 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2006-09-30 06:36
I've noticed on some repaired clarinets that chips and cracks are sealed with glue and then there is some sort of black vinyl that the repairmen use to hide the repair. what is that material that they use? i have a notion that its plasti dip, but i've never used the stuff. i've only poked it just to see what it was. anyone have any idea of what it is? just curious.
second question not related to this topic: has anyone ever emailed charles bay? is there a current website that he posts on? all i know is that he lives somewhere in westlake california, but i never see anything about his products. and his website is untouched. does he do emails?
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-09-30 09:50
I've used grenadilla dust and superglue which works wonders on worm holes, or filling any screw holes if moving a thumbrest up the joint. And hiding the holes drilled after pinning a cracked joint.
The bottom joint of my Buffet bass has a couple of worm holes that have been filled in the same way, I've got no problem with it as finding a piece of grenadilla that length (low C bottom joint) with no imperfections is a pretty tall order.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: jbutler ★2017
Date: 2006-09-30 13:29
Chris is correct. Grenadilla dust and super glue is what most use. It takes on a sheen and looks a bit different than the surrounding wood. That's perhaps why it looks vinyl to you.
jbutler
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-09-30 13:48
With surface scratches on grenadilla (ie. left by a screwdriver that slipped), heat up a piece of smooth flat metal like a scalpel handle or spoon handle until very hot (but not yet glowing), and rub it over the scratch to make the resin in the wood bubble, then either paper (1200 grit) or burnish it and polish it up so scratch is gone.
Don't do this on plastic.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-09-30 14:01
Charles Bay is notoriously difficult to contact. I've tried several times and have never gotten an answer to snail-mail or email. Phone calls are possible, but he's on the road a lot of the time.
The best way is to find a convention where he has a display and speak to him there.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2006-09-30 15:03
The mpingo dust/glue works well.
There is also a black epoxy stick avail in hardware stores and
Ferree's tools makes black magic. The latter has only a 6mo. shelf life.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2006-09-30 21:12
-- "spoon handle until very hot (but not yet glowing), and rub it over the scratch to make the resin in the wood bubble, then either paper (1200 grit) or burnish it and polish it up so scratch is gone.
Don't do this on plastic." --
Thanks Chris! Of course, now I can't get out of my head this image of a very embarrassed student going to his lesson with a large spoon firmly embedded in his clarinet!
;-)
Steve
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-09-30 21:44
HAHAHA! Even worse (or maybe better?) if they've used their parent's best Sabatier knife to do this!
Definitely do not try this at home! And don't let your dad try it either. Leave it to the pros (to do the damage!).
I always get nervous doing anything producton-wise with plastic instruments where any heat source is involved - mainly stamping logos and serial numbers. The logo stamp needs more heat for the gold foil to take (and the joints flex more in the process than wooden ones due to the pressure of the logo stamp), and it has to be right first time as it's not an easy job to clean up, polish and then redo the logo without some sort of evidence left that the plastic has been 'worked on', and stamping the serial number needs less heat otherwise the heated number stamps will melt too far into the body - again, getting this wrong isn't easy to rectify.
Wood is far more forgiving in many ways, and I'm much happier working with wood than any plastics.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-10-01 00:19
I've found that epoxy mixed with grenadilla dust usually works a bit better than the superglue-dust combination, and has the added advantage that it can be sanded to blend very well with the surrounding 'whole' wood.
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2006-10-01 07:46
I forgot to ask the obvious question:
Where do you get Grenadilla dust?
Steve
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-10-01 09:06
I think you can get pieces of grenadilla from most instrument repair suppliers, and you can make dust from it. Some suppliers might have grenadilla dust for sale.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-10-01 11:43
Working in an oboe factory there's plenty of grenadilla dust from the turning process - and the finest dust is collected from the extractors.
I'm sure you can visit any woodwind manufacturers to get some.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-10-01 11:50
If you have an old junk barrel or other grenadilla clarinet part, you can file or grind a bit of it to generate some dust. Save that old cracked barrel, don't throw it away!
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2006-10-01 13:11
Hmmmmm. Is there a gold mine in my Shop Vac?
Ker..ching!
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2006-10-03 08:44
Several suppliers to the repair trade sell grenadilla dust (sometimes called "chips"), eg H75B from Ferrees.
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