 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2014-09-12 17:13
Attachment: brokenbell.jpg (51k)
Saved another instrument from the dumpster (an Evette Master).
Now, as you can see in the attachment, the bell has split twice (presumably from being dropped) and the instrument has spent the past 20-odd years in an attic.
Question to all you gluers, banders, pinners out there - how do you deal with splits that don't align when being closed? looks like one half of the bell developped a different diameter than the other one. Simply banding would not necessarily compress the bigger half significantly so that the two parts of the split are flush.
(I do have a replacement bell, I'm just curious how to deal with split *and* distorted parts)
--
Ben
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2014-09-13 01:38
It's possible that it could be done by clamping with a circular clampp (e.g. a suitable size hoze clip) with some protection between wood and clip to avoid marking.
Then insert small wedges of wood or brass between the clip and the bell to exert pressure in the needed areas to help realign the cracks.
It's similar to a technique I have used in violin repairs to realign the different positions of a spit front plate.
Of course if you really want to "conserve" this rare and valuable Evette then the magic snake oil, sorry hide glue, might fix it, or on other hand might not!!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2014-09-13 03:00
Depending which section is the better fit to the tenon will determine the outcome - if the larger portion of the broken bell is still the correct size, then the smaller portion will have to be compressed to bring the radius down and clamped with a Jubilee clamp or similar (as described above) to keep it in place while being glued and carbon fibre banded around the socket and just below it.
If the larger section is now too tight on the tenon, then a tapered mandrel can be used to gently open this up until it fits and can be glued to the smaller broken section, then held in place with a Jubilee clamp while slots are cut for carbon fibre banding.
Any steps within the bore can be filed down and papered up smooth, likewise with the outside and any voids can be filled in with superglue and wood dust.
The CT bell I banded was held together with cable ties which did the trick, but a suitable sized Jubilee clamp and wedges (and something placed in between them and the bell itself to protect it from scratches) should do the trick.
Repairing something like this is always good practice and even better still if the repair is successful as you will then know what you're capable of doing when some things may appear beyond hope.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: pewd
Date: 2014-09-13 03:26
You might consider removing the metal ring at the base of the bell - that 'might' make it easier to align the parts when gluing it back to together.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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