 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: alanporter
Date: 2011-08-03 20:22
I have picked up a "Prestige Bb made in Czechoslovakia" for $30, and it plays remarkably well, just as found. The only problem is that my left fourth finger touches the C#/G# key and I would like to bend it downwards a little. There is enough room above the left pinky keys, at least a quarter inch. I don't know whether I could do this cold, or whether the metal should be heated.
Any and all advice will be much appreciated.
Alan
tiaroa@shaw.ca
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2011-08-03 21:07
You can bend it cold, but go very slowly, and very carefully. That said, if it does break, it ain't my fault!
Quite possibly your clarinet was made by Kohlert, in which case the metal alloy will be pretty good and the part won't snap immediately like a cheap pot metal (a.k.a. "Mazak") key would.
Use smooth-jawed pliers so as not to get tool marks on the key arm.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-08-03 21:27
Check the undersides of the LH levers to see if there's a row of raised numbers on them - if there is, then the keys are most likely mazak so will break very easily if bent but that doesn't mean if there aren't any numbers the keys aren't mazak as they still can be.
Also check for plating wear and that'll show you what the base metal is. If the areas of wear through the plating are dark grey like lead or zinc and can easily be scratched with a craft knife or scalpel to reveal silvery metal, then it's mazak. If it's pale yellow and fairly hard to scratch, then it's nickel silver.
So many people ask if they need to heat the keys up to bend them and there's absolutely no need to as the metal is already soft due to it having been heated during manufacture (during silver soldering the pieces together). If you had to heat the keys up to soften them enough to bend them, then you'd need to heat them up until they're glowing red hot and that means you'll lose the plating and anything else glued to them.
Heating them up so they're uncomfortable to hold won't even soften the metal at all and is totally unnecessary - you'll most likely have the key corks and pads drop off with the heat but the metal will be unchanged structurally as it will need far more heat to anneal it.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: alanporter
Date: 2011-08-03 22:17
Thank you David and Chris. It is comforting to have expert advice, (and I won't blame either of you if it breaks !)
There are no numbers under any of the keys, and there is absolutely no plating wear to do the scratch test. Perhaps I will do the test underneath one of the keys. The clarinet and it's case were caked in dirt when I bought it, but after removing the keys and doing a good cleaning, the instrument looks like it has hardly been used.
Many thanks.
Alan
tiaroa@shaw.ca
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: rtmyth
Date: 2011-08-03 22:19
No heat, with very slow bending, checking each increment.
richard smith
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
