YouTube Clarinet Overhaul

pete

pete

Brassica Oleracea
Staff member
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Dec 26, 2007
 
those pliers to remove the tenon corks would make many a person cringe (repair tech or not) ... but it works. I'm curious what those other pliers she had was for ??
 
FWIW, I happened to watch a saxophone overhaul video from ... another technician ... and some of the techniques used surprised me with their violence. Considering I'm not a tech (although I've considered getting trained in that), I couldn't tell you if the techniques are good or not. Informative, definitely -- but maybe a bit of, "You really don't want to know how we do this kind of repair."

I also haven't watched all the above videos. Just posted 'em. Nice to hear the perspective of another repair person.
 
I watched them last night. The pliers cracked me up but they seemed to do an effective job.
 
the only thing i'd be worried with with the pliers is flattening the cut groove in the tenon for the cork. but that is easily addressable on the lathe anyways. But, don't use pliers
 
Regarding the previous post: "the only thing i'd be worried with with the pliers is flattening the cut groove in the tenon for the cork. but that is easily addressable on the lathe anyways"

Since you brought it up, I was wondering what is the best way to remove tenon cork without damaging the cut groove in the tenon? I have always been afraid of doing this when I replace my own corks.

Thanks very much!
 
welcome tarynone,

tenon corks can be installed by a variety of methods, such as: contact cement, super glue, shellac, stick on corks. Most are installed with contact cement or those stick on corks that have an adhesive backing.

So taking them off can vary in how easy or difficult it can be. sometimes the contact cement is old and the cork just unravels itself. sometimes the cork is all dried out and brittle and just somewhat crumbles. Anyways, you get the point that it varies.

Assuming the "glue" has lost some of it's adhesiveness you can use an exacto blade and cut across it to create a seam. Then use the knife to lift up the cork. If it's glued on pretty good then the job becomes a little tougher as you may have to scrap the cork off.

I normally use a wood carving blade and scrap the cork off. I normally don't have much of a problem.
 
wow thats so fascinating, :-Di was looking around to find out how to clean up my new second hand clari and found these. there is no way i am competant enough to take all the keys off and do all that and then remember how to put it back together but it was really fascinating to see how its done properly and to see all the seperate bits and pieces that make up the instrument. great link :-D
 
Hornfixer who used to post as Mr. Birdie on SOTW is well known by other repair technicians for his interesting comments and techniques. He is the one who advertises complete clarinet repads (sight unseen) on EBay for only $95.00. "You get what you pay for" is appropriate for this type of repair advertising. I remember him saying in one discussion on SOTW that the overhaul of a professional saxophone is easier than a student horn. Perhaps the way he does an overhaul it is.
 
at one point during that SOTW discussion we calculated that one would have to spend under 2 hour per a $95 repad to breakeven per clarinet. In other words, one would have to work fast to complete it and use low cost materials.
 
SteveSklar said:
at one point during that SOTW discussion we calculated that one would have to spend under 2 hour per a $95 repad to breakeven per clarinet. In other words, one would have to work fast to complete it and use low cost materials.
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The repad alone would be easy to do under 2 hours.

The problem are these lil' cork bits falling off, bent keywork, gunky corks etc. that a normal person would fix as well when the clarinet is being disassembled anyway.
 
I don't think I've ever done a reapd that included just replacing the pads. I don't think I've ever seen a clarinet in a condition that required changing all pads but nothing else. OTOH it is common to see instruments that need a lot of work but not all pads need to be changed.

tictactux said:
The problem are these lil' cork bits falling off, bent keywork, gunky corks etc. that a normal person would fix as well when the clarinet is being disassembled anyway.
Click to expand...
Yes... and about a hundred other things... :)
By the way I see it the opposite way than the situation you describe. The clarinet is not "disassembled anyway", instead the clarinet is disassembled as much as is needed to repair whatever that is being repaired.
 
clarnibass said:
By the way I see it the opposite way than the situation you describe. The clarinet is not "disassembled anyway", instead the clarinet is disassembled as much as is needed to repair whatever that is being repaired.
Click to expand...
A "repad" means - for me - to replace all pads. In order to do this I need to disassemble the instrument. (I don't replace pads in situ.). And while it is disassembled anyway, I might as well invest 5 minutes more and clean the beast.

(When we bring our car in for a simple service, we always get a properly cleaned car back, if just as a reverence to the quality of the (invisible) work done.)
 
Most, if not all the time, I remove all keywork and do other inspections and work related to the instrument.

But in the discussion we were attempting to figure out how to actually do a $95 repad.

Can you change the pads in under 2 hours. Sure

Can you properly regulate it and add/change everything else that may need work in under 2 hours .... depends upon ones definition of a quality regulation, quality work and craftsmanship ..... and how much quality one can actually get done in that amount of time.

One of the local shops here that caters to alot of students charges $195 for a repad. I went there to test out a NEW R13 last year or before. It was regulated and "setup" for me to playtest (and yes, they knew who i was). Too bad I couldn't even play a scale on it because it wasn't setup to a higher requirement (lighter finger action) that I needed it. If i really squished my fingers down then I could play scales but my speed of playing was greatly affected and the tone still was not very good (still leaks in that situation).

So can a qualily repad for $95 be accomplished. It sure can.

Is it profitable for the company doing the work .. if they do it very quickly

Is it up to *your* standards ... you'll have to answer that yourself.
 
My problem with offering a blanket charge for a repad of any instrument sight unseen is the number of variables that others have touched upon that are common in woodwind repair work. With clarinets this includes:

-Replacing key corks
-Replacing tenon corks
-Swedging loose keys
-Straightening bent keys
-Straightening bent rods
-Removing rust
-Repairing damaged tonehole surfaces
-Repairing cracked bodies
-Repairing loose posts
-Tightening loose rings
-Replacing worn or bent pivot screws
-Carefully cleaning the body and toneholes
-Cleaning the register key tube
-Rebuilding or replacing worn middle tenon joints

Anyone who does a clarinet "repad" for a set fee of $95 would either have to ignore most of these other issues that are common in clarinet repair or lose their shirt on every transaction. Granted a professional model would command a higher attention to details such as key heights, spring tensions, and elimination of friction in the keys, but having keys that move freely, posts that do not turn, and center joints that are firm are essential even on student models.

In my experience most of the clarinets that come into the shop for a "repad" are from basements, attics, and pawnshops and have been neglected and abused. They are not typically the regularly serviced and maintained instruments in pristine condition other than having pads that have outlived their usefulness.

In my opinion just installing new pads in a woodwind without addressing other problems that affect how it plays and performs does a real disservice to both the customer and the repair profession as a whole. If someone were to advertise that a repad "starts at" XXX dollars and then goes up from there depending upon what else needs to be repaired, then that would be a different situation entirely.
 
SteveSklar said:
FWIW, there are ebay "Bb CLARINET REPAIR/RECORK/REPAD/OVERHAUL Guaranteed!" now for under $60
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Sad. Why are these people belittling the value of their own work?
Ever seen a hospital offering "vasectomy week - 20% off all tubes"? An overhaul is an overhaul is an overhaul, and I don't think that can be made for $60, not even in Elbonia.
 
going for massive economies of scale ?

on another board a reseller of used instruments also fixes them up. that person, who isn't a repair person, is always looking for cheaper materials .. next would be scotch tape pads .....
 
SteveSklar said:
going for massive economies of scale ?

on another board a reseller of used instruments also fixes them up. that person, who isn't a repair person, is always looking for cheaper materials .. next would be scotch tape pads .....
Click to expand...

That's a slippery path, although I can testify that my homemade EVA pads are just as good as bladder pads, especially for outdoors or near-underwater gigs like tonight.

I "do" clarinets for band buddies, usually for a homemade dinner (which takes an equal amount of time to prepare), but when doing it commercially, I'd never drop my pants that way. There are funnier methods of screwing oneself.
 
interesting .... I just read this off of a repair techs website on their work to get an instrument to playing condition. Then higher prices for repad/adjusts and then for overhauls

"Play Condition" entails doing what is necessary to get the horn to play top to bottom.
There may still be a few leaks, lost motion etc.
Click to expand...

which is interestingly enough $55
but it may still have leaks ? that's not exactly playing well then
 
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