 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: faltpihl ★2017
Date: 2017-01-20 01:06
Attachment: IMG_20170119_204333.jpg (1928k)
Hi,
I have recently gotten my first wooden clarinet, which I try to care for as well as I can.
I noticed a while ago that the inside of the bell was getting some dry patches, and ran to the store to get some oil to start oiling the bore.
I started with pure almond oil, and purchased some fancy bore oil from dawkes (smells like flowers - quite lovely!).
I recently got the dawkes oil and have swithced to that one.
However, even after oiling the clarinet inside 4-5 times for a week, letting it soak in over night, I get a strange "river" of dryness in the bell after playing just once.
It seems to me that when moisture flows down the bore, it somehow dries up the bell extremely fast where the stream flows.
Or maybe its a chemical reaction?
I have attached an image, which looks much whiter than it does in real life.
Have you had any similar issues? Should I continue regular oiling?
Should I do something different?
Regards
Peter
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2017-01-20 01:23
I'm not sure why the wetness or dryness of the bell would be a worry at all. Once any moisture has passed the areas with tone holes in them, water really doesn't affect anything. Swabbing when the instrument is put away should dry any water in the bell.
I also don't understand what dry patches in the bell or a "'river' of dryness" in a bell mean? Is most of the bell actually wet inside?
Or are you seeing something in the grain that looks like dry wood? If so, it may be just a color thing.
In any case, I'd stop oiling it. Probably there's no serious consequence to the bell except that you'll eventually have an oily mess at the bottom of your clarinet, but you're spending money on oil that isn't accomplishing anything.
Karl
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Author: faltpihl ★2017
Date: 2017-01-20 01:34
Sorry that I was a bit unclear.
When the barrel is dry, I feel a rough patch which is very light in color also. The white thing in the image that is.
It goes away when I oil it but it comes back so fast.
That's what's worrying me.
The rest of the inside bell is very smooth.
I can also feel it bring grainy kind of where the patch is.
I've oiled it and let it absorb so the oil isn't left. And I did that mainly because I was worried about the bore of the middle joints cracking.
I don't want my bell cracking if it can even do so.
Regards
Peter
Post Edited (2017-01-20 01:39)
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2017-01-20 01:50
Unless someone sees something more sinister, I'd say its an effect of the machining process or, maybe, something in the grain of the original billet. I don't think that, if oiling hasn't helped so far, continued oiling is going to be any help. I think you just have to accept that there's an odd color streak and forget about it. If something's going to happen (I doubt if it will) then you'll deal with it. Cracks can be repaired.
Karl
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Author: Matt74
Date: 2017-01-20 01:57
I'm sure it's plenty oiled.
It looks like something on the wood. Try rubbing it off, like with a lightly damp rag or dry toothbrush. It might be deposits of some sort. If you rotate your bell to a different position when you play, does the "river" move with it or stay at the bottom?
I used a soft bottle brush on the bore if my horn. When I did, it removed a bunch of stuff that I thought was raised grain. If it was grain, it was very soft and insubstantial, but it was probably deposits of some sort. I always swab it after every use, but the swab didn't remove it. A quick brushing did. Hardly anything came out, but the bore was noticeably smoother.
There could also be something in the wood right there that is repelling the oil.
- Matthew Simington
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2017-01-20 03:03
I suspect that the billet of wood that your bell was turned from came from around where the sapwood meets the heartwood. Grenadilla heartwood is dark in colour, but the sapwood can have lighter streaks in it. I have a barrel which shows similar marking. If this is the case there's not a lot you can do about it. If its going to crack then it will. Bell cracks don't have much if any effect on tone, and can be fixed.
Tony F.
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Author: faltpihl ★2017
Date: 2017-01-20 09:26
Thanks for the comments all.
It wasn't like this when I got it so that's what's mainly been worrying me.
But your right, it could actually be a deposit! I will try to brush it off with something
And then stop worrying!
Regards
Peter
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Author: Luuk ★2017
Date: 2017-01-20 14:37
First, you're talking about the bell, not the barrel.
Secondly, from your picture I got the idea that maybe this is residue from a repair with super glue. Acrylate based glues often leave a patch of whitish residue around the location of application.
However, I can't see any sign of a crack on the end of the bell.
Regarding the suggestion that this may be a patch of natural discoloration of the wood: this seems unlikely to me. I've seen that in the Leblanc factory, and itis not white but brown/yellowish (think coffee with more or less milk).
Regards,
Luuk
Philips Symphonic Band
The Netherlands
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Author: faltpihl ★2017
Date: 2017-01-20 15:56
I have to say also that that when I apply oil it immediately disappears.
So it seemed to me that it is some sort of dryness because it appeared after the whole bell got light and needed oiling (together with the rest of the instrument) but after a few wipes of the swab that light patch appears.
Edit : oh I just noticed I typed barrel instead of bell in the topic.
Regards
Peter
Post Edited (2017-01-20 15:57)
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Author: TomS
Date: 2017-01-20 18:53
Normally I'd oil a clarinet bore and inside of the tenon sockets really well after the break-in period. Take care not to get bore oil on the pads. After that, typically light oiling every six months.
Constant re-oiling probably is not good for the wood.
If the clarinet is overhauled and all the keys are removed, all surfaces of the wood can be oiled, carefully dried and reassembled.
I use "The Doctors" products for oiling ... if his claims are not hype (I am not a chemist, so I can't say), I suspect his stuff is safe and effective, and it smells good too. I have had very good luck with "The Doctors" products.
IMHO, wood has many stability/mechanical disadvantages over other materials for clarinet bodies, especially hard rubber. And, wood does not always pass the subjective advantage in tone either ...
Be sure to store your barrels and instruments in a fairly constant humidity (60-72%) ... I use a Rico reed case for reeds and orange peels for my wooden instruments with a humidity meter.
Tom
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2017-01-20 19:28
TomS wrote:
> Be sure to store your barrels and instruments in a fairly
> constant humidity (60-72%) ... I use a Rico reed case for reeds
> and orange peels for my wooden instruments with a humidity
> meter.
>
This is OK for reeds, but I think it's too high for the clarinet itself. I've read various recommendations, most of which centered around 50% relative humidity with 60% being at the very top of the range.
Karl
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Author: faltpihl ★2017
Date: 2017-01-20 22:56
I have now concluded that it has to do with the wood getting dry.
After applying oil it is all very smooth in color all around the bell.
After playing a few hours I got a stream of moisture running down the bore into the bell. This place after a while got dryer and dryer and rougher in feel until you similar look as in the pictures appear but a bit less.
I could also see that the inside of the bore in the lower joint in the bottom was getting a bit light and not so smooth at some spots.
This should call for more oiling don't you think?
Regards
Peter
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2017-01-21 19:12
Perhaps it is just a zone of sapwood that was included when they turned the bell. (Tony F stated this above, and I agree with the assessment)
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
Post Edited (2017-01-21 19:19)
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