newly purchased an R13, and I would like to know how to take care of a quality wooden instrument.
I've only had a Buffet plastic and an Amati plastic in the past. I used the two plastic clarinets while in High School. I used to clean them by using the garden hose and running water down the mouthpiece. To my surprise, both still work well even though I've never oiled them.
However, the R13 was a little more costly, so I would appreciate any advice or links to advice.

-thanks,

William

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 RE: Taking care of Wooden Clarinet
Author: Mark Charette 
Date:   2002-07-31 03:22

You should have received the Buffet care guide with your clarinet.

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 RE: Taking care of Wooden Clarinet
Author: msroboto 
Date:   2002-07-31 03:28

You can check out the http://www.booseyandhawkes.com/ website for more information on the care and feeding of the clarinet.

Ummm...don't do the garden hose trick on the R-13. I bet you knew that though. I would recommend against doing it to any clarinet no matter what you think of it.

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 RE: Taking care of Wooden Clarinet
Author: Ralph G 
Date:   2002-07-31 03:31

Clean 'er out good with a solution of baking soda and vinegar. Then stick it in the oven to dry it out at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. If you don't have that much time, then do 4,000 degrees for one minute.

Yes, I'm kidding.

Seriously, though, what's the Gospel on Oiling the Bore of an R13? I now have one in my care that must be attended to.

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 RE: Taking care of Wooden Clarinet
Author: Mark Pinner 
Date:   2002-07-31 04:08

Oil the bore seasonally ie. at the beginning of summer, autumn, winter and spring. Just oil lightly dont go overboard. Make sure you put a cigarette paper under all the closed pads so that the oil doesnt get to them. Dont rub bore oil all over the outside as I have seen some people do the oil should penetrate to the surface. DO NOT OIL A WET BORE. Make sure it has dried properly. I personally favour sweet almond oil or linseed which both take a little longer than petroleum based oil to penetrate but are not carcinogenic.

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 RE: Taking care of Wooden Clarinet
Author: Gnomon (Eoin McAuley) 
Date:   2002-07-31 07:37

Is it a brand new R13? If so, don't oil it. That's according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Don't play it too much at the start. You have to break the insrument in by playing it for a short while the first day, a bit more the next and so on.

One thing which isn't mentioned in the Buffet care guide is to put a bit of cork grease on the ends of the tenons. Carefully stand your upper joint vertically on its end on a table. The flat surface which is in contact with the table is the bit that needs to be greased. There are three of these in your clarinet. You should also grease the corresponding flat surface in the sockets of the bell, lower joint and barrel.

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 RE: Taking care of Wooden Clarinet
Author: beejay 
Date:   2002-07-31 12:42

I think you will find a ton of stuff in the archives, with a contribution or two from the Doc, about how to care for wooden clarinets. I follow the advice of my teacher and never put oil in bore. If it ever becomes necessary to do so, I shall use one of the Doc's products (see the sponsors' section) Very occasionally I wipe the outside with a soft cloth onto which I put two drops of almond oil. I never use any cleaning product on the keys either, although I do wipe them with a soft cloth after playing. My instrument, a Buffet Crampon RC, is about four years old and I've played it every day, but it still looks new.

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 RE: Taking care of Wooden Clarinet
Author: Don Poulsen 
Date:   2002-07-31 12:52

Anyone know where I can get a Buffet care guide. I didn't get one with the bass clarinet I bought a couple of years ago.

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 RE: Taking care of Wooden Clarinet
Author: L. Omar Henderson 
Date:   2002-07-31 12:59

Yes, there is a ton of stuff in the archives on use and care. I have been very impressed with using the new microfiber cloths to wipe down the horn after use, they are very soft and absorbant and will wash well as opposed to silk which takes a special detergent and care in drying - silk though is a good choice too. Either will not leave even the slightest scratch on the key plating and will remove the salt and acidic skin oils that could corrode the keys if left over time. I use a microcrystalline wax on the keys which is not slippery and does not show smudges or fingerprints. If you use any type of "natural" oils on the wood be sure that they contain an antioxidant - the most common, but not the best, is Vitamin E. Good luck with the new horn.
The Doctor

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 RE: Taking care of Wooden Clarinet
Author: William 
Date:   2002-07-31 17:16

Thanks for all the advice. The clarinet I purchased is still travelling through postal service, but I wanted to be prepared for when it arrives. Needless to say I'm quite excited. I hadn't played for three or four years until I picked up the old platic horn a few months ago. Within a few minutes of playing I was addicted to the clarinet once again.

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 RE: Taking care of Wooden Clarinet
Author: Sandra F. H. 
Date:   2002-08-01 13:31

You may want to check your new clarinet carefully upon arrival, and then you may want to just open the case and expose the clarinet to the new atmosphere for 24 hours before playing. The wood may need to adjust to temperature and humidity in its new home. Do "break it in slowly" so that the wood doesn't become prone to cracking.

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