 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: MusicalMoon
Date: 2016-09-20 01:19
I've recently fallen victim to the breaking of the nylon pins on my left-hand keys on my Buffet Festival. I've seen some people recommend replacing them with carbon fiber pins (http://www.clarinet-repairs.com/carbonfiberpins.html). However, I haven't seen anyone using them in person and no professional has mentioned them either. Have any of you used these pins on your clarinet? And if so, would you recommend the investment of purchasing and installing these?
Jordan Thrall
JThrall Music
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNbFWUtD92z4VCnus9TMoFg
Post Edited (2016-09-20 01:37)
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2016-09-20 02:10
Neat! I've recently tried out carbon fiber pins for crack repair. I'm going to try them for the left hand levers.
Steve Ocone
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-09-20 04:35
Attachment: reinforcednylonpins 001.JPG (208k)
As a matter of course during a service or overhaul on all Buffets, I just drill out existing nylon pins with a 0.9mm drill and reinforce them with the appropriate gauge needle spring to give them backbone.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: na1965
Date: 2016-09-20 05:00
Wesley Rice does excellent work and if he sells them on his website, I would have faith in his endorsement.
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Author: pewd
Date: 2016-09-20 06:47
I can't remember how many years I've had them installed on my A clarinet - at least 5 or 6, possibly more. They work great.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Matt74
Date: 2016-09-20 22:22
Cool fix Chris, do you use something to hold the pin and the drill bit to get it straight, or is it easier to eye it?
I've never played as much as a lot of other people, but have never had problems with my pins. I was wondering if they break because some kind of solvent gets on them and makes them brittle, (alcohol, key oil, degreaser, etc?), in the same way that alcohol makes abs brittle.
- Matthew Simington
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-09-20 22:51
I mount the shank of the pin in my bench motor, then use a centre drill to mark the centre of the head. Then use a 0.9mm drill bit held by hand (either mount the drill in a piece of rod or use a drill with a wide diameter shank so it can be held by hand) to drill all the way through the pin.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2016-09-21 10:46
I also recently started using Chris' method of adding a thin steel rod to the plastic and it works very well. I imagine carbon fiber lever pins work great too, since they are very strong.
With crack pins, non-threaded ones, whether carbon fiber or any material, basically rely on the friction caused by glued contact area between the pins and the body. I'm not convinced that non-threaded pins are good enough for this purpose, but I can't really say for sure.
With threaded pins, if the crack tries to open, it tries to stretch and bend the pin, or the body tries to "climb" over the threads. With glue, it is the glue joint and the rigidness of the glue itself. In some cases it might even be better to allow the upper most part of the crack to move a little, while still controlling it enough so it doesn't expand. Cracks are so variable that it's not really possible to say, some cracks don't even need repair and can stay stable.
There is some very specific (and expensive) epoxy that is specifically used for machine ways. I still can't say that this would be good in comparison with threads. OTOH it's possible that regular epoxy is fine and threads are actually overkill and just the traditional method, same as it is for many other things where glues replaced mechanical fasteners.
That said, pinning crack as a whole is a bit outdated and I rarely do that anymore since I usually prefer another method.
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