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Re: Strange, Uneven seating of pad

Author: clarnibass
Date: 2020-07-04 08:24
Attachment: 20180226_214528.jpg (96k)

>> Have you encountered this specific kind of unevenness in a tone hole surface before (9 and 3 o’clock not seating, 12 and 6 o’clock seating)? <<

If those refer to the top of the clarinet (i.e. 12 being the mouthpiece direction) then that is by far the more common unevenness of tone holes. From tone hole direction (i.e. clarinet horizontal) the front and back of the key cup sides of the tone hole would be low.
The opposite is also possible, but much less likely.

Other possibilities are as mentioned, a distorted pad, or a bent key cup, though the latter is more often than not in the opposite direction (front being low, although the opposite can happen too).

As a test, before you create a significant seat, heat the glue just enough to rotate the pad 90 degrees and see if the problems remains the same or changes to the other direction.

Re leveling the tone hole, sorry to say I'm not crazy about the method described by jdbassplayer. This can leave a very wide rim, especially for the high sides, which get flattened more until you even touch the low sides.

If you can turn a rod to make a tool, you can drill a small hole in the middle and turn an angle just shallower than the tone hole (so it touches the top and not the bottom of the countersink). This will level it but keep the angle and not widen the rim. You can then use a flat tool for a final very light touch up.

I prefer steel cutters and since all the ones available from repair tool suppliers are too shallow IME I make them myself (photo attached), then finish with a flat tool just so the rim isn't too sharp.

Re using more force to squish a pad to seal, sure you could use a soft pad to compensate for this, you might have problems or might not. It could spring back and require more force to seal... or not. It might become sticky because of it... or not. It usually won't be as reliable and long lasting as not doing that, and likely to not have as good of a feel too.

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