 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: JennyP
Date: 2015-04-03 19:11
I've found that I'm becoming very interested in clarinet repair / restoration over the last several months. I'm an advanced clarinet player, was a music major in college and all that, but several years later have ended up with a career in accounting.
I'm wondering what options I have for learning more about repair and restoration? I've been making my way through the JL Smith book on servicing the clarinet, which has been extremely helpful and informative. Does anyone have any other book recommendations, or know of any learning opportunities that might be available to someone who has a full time day job?
I actually got an old Normandy Special clarinet off of Craigslist that's in pretty bad shape as a way to get some hands on experience. Best case scenario, I'll end up with a playable student clarinet that I can use for marching band instruction. Worst case scenario, I'll learn what not to do when restoring an old clarinet...
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-04-03 22:31
I can only recommend you get some guidance from your nearest woodwind specialist or the best in your area so they can show you how they do things and what to do if anything goes awry.
One thing you should always strive for is neatness and cleanliness so your work looks fresh - always use sharp blades when trimming cork so you get a nice crisp edge, not like the roughly hewn key corks you so often see done by some alleged 'pros' (usually seen on eBay, etc.) and that will at least show your customers you take pride in your work.
I'd also recommend you get to grips with preparing and installing cork pads and also minimise the amount of natural cork for key buffers as in some applications it's too noisy and in others it hasn't got the durability or staying power as there are better materials on the market that are tried and tested and will hold up long term.
For open standing keys (LH thumb ring, RH ring keys, RH or LH E/B key, LH F/C lever, crow's foot, etc.) I prefer to use felt or ultrasuede as that minimises key noise on return - natural cork in my opinion is too hard and noisy for these applications. Felt and ultrasuede can't be sanded, so you'll either have to use the correct thickness or if it's too thick, trim it down with a sharp razor blade.
For linkages I prefer to use much harder wearing gasket cork which is high density rubberised cork (tech cork, gummi kork, rubco, etc.) as this has very little give to it and is good for using under adjusting screw tips. You can also coat it with graphite from a soft pencil to make it more slippery to make linkages run smoothly or stick self adhesive Teflon sheet to it if need be. It is sold in a variety of thicknesses, but use the thinnest for under adjusting screws and much thicker ones for stopper/buffer corks. It can be trimmed down using a sharp blade but like felt, doesn't take well to being sanded, so use the appropriate thickness and trim when necessary.
A lot of the time you'll have to bend keys so things all line up, vent and regulate well - always check ring keys are a good height above the tonehole chimneys and are sitting evenly around them instead of high at the front and low at the back and carefully adjust (by bending) them until they sit evenly. If ring keys are too high, that runs the risk of the fingertips not closing the toneholes fully and similarly if they're set too low (below the level of the chimneys), the pads controlled by the ring keys may not close fully. Ring key heights are relative to how wide the fingertips of the player are, so have an idea of an optimum height and a minimum and maximum height depending on the player's hand and finger size.
Use a good quality contact adhesive for key corks and felts and always thoroughly clean and prepare the surfaces before applying the adhesive and always use shellac when installing pads as they can easily be adjusted further down the line if need be.
As for pads, my first choice is cork pads for all the smaller pad cups on clarinet and leather pads for the largest as they're far more durable than skin (or so-called bladder or 'fish skin') pads. But it pays to learn to install all types of pad (skin, leather, cork and even synthetic) so you have a working understanding and aptitude for this part of the job. Then decide for yourself which type of pad or pads you prefer to use and use them full time.
When working on plastic clarinets, always leave some end play in the keywork relative to the length of the key barrel, so keys with long key barrels such as the LH F/C lever will need considerably more end play between the pillars compared to the LH2 ring key as plastic will shrink and expand in all dimensions when cold or hot unlike wood which is affected far more by changes in humidity over temperature changes. Larger plastic instruments (altos, basses and contras) will obviously need a lot more end play between pillars than plastic Bb and Eb clarinets to ensure nothing binds up solid if they're regularly played outdoors in all weather.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2015-04-03 23:12)
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2015-04-03 22:50
"The Complete Woodwind Repair Manual" by Thorp is a very comprehensive guide to virtually the whole range of woodwind repairs.
Perhaps best not trying to run before you walk so practice on plenty of student instruments first using the conventional materials for pads etc obviously always aiming to do the best job you can.
Learn to do the fundamental things thoroughly and properly first - plenty of time to move into more esoteric areas when you have mastered the main principles.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2015-04-03 23:31
>>A lot of the time you'll have to bend keys so things all line up, vent and regulate well ....>>
Uh-oh. That's an advanced repair technique. Much better to adjust the pads, the springs and the bumper corks until the key fits.
If you do decide to bend a key, please look at the underside of the key first. If there's a number stamped there, it very likely means the key is cast smelter (pot-metal), not forged brass or other malleable metal. If you try to bend a cast smelter key, it will break. Trying to solder the snapped-off pieces back together will not work.
Even forged brass keys that can be bent without breaking can develop metal fatigue, if they're bent back and forth: This is not a technique to use on a clarinet key until you've practiced on brass rod of the same gauge until you're quite sure you can complete the alteration perfectly by bending the metal in only one direction. (Bear in mind that if the key doesn't fit properly now, that may be because someone before you has *already* tried to adjust it by bending it back and forth.) Metal fatigue means the key weakens and can suddenly snap while you're bending it or later when you're playing the clarinet. The better-quality silver-plated or nickel-plated brass key can be soldered back together if it breaks, but the solder joint will remain a weak spot that will almost certainly break again.
(Normally I leave a disclaimer that I'm an amateur and let it go at that, but I know metals: I'm a retired professional stained glass designer-builder-restorationist.)
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: BobW
Date: 2015-04-04 00:09
I repair istruments for a hobby also
Three years ago I took a one week course at J.L. Smith's
I would also recomend joining NAPBIRT
They have regional meetings, a national meeting and a bimonthly publication
Bob
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Author: MichaelW
Date: 2015-04-04 13:48
Thanks to ChrisP for his useful tips, especially about ring heights. On my German/ Oehler clarinets I use skin pads only. Perhaps I should try other materials, more frequently used on Boehms. On the other hand I agree with Lelia concerning bending keys. My teacher does it sometimes (he has Wurlitzers with forged keys), but I don't feel comfortable with it and prefer to adjust pad heigth. I use shellac which I think is best for building up a bit if necessary.
A good "Polsteranleitung" (padding guide), though in German, but with nice pictures, you can find on Harald Hüyng's homepage: http://www.hueyng.de/index.php?id=24
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2015-04-05 02:09
Apart from the Thorp manual, may I recomment Stephen Howard's Clarinet Manual (published by Haynes) - certainly a great starter.
Of course, nothing beats a seasoned technician like Chris and others... I've learned *a lot* from them.
--
Ben
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Author: JennyP
Date: 2015-04-06 23:42
Thank you everyone for all the wonderfully helpful advice. I'm going to have to take some notes from all the information that's been provided here so I can sort through it.
The Normandy Special I'm working on has a pretty serious crack through the register tube that was pinned some time ago. That takes some of the pressure off. I don't think anyone's going to be crying over it if I end up destroying it...
I have some basic experience with repairs thanks to my woodwind students in marching band. I was shocked last year at how many ripped corks I saw, and I don't think it was entirely due to student negligence. I take the instruments home when I can to try and do a proper repair, but all too often, I end up frantically trying to set a pad while crouched in a dark parking lot before a competition.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-04-07 02:08
"The Normandy Special I'm working on has a pretty serious crack through the register tube that was pinned some time ago."
The perfect candidate to practice doing crack repairs on!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Clarineteer
Date: 2015-04-07 09:07
I was lucky to apprentice with an expert flute repair technician 12 years ago. Perhaps you can do the same.
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Author: sax panther
Date: 2015-04-07 15:52
Ben beat me to it - another vote for the Stephen Howard book. He also has an equivalent book for saxophone.
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