Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-03-09 19:04
It took me a week to finish an oboe with cork pads almost throughout (except the large pad cups which I used skin pads, though now I prefer to use leather pads there instead), so it's definitely not something that can be done just like that, and is a serious undertaking even if you're used to working on flutes, clarinets or saxes.
But it's not just the pads that need to be perfect, the tonehole bedplaces need to be perfect as cork pads won't seal on ones with blemishes in them. Plastic instruments usually have excellent bedplaces so they may not be an issue, though it's always best to check them all before as they can have small dents in them caused by previous botched repair jobs.
The best thing anyone can have is patience - and you need to have a lot of patience and understanding in order to think rationally, methodically and constructively about how to do things, and what to do if things don't go to plan rather than being hasty, doing a poor job and then finding fault later on which can be too late if someone has lost their confidence in your work.
Yeah, there are things that can cause anyone to lose their rag (eg, springs broken in pillars that have stuck fast and snapped off screw heads among too many other adverse things to name), but just try to be reasonable and losing the plot shows you're not in control of the situation, so try to keep your cool even if your patience has worn thin. Go and have a rest to clear your head, taking time out to reassess the situation and go back to it with a new objective, and you may realise very quickly that it's not as bad as you first thought, your approach has changed and before you know it, you're sorted.
Always make your work look clean and tidy so people can see you take pride in what you do - that's nicely trimmed key corks with crisp clean edges, polished keywork and pillars, clean pads, springs with no sharp bends in them, polished screws, etc.
If you plan to make a name for yourself in this kind of work, make your work look like it's been done well with absolute attention to detail, and above all, make sure it's to your client's liking so when they open the case, they can actually see an instrument that someone has spent time and effort on rahter than something that looks the same as when they last saw it.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
The Oboe BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
