 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ChrisArcand
Date: 2007-01-06 17:15
I have a friend (and yes, I really do have a friend, this is not about me and I'm too embarrassed to say it!  ) who has a mouthpiece permanently stuck onto the barrel. It's been "fused" together for a few years now - my friend has accepted it and not cared (as she uses a different clarinet for actual performance work and this is just her Pep Band clarinet).
In any case, it's been a sort of bet that I would never be able to take it apart, because I had told her that I would find a way someday. So I want to figure it out!
A year ago I tried using hot water on the barrel side to maybe expand the material and get it out. I've tried using a flathead screwdriver, however the mpc is completely flat against the barrel and my attempts to wedge it between the two only chipped a little chip out of the mpc.
It's a cheap Vito plastic clarinet with a junk mouthpiece, so it's not like we have to be extremely careful, but we don't want to ruin anything of course.
So, does anyone have any ideas to take this thing apart? It's ON there. I need a completely new idea.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2007-01-06 17:47
Since heating would also cause the inner dimensions of the barrel and mouthpiece to expand, heating will only make the fit even tighter. You actually want the instrument to contract, not expand. Since it's not a great loss if anything totally bad happens, try leaving the barrel and mouthpiece in the freezer for an hour or two. I actually had to do this (but I used the refrigerator and not the freezer) with a new Leblanc Cadenza, where the cocobolo barrel stuck itself to the upper joint tenon, and I couldn't get them to separate, even leaving them overnight to dry out and cool off after a couple of hours rehearsing in a rather warm and humid rehearsal room. The next morning, I put the parts into the fridge, and after about three hours, they had shrunk enough so that I could separate them once again. I am going to have to have the tenon socket in the 66mm barrel reamed out just a touch, so this does not happen again.
Once you get the two parts separated, make sure the mouthpiece does not need to be recorked, and afterwards, make sure that she applies a liberal amount of cork grease to the cork, so that this does not happen again. I loke the Doctor's products for this. He makes an all-natural cork grease in a tube, and aslo sells a very nice cybthetic aerospace-grade lubricant is small pots. Both work very well, and neither causes long-term deteioration of the cork materials.
Jeff
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Author: cuscoclarinet
Date: 2007-01-06 19:25
I've got a vito barrel sitting around in my spare parts bin. If you like I'll send it to you. Then you can use a hammer to get the old barrel off! @;-O
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Author: BobD
Date: 2007-01-06 21:31
If your friend isn't the original and only owner maybe a prior owner epoxied them for some reason. I have so resolved a bell fit problem. If I had your problem I'd opt for a new barrel and mp and forego the challenge.
Bob Draznik
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Author: ww.player
Date: 2007-01-06 22:36
There are two easy ways to fix this.
Method 1: Using a razor blade, gradually work the edge of the blade between the barrel and mouthpiece. Wiggling the blade will create space and gradually give you enough room to pry them apart with your screwdriver. Just be sure to pry gradually, working your way around the whole circumference.
Method 2: If they are really fused, then try using a wooden dowel rod. Find the largest one that will fit through barrel. Place one end of the rod on the floor and put the barrel/mouthpiece on top. Hold the barrel with both hands and pull down. This way you can use all your weight to help pull. You can use a textured rubber grip aid like the ones made to open jars if you need it.
If neither of these methods works, a hammer may be the last solution. Just decide which is more important, the mouthpiece or the barrel.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2007-01-06 22:55
I'd use penetrating oil first, then a long-bladed knife. Roll the mpc/barrel between a cutting board and the blade, use moderate pressure. Use protecting gloves.
--
Ben
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2007-01-06 23:16
There's always.....THE HOLY HAND GRENADE!
Sorry, I couldn't resist. I took my wife and daughter to see Spamalot last night. It was a blast!
Jeff
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2007-01-07 05:12
skygardener wrote:
> soak it in nail polish remover for 2 days.
And pour out the sticky black mess at the bottom of the bottle afterwards ...
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2007-01-07 05:37
Blech nail polish? what are you trying to do salt the ground so nothing will ever grow back again? If i were you, i'd go with the razor blade or even a hammer and a flat chisel/screwdriver. just stick the flat end inbetween the mouthpiece and barrel, give it a few taps, and keep inching slowly around. You can also try leveraging, but there's a great chance you'll just chip some more.
I've never had much problems with stuck mouthpieces to barrels. I just carry it around the home and wiggle the pieces up and down until the cork gives way. longest it took me to remove something was about 35 minutes.... watching tv. =)
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: skygardener
Date: 2007-01-07 07:00
I was joking and being extreem.
but really, maybe putting a few drops of 'goo gone' in the space will help weakin the chemical bond.
-s
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2007-01-07 07:29
As the mouthpiece is a cheapo, hold the mouthpiece table side down firmly with one hand on a flat surface (a kitchen worktop is pretty good, but protect it with a cloth to avoid any grief from the missus should it mark the worktop) and with the barrel held in your other hand off the edge of the worktop, rock the barrel slightly in all directions while pulling it away from the mouthpiece.
The mouthpiece tenon should then snap off cleanly leaving it stuck in the barrel, so you'll have a perfect lining in the upper barrel socket to fit a light fitting into when you turn the clarinet into a lamp.
Only kidding - with any luck, the mouthpiece and barrel should soon go their seperate ways. Grease the cork well before using the mouthpiece, that's if the table and rails haven't been damaged.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2007-01-07 08:58
From
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=197634&t=197593
"I have never had a stuck joint that did not come apart.
Approach 1.
Get a person with STRONG hands/arms (eg repair technician :-), to twist it apart. This very rarely fails. (If this person is not a technician, explain to them how to look after the keys in the process.)
Approach 2, usually necessary only on jammed instruments that have not been disassembled for decades, and the old grease or cork resins have 'glued' the joint together.
a. Hold the barrel and body and 'bend' the clarinet at the junction, as if you were trying to break it in half. This will produce a tiny gap on the 'stretched' side. Insert any shim or knife edge, razor blade, etc, that will fit in, and leave it there.
b. Now bend the instrument the opposite way. This time you will be able to insert something a little thicker in the gap on the opposite side.
Keep repeating the process, on these opposite sides, inserting thicker and thicker material, until the joint is free."
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