 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mozartklar
Date: 2024-03-05 20:15
Does anyone have any ideas on removing a tuning ring from the lower joint socket? I've got one that seems to almost be glued down (it is not glued) by years of use. I can't seem to find the right tool to get the job done.
Thanks!
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Author: crazyclari
Date: 2024-03-06 05:36
A cane skewer will be softer than the wood if it catches the tuning ring.
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2024-03-06 10:53
If you have a small knife with a fine point that you don't mind ruining by bending the tip sideways, this will make a good tool to get it out. To bend the point without breaking it, best heat it till red hot and then bend it before it has time to cool. Remove any deposits inside the socket with alcohol or acetone as these will likely be what's gluing it in. Work around the ring with just enough of the fine tip to get some purchase on the ring, avoiding marring the wood. Be generous with the solvent around the ring to soften gluey deposits. Wrap some tape around the rest of the blade to keep it safe.
Dentist's tools are probably ideal for this job.
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2024-03-06 12:04
Did you try a thin pointy thing? A needle or a needle spring. The problem with that though is that, if it's really "glued" hard, then it might dig into the socket instead of removing the ring.
If it doesn't grab, I would use a very small burr (0.3mm diameter carbide, or possibly the pointy end of a diamond burr) to make a tiny notch on the side for the pointy tool to grab. A curved scribe is a good tool for grabbing it.
Another option is something like a flat spring bent at an angle (basically any small shim that is stiff enough is good, but this is why a random brass or steel shim isn't great). Chamfer the very end and try to get it between the ring and socket. Try move it all around.
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2024-03-06 12:53
Best thing to do, is to give it a shot using the best tool you can improvise, and clean and apply solvent repeatedly around the ring ,starting 15 min before and cleaning with a toothpick thoroughly where the ring meets the socket.... but take it to a tech if it looks like you're not going to budge it without digging and damaging the wood..... it may be really wedged in there.
It's good to try..... but it's wise to know when you're beat !
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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Author: m1964
Date: 2024-03-07 00:36
I'd try to apply a good amount of thin almond oil or even bore oil to the area, do it repeatedly for a week or so- maybe it will free the ring, before trying any mechanical options.
Damaging a socket of a replaceable barrel would not be too bad, but on the lower joint socket any damage could be a problem...
Another way is to play the clarinet more in hope that the socket expands and that will free the ring, together with the oil.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2024-03-10 15:54
I would be a little careful about applying oil and moisture. If the wood swells it may make it even harder to remove.
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Author: m1964
Date: 2024-03-10 21:38
Hi Ed,
If I understand correctly, the ring is inside the lower joint tenon socket.
When materials expand, they expand the same way- both the outer and inner diameters expand.
If the ring is held by the socket wall, expanding that wall may free up the ring without any physical intervention because the ring is metal and will not expand from increased humidity but the socket wall would. That was my rational .
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Author: John Peacock
Date: 2024-03-10 22:35
Metal is far more sensitive in terms of expansion/contraction with temperature than wood is. I would try getting some fragments of ice and position them on top of the metal tuning ring. That should shrink it substantially relative to the surrounding wood, and a few sharp taps of the barrel on a hard surface may knock it out. Good luck.
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Author: mozartklar
Date: 2024-03-14 18:56
Thanks for the advice everyone. I ended up putting a drop of almond oil around the ring and used a spring hook tool with a bent end from Valentino to gently lift the ring. Q-tips made quick work removing all the crud that was underneath the ring. Thanks again!
Post Edited (2024-03-14 18:58)
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Author: m1964
Date: 2024-03-15 04:53
Great!
What was the reason to place it there in the first place?
Thanks
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2024-03-15 09:27
>> and used a spring hook tool with a bent end from Valentino to gently lift the ring. <<
A bit off topic, but is that the spring hook cut from sheet metal with some padding slipped on it? If it is, by far my least favourite spring hook... great that it's good for something
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Author: mozartklar
Date: 2024-03-15 19:19
I have attached a picture of the tool I used, it worked like a charm.
In terms of why the tuning ring was in there: It helped make the lower clarion notes on the clarinet a bit less sharp and thus more in tune with the groups I play with. Over years of use, the ring got stuck in the lower joint socket and created a bit of a wobble in the lower joint.
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Author: m1964
Date: 2024-03-15 23:34
Would the lower register, that is flat "by design", become even flatter?
Although, I know someone who had a spacing ring fitted over lower tenon of the upper joint, that would not allow the tenon to be inserted fully into the socket.
That R13 is very old, was used a lot and is quite out of tune, even with that ring...
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