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 cleaning plastic clarinet
Author: janlynn 
Date:   2012-01-17 16:48

I was given an old plastic Yamaha. But it is Gross! I want to remove the keys and clean it up inside and out. what should I use to clean it and sanitize it?

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 Re: cleaning plastic clarinet
Author: tictactux 2017
Date:   2012-01-17 20:20

Lukewarm water, a bottle brush (for the bore), a toothbrush (for other parts) and a bit of liquid hand soap will suffice. After rinsing (blow out the water off the posts' screw holes) and drying the clarinet body should be as good as new.
Keys are best cleaned with a damp cloth and (optionally) polished with a bit of buffing wool (Nev'r Dull, Brasso).
Be prepared to replace some pads and silencing corks as they have a tendency to fall off during cleaning.

--
Ben

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 Re: cleaning plastic clarinet
Author: Barry Vincent 
Date:   2012-01-17 21:35

Perhaps just stating the obvious , do not remove the posts.

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 Re: cleaning plastic clarinet
Author: Pastor Rob 
Date:   2012-01-17 22:06

I would advise replacing the silencing corks with something that is actually quiet. Whatever material Yamaha uses on their plastic clarinets is ineffective in that regard.

Pastor Rob Oetman
Leblanc LL (today)

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 Re: cleaning plastic clarinet
Author: tictactux 2017
Date:   2012-01-17 22:18

Re silencing: I found that felt (from an old pad), cut and trimmed to size and glued on with shellac or hot-melt glue (don't use superglue, it will get wicked in by the felt, making it hard) quite effective. You need a sharp knife and a steady hand to splice it to the required thickness, though.

Plastic instruments are more prone to "silencer thud" noise than wooden ones.

(felt can't be used for "timing sensitive" parts such as the bridge or the crow's foot as these must be sanded down in a very precise way)

--
Ben

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 Re: cleaning plastic clarinet
Author: Caroline Smale 
Date:   2012-01-17 22:37

If you do a lot of padding why not strip down the old pads and (if felt in good condition) save this felt for future use.
I have a multi compartment box now with a range of pad felts from 0.8mm to 2.5mm in 0.1mm increments so finding a felt of correct thickness is relatively easy.



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 Re: cleaning plastic clarinet
Author: Bob Bernardo 
Date:   2012-01-17 23:07

Only replace the pads and cork with experience.

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 Re: cleaning plastic clarinet
Author: clarnibass 
Date:   2012-01-18 04:28

>> I found that felt (from an old pad), cut and trimmed to size and glued on with shellac or hot-melt glue (don't use superglue, it will get wicked in by the felt, making it hard) <<

I rarely use wool felt, but when I do, I still prefer cotnact glue. I first put a layer of gel contact glue so it doesn't soak in, then glue with normal contact glue normally. Just another possibility since hot glue will work just fine.

>> felt can't be used for "timing sensitive" parts such as the bridge or the crow's foot as these must be sanded down in a very precise way <<

They don't have to be sanded. I usually prefer to do these adjustments without sanding. Though I still wouldn't use wool felt anyway.

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 Re: cleaning plastic clarinet
Author: tictactux 2017
Date:   2012-01-18 07:32

How do you adjust say the crow's foot and the corresponding LH spatulas' *) bumper corks without sanding and yet getting a synchronized action without any slop or pads not closing completely? I often find the need to pull a strip of 400 grit paper between cork and body/key in order to fine-tune.

*) assuming these are traditional lever-style spatulas. Pinned spatulas won't have this problem, of course, nor do those with adjustment screws or springs.

--
Ben

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 Re: cleaning plastic clarinet
Author: clarnibass 
Date:   2012-01-18 14:01

>> How do you adjust say the crow's foot and the corresponding LH spatulas' *) bumper corks without sanding and yet getting a synchronized action without any slop or pads not closing completely? <<

First notice I wrote "don't have to" and "usually". So I don't always avoid sanding corks. Generally, I use a material and thickness that is IMO preferable for the purpose and then bend/align the keys for adjustment. These materials are often very difficult or even impossible to sand.I occasionally sand places like a left hand pinky lever bumper, but for places like the bridge or crow's foot linkages, pretty much never.

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