 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: autumnsilence
Date: 2008-09-18 01:01
Alrighty, i have decided that i desperately need to repad my clarinet because although there are no air leaks or anything, the pads are way overdue for a replacement. They are pretty yellowish and some are even growing mold, i noticed a few were shaped really weird but that might just be to adjust the pad so it sits right, anyway, i just picked up some pads but i dont have any glue... i went down to the music store and (mind that the guy working today was only the guy to run the store when the normal person isnt there so he doesnt really know much) he was kinda a little lost on most things and i looked around and didnt see any cement/pad glue so i asked and he said there was a bottle that looked like itw as an all purpose stuff for repairs but it was a big bottle and he couldnt sell it to me because the regular store owner uses it for repairs..... soo.. i tried googling it looking for a substitute i could use.
Most of the things i found were basically heat melting glue, or at least something that wasnt superglue-ish and a few sites even suggested using regualr glue for paper crafts but obviously this is only for very last minute repairs that will hold out until you take it to a repair person or someone who has the tools to do it... but i was wonering if there were any semi common glue i could use that i would be able to find at a hardware store or something that would do the job, i was thinking about a hot glue gun but i think that kind of glue would get hard and change the seating of the padwhen it dries, so i dont plan on trying anything random around the house until i know what im doing lol.
I dont necessarily plan this to be a permanant fix, but i planned to take the instrument apart and clean it so i figured i should at least replace a few of the pads while im at it. I do plan having it redone later (by someone who is more expirienced with it than i am) but i wanted this to at least last a while.
Any suggestions? also does anyone know a way to remove mold from the keywork? i know its not a good idea to use liquid cleaners and stuff on the keywork necessarily but is there any other way to remove it? its mostly just around one or two of the pad cups so its not terribly pad... thanks
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2008-09-18 03:13
"... Alrighty, i have decided that i desperately need to repad my clarinet because although there are no air leaks or anything, the pads are way overdue for a replacement..."
If they are sealing well, with no obvious cuts, they are not overdue for replacement.
"... They are pretty yellowish..."
Very common, even on pads only a few months old. IT is a dye from the timber, and relatively harmless to pads.
"... and some are even growing mold..."
Then stop keeping wet things inside the case. The mold will probably not affect their function. Pads installed with inexperience will probably result in debilitating leaks for the clarinet. Better to live with the mold!
"... i noticed a few were shaped really weird..."
Poor workmanship when they were installed.
"... but that might just be to adjust the pad so it sits right, anyway.."
Yes, and the band-aid seems to have worked. You are fortunate.
"... i just picked up some pads..."
There is a huge range of pads, in thickness, hardness etc. Some, especially the best ones, are very difficult for an amateur to work with and get good seals. Some are utter rubbish. What have you got? Appropriate felt and cardboard thickness, appropriate felt firmness, appropriate diameters, to the nearest 0.5 mm?
"... but i dont have any glue... i went down to the music store ... there was a bottle that looked like it was an all purpose stuff for repairs but it was a big bottle... "
Technicians do not use any glue that is kept in a bottle!
" ... Most of the things i found were basically heat melting glue... "
True and that will include stick shellac. However most of the most common heat glues are actually not suitable unless you live and play in a climate that never gets very hot. These glues soften too easily, and allow the pad to move. Technicians mostly use specialist hot-melt glues (including stick shellac).
"... but obviously this is only for very last minute repairs that will hold out until you take it to a repair person ... "
If you have no leaks, as you say, your clarinet is not in need of this sort of repair, and if you try to do it, you are not doing a "last minute" repair, but probably a last minute stop-the-clarinet-from-working!!!
"... but i was wonering if there were any semi common glue i could use that i would be able to find at a hardware store..."
Chewing gum or Blue-tac probably matches the skill level you have in what you are attempting.
"... i was thinking about a hot glue gun but i think that kind of glue would get hard and change the seating of the pad when it dries.. "
Already answered. I would add that the idea is that the glue is MEANT to set firm, actually desirably firmer than many glue gun glues set.
".. so i dont plan on trying anything random around the house until i know what im doing lol...."
But you DON'T know what you are doing. Changing the pad is a very small part of getting that changed pad to seal as well as you claim the ones you already have are sealing! There are dozens of things you can do badly to result in failure. You don't seem aware of any of them.
".. I dont necessarily plan this to be a permanant fix.."
It sounds like a permanent instrument-no-go!
"... but i planned to take the instrument apart and clean it.."
Again, do you know how much you don't know? As one very simple example, do you know about the special precautions needed when remounting the G#/D# key so as not to de-tension the spring?
"... so i figured i should at least replace a few of the pads while im at it..."
I strongly recommend that you don't!
"... I do plan having it redone later (by someone who is more experienced with it than i am) but i wanted this to at least last a while...."
My guess is that the instrument will then play very badly until you get it to a technician.
"... Any suggestions? ..."
Leave well alone!!!! You clearly don't know what you are doing.
"... also does anyone know a way to remove mold from the keywork?..."
It is very unlikely that whatever it is, it is not mold. Mold grows on stuff on which it can feed.
It is most likely a form of tarnish. The only satisfactory time to really deal with it (with an APPROPRIATE metal polish) is when all the pads and the key & linkage corks are being replaced anyway - i.e. a full overhaul/repad.
"... i know its not a good idea to use liquid cleaners and stuff on the keywork necessarily but is there any other way to remove it? its mostly just around one or two of the pad cups so its not terribly pad... thanks"
If the keys are silver plated, use a silver polish that intrudes least into the pivots, say Goddards Silver Cloth. BTW, If a silver polish says it does stainless steel or nickel, or chrome, then it is NOT suitable for silver!)
If the keys are unplated cupro-nickel, use a polish that is specifically formulated for brass. Likewise, it must not get into pivot areas. All polish residues must be removed. They actually tend to CAUSE tarnish, by harbouring unwelcome contaminants from the air.
If the keys are plated with nickel, then use a polish that says it is suitable for nickel. Nickel tarnish can be very difficult to remove without buffing with an electric buffing machine.
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Author: Geirskogul
Date: 2008-09-18 04:57
That response was kinda of mean-spirited. You could have said "don't do it" but instead you pounded the message over and over, and not nicely or in an informative manner.
I'll answer the original question with this:
You sound like you have good intentions. Do the "vacuum test" where you take an individual joint, cover up all of the holes/close all of the keys, wet your free hand and stick it to the bottom of the joint, and try to suck in the open end. If it creates a good vacuum, then the pads don't need replacing. If you hear a "hissing" noise, then you've got an issue that needs to be dealt with, but probably not by you.
I mean, if you're mechanically competent, patient, and don't mind the, say, 40% chance of fuxxing up badly, then go for it. You WILL need the special stick shellac, though. Don't try to it with something else. Spent $10 and [popular auction site] or musicmedic.com some and give it a go. Don't be surprised if something goes wrong and you're unable to play your clarinet until you take it to a repairman, though. If 40% is too high of a risk for you, or you're not too mechanically inclined and/or patient and/or the vacuum test doesn't reveal any leaks, then stop right now and store the pads in a dark, dry drawer for down the road when it's actually necessary.
If you really, REALLY want to get the pads replaced, AND you have the correct pads, even though they may not need it (for cosmetic purposes or something), then take it to that repair shop. It may cost $90-150, but that's your choice.
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Author: autumnsilence
Date: 2008-09-18 07:01
thanks for the feedback, i ended up taking apart only the top joint and mostly just to clean it because there was quite a bit of build up under and around the keywork were i normally couldnt get to and i only replaced two pads, which were the worst. i didnt really encounter much problems at all besides replacing one of the said pads which i only ended up using one that was too thick and didnt notice until after that part was reassembled.. (in the four side keys justa bove the right hand that are over the connecting place of the two joints.) wasnt anything disasterous but i did have to re take it apart and repad it again with a thinner one because the large pad kept the hole piece was angled so that it pushed down slightly on the key below it, ultimately causing the pad for that part to not close completely, but after putting a thinner pad on and reassembling it, everything went fine.. and im assuming the stuff that looks like mold, is just tarnish because it was kinda hard to get off without using any 'products' on it and i dont keep 'wet stuff' in my case..
All in all it went well but i decided to leave the bottom joint alone for now seeing as the only thing it would need to be taken apart for is to clean the dust and build up off but i think ill wait on it rather than chancing something getting screwed up in the process, im glad nothing went wrong with the upper joint but i dont feel like taking the risk a second timelol.
thanks for the help/feedback, its much appreciated.
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2008-09-18 11:13
Hot melt glue for a glue gun might be an option for you. It is available in just about every craft store and hardware store on the planet.
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Author: autumnsilence
Date: 2008-09-18 18:24
thats pretty much what i used, a fairly more expensive hot glue gun sort of stuff, it worked pretty good as far as i can tell, although it was a little more annoying and slightly messy but i managed not to get it everywhere but where i intended it to go. Worked good for only replacing two pads and without having to wait the two weeks or so to order stuff and get it online (although thats what i plan to do if i everend up doing this in the future lol)
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2008-09-18 23:54
"although it was a little more annoying and slightly messy but i managed not to get it everywhere but where i intended it to go."
That's why I use glue pellets, heated in the key cup over a flame. But they do not come from a hardware store. :-)
BTW, glue gun glues often fail badly if they are applied to a cold metal surface.
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Author: Geirskogul
Date: 2008-09-19 00:09
I get my pellets from MusicMedic. Is there another good source for them?
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-09-19 00:18
> I get my pellets from MusicMedic. Is there another good source for them?
I buy ordinary glue sticks and chop them into morsels using a pocket knife.
--
Ben
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2008-09-19 06:49
I used to. It's just not worth it when the pellets are available.
I get mine form Smith.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-09-19 07:02
By the way, the Smith and Music Medic glue pellets are the same. I use them too. The only thing annoying about them is when I need less than one 
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2008-09-19 13:42
I cut them in half. But yes, that is fiddly.
They should make them in half sizes as well.
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