 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bill_D
Date: 2021-07-24 21:48
I was going through some boxes that hadn't been opened for over ten years.
I found a Gregory Smith C Zenner mouthpiece with a number 1.
I tried it for about 30 seconds and it was easy to play and sounded great. I immediately stopped playing it because I noticed a very bad taste (rubber?) in my mouth. I searched this forum and found that soaking the mouthpiece in vinegar might eliminate the bad taste.
Question 1: Is it okay to soak the cork?
Question 2: Any info on the mouthpiece facing, particularly the tip opening?
Update: I tried vinegar - no help. I tried lemon juice - helped a little, but rubber odor and taste is still present.
Post Edited (2021-07-26 17:14)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2021-07-24 22:05
I wouldn't soak the cork, but the rest of the mouthpiece can sit in the vinegar with no problem. Put the mouthpiece beak down in a narrow container like a shot glass filled with household vinegar. I do this to remove mineral deposits. I don't know that it necessarily will help with your problem, but it won't hurt anything.
Karl
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2021-07-25 02:43
I use lemon juice. It works just as well and it tastes better.
Tony F.
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Author: Djudy
Date: 2021-07-29 02:42
I have a nice-sounding Charles Bay that I'd love to be able to use more but it's a real skunk !! I've tried various cleaning solutions to no avail. I think the only real answer is to seal the surface to cut the smell/taste and protect against further degeneration, but how? My first try with olive oil was not efficient. Was thinking of trying food grade carapanauba wax (a tropical tree waxy substance) but haven't gotten around to it yet. Does this sound worth pursuing?
Why does this happen? Should ebonite be kept in total darkness except when playing, or is a cap enough protection ? ; well ventilated, in individual plastic bags, etc etc ?
In any case, my mps are now stored in their own drawers, some of them bagged, and never in the cases which I hope will keep them from going 'off'.
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Author: Bill_D
Date: 2021-07-29 03:26
The mouthpiece was stored in a sealed plastic bag inside a cardboard box. So, this is not a good way to store it.
After the vinegar and lemon juice treatment, it has been in the open air for a couple of days. I no longer smell rubber on the outside, only in the chamber.
Post Edited (2021-07-29 03:29)
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Author: alanporter
Date: 2021-07-29 04:03
I had a similar problem with a George Bundy hard rubber bass mouthpiece. On discussing this with a fellow band member, he advised me to wave the mouthpiece through some wood smoke (avoiding the flame of course). After several tries it actually worked.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2021-07-29 09:22
If you're feeling adventurous, I had this problem with a mouthpiece. It was a good one, but not a great one, so I thought that if the experiment didn't work I could stand the loss. I rubbed it all over with very fine cabinet makers wire wool, using cold water and dish soap. It came up like new and it didn't affect the playing characteristics in the slightest. I've done it to several other mouthpieces since with the same result. YMMV.
Tony F.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2021-07-29 11:50
Bill_D wrote:
> The mouthpiece was stored in a sealed plastic bag inside a
> cardboard box. So, this is not a good way to store it.
>
I'm not sure the storage method caused the problem to develop, though. I have a number of mouthpieces that are stored in the plastic containers they came in. They may not be as air-tight as a Ziplock but there isn't likely any air actually circulating through the boxes, and I've never had a problem of this kind develop.
If the mild acid bath (vinegar or lemon juice) helped but the chamber wasn't in contact with the liquid, maybe find a deeper container that would only keep the cork from being exposed, or, if the mouthpiece is worth the effort, go ahead and immerse the whole thing, cork and all, and see what happens to the cork (I've never tried it). Maybe nothing. Or maybe it comes loose and you re-cement it or replace the cork after everything dries.
Karl
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Author: BethGraham
Date: 2021-07-29 16:30
Do you think doing something with baking soda would help get rid of the smell? I'm not sure if that means storing the mouthpiece dry for a time with some baking soda (sort of like the idea of putting an open box of baking soda in the fridge to mitigate smells) or washing the mouthpiece in a baking soda solution.
Just a thought.
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Author: Djudy
Date: 2021-07-29 16:33
Thanks for the suggestions (although wood wmoke will be hard to arrange in a downtown appartement !). Steel wooling the outside will remove oxidized material but the chamber remains inaccessible so not a complete fix :( A refacer might be able to do this but no one near me does this kind of work.
I've noticed that after 15 minutes of playing it gets worse as the mp warms.
Still no suggestions on what causes this ? Bad blanks to start with ? Sunlight or UV? Hot water ?
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Author: Bill_D
Date: 2021-07-30 01:36
I came across this information pertaining to vintage hard rubber fountain pens. I assume it's applicable to mouthpieces.
"Old and well preserved hard rubber does not outgas to a significant degree, but the free sulfur in deteriorated surfaces can react with atmospheric humidity to produce acidic vapors."
Now, I wonder if using this mouthpiece can be harmful to one's health.
Update & Summary: I first tried vinegar - little or no help. Next I tried lemon juice - helped a little. Lasting I tried a solution of baking soda and water - turned the solution brown, and helped a little. After playing and air drying for a few days most of the odor is gone. I think using lemon juice and baking powder solution (separately) did the trick.
Post Edited (2021-08-03 20:33)
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