Author: jhoyla
Date: 2016-01-25 17:32
The sticky pad can be caused by a groove being worn into the cork - and this can caused by two different things:
1. you could be mashing it closed with your side-octave key on your high notes, or
2. Your oboe case is pushing down on that key causing it to cut into the cork. (This happens because the octave adjustment screw is actually the most prominent piece of mechanism on the top-joint, as Chris pointed out to me in the past. A quick look at the velvet inside the case-lid will confirm.)
Or a combination of the above.
If it is your oboe case, you can solve it by placing a stiff piece of card or plastic between the cork and the octave vent whenever the oboe is in its case. I keep a piece of plastic in my case for exactly that purpose.
To fix a deeply grooved cork, take off the key and using some wet-and-dry polishing paper on a flat surface, gently remove cork until only the very bottom of the deeply-cut ring remains - this should still seal perfectly. If you are worried, you can remove a tiny bit at a time and test until your problem goes away.
In a concert situation the paper-money trick works well - take a freshly minted bill, place it between the cork and the octave-vent, push firmly down on the top of the pad, release some pressure and pull the bill out (without tearing). This has the effect of both widening the groove and cleaning any grease that is sticking the key. Generally good emergency fix for any sticky key.
J.
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