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Re: replacing cork pads

Author: jwiseman114
Date: 2007-12-28 13:00

1/32" is the normal thickness for a tenon but the cutout depth can vary. The important thing is that you use a thickness that will leave you with an oversized tenon cork that can be sanded down to fit. If it is too thick it can be a pain to sand so much cork without a lathe.

We use ~ .110" cork from ferree's and they do the job. I sand the surface of each pad on 600 grit sandpaper over flat glass to get a perfect surface. I like to fit each pad with a dremel tool with a nail that fits it's collet and spins accurately (A bench motor works for this as well. I glue the pad to the nail and then lathe it to size with an exacto knife. I then bevel the back end a bit so that the pad can pivot somewhat in the glue in the pad cup. I also cut the hole if necessary at this stage. The thickness for the pad will vary from oboe to oboe but you should adjust the thickness to the requirements of the pad cup. A pad that is too thick will favor the back and visa versa. I personally feel that using glue to make up for a thin pad is not ideal. I would rather the pad thickness and cup leveling do the rough leveling and the glue only do the fine leveling. Usually after you’ve made a couple of pads on one particular oboe, the thickness will stay pretty consistent for the rest. You might want to measure the old pads before you throw them away. I believe that most of what I've written is fairly standard stuff.

One word of caution is that cork pads require good tone hole crowns. It is important that you inspect the tone holes, preferably with a magnifying/jeweler’s glass, and address any gaps in the wood grain.

Good luck!
John Wiseman

Post Edited (2007-12-28 15:59)

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