Pad adhesive

Crassus

I am one of those brave souls who have bought instruments on Ebay and am not afraid of tackling repairs not involving special tools or more than common sense.
My latest, very low cost aquistion (see Beuscher Clarinet thread) needs some pad replacement and a set is now on its way to me, again courtesy of Ebay. Does anyone know the type of adhesive that can be used for this application :?:
 
Hot glue or stick shellac

go to musicmedic.com and order a repair kit from Curt. Great kit, and has all of the necessary stuff as well as instructions on how to use it.
 
My vote is for the hot glue. I like stick shellac for sax pads, but on clarinet hot glue works a lot better for me.

Good luck on your venture into the world of repair. If I may, I'd like to give you a bit of advice:

If you find replacing clarinet pads is as easy as it looks---you are doing it wrong. :)

Read up on how to "float" pads, how to use a "pad slick" and how to make and use a "feeler gauge" before you start. You'll be glad you did. Be aware that the pads from EBay may not be the right sizes or thickness that your clarinet requires. Again, good luck. Let us know how it turns out.


John
 
...and don't be tempted to use just the glue pistol. Hot glue on a cold key cup doesn't work well.
I found both chipped hot glue sticks or MusicMedic's glue pellets to be fine for both sax and clarinets.
 
Shellac is good but I also prefer heat melting glue and my favorite is the glue pellets that are sold by J.L. Smith and Music Medic (same thing).

I think maybe the most important is the feeler that John mentioned.

The Music Medic Kit has some good things, probably mainly the manual, but it also has things that are uncessary to a beginner, or silly to buy especially (ear cleaning sticks). Also it has some tools that are IME less comfortable than equivilent tools.

You might want to consider this book: https://web.memberclicks.com/mc/quickForm/viewForm.do?orgId=napbirt&formId=36938 (scroll down, it is the last item on the list) it is the best book on repairs. Also you can find a lot of information on various forums. Maybe after reading a little you will know better what tools and supplies you want/need to buy.
 
Good luck

What ever type of glue you decide to buy, it should match the environment you live in. ..........If you have the habit of playing then leaving your clarinet in the car over night (gasp) and its cccold outside use hot melt glue.

If the temperature varies a great deal where you live the possibility for shellac or french cement to come unglued from the smooth (hint) inside surface of the cup increases the odds our pad MAY fall out if the instrument gets cold then hot then cold then hotthen.........

You are in good company on this forum, there are several members with a great deal of repair experience. Good luck!

If you have any questions?????

And plaese fill us in on how you did.

Joe Piccolo
 
I believe in the maxim "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." On that basis I have only replace the pad on the octave key and the instrument now blows beautifully. The remaining pads all seem to be OK. I guess that deterioration was caused by moisture collecting on the under-side of the instrument where the octave key is located.

In the event, I did not have to introduce any additional adhesive. I removed the key then gently heated it with a hot air gun until the existing glue melted. It was then easy to cleanly lift off the old pad and drop the new one into place.

Before I was seduced into the world of accountancy, I was an apprentice mechanical engineering fitter (back in the dark ages when we used to make things in the UK) so I well appreciate the advice given to me by the forum members. Now that I am virtually retired, I have discovered that blowing an instrument with a band is the perfect antidote to a working life spent as a Chartered Accountant!:-D
 
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Good to hear you have it sorted out.

Being able to do quick repairs yourself can save needless trips to the repair tech.

Since I'm normally pressed for time and have backup horns I normally just end up seeing my tech.
 
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