For woodwind players all around, cork is a very vital substance to the working of their instrument. From fitting parts together, keeping keys quiet and even making things move at the same time, it really is an unsung hero of the instrument. There is cork in many parts of the instrument you don't even realize, and this spongy light brown material is quite special.
Cork is actually tree bark. Yes tree bark. The cork oak, as it's commonly known, primarily grows in Portugal, with the major secondary source in Tasmania. Specifically, the inner part of the bark right next to the wood is the part we are all used to. The workers use hand axes to harvest the bark from the tree, with the butt of the handle shaped to pry the bark away from the tree. Special care has to be taken, both to get the bark in one piece, and also to not damage the wood at all. Far from damaging the tree by removing the bark, it's actually beneficial to the growth and health of the tree, as it keeps the bark from smothering the tree. Once removed, it's taken to be processed for the wine industry first. Instruments are low on the list for cork quality, as the bigger industries have a larger stake and lobby for the high grade materials
Being a natural material, cork will wear out over time. Once it does, it will typically be too small to work, like on tenons and such. It could start to peel off or crumble with age, and at that point, it needs to be replaced. Once that has been done, there are simple things to keep these corks in good shape. The easiest way is to use a small amount of cork grease. This product, typically made of a lanolin base, lubricates the cork to enable the joints to move together, while still providing friction to hold them together when well fitting. It also will act as a moisture barrier to prevent the cork from swelling.
Contrary to popular belief, cork grease does not need to be reapplied every time the instrument is assembled. It is an "as needed" product, and even then a little bit goes a long way. For a clarinet or saxophone joint, I recommend pulling some off the tube the size of a tic tac for one joint, and then use your finger to put that amount on the cork. if when you put the pieces together, a residue pulls up on the outer surface, it was too much. Something else to keep in mind is that cork grease only goes on joints where cork is a factor in the
joint working. Flutes, that means no cork grease to help the head and
foot joint move. It will actually gum up the joint and make things
worse in the long run. The only place that there should be any cork grease on your instrument is when the technician put the head joint cork in your flute, and only he should be doing dealing with it then.
For other places, such as the cork on the key linkages, the best way to protect your cork is just to be careful. Clarinets, this means being careful when putting the upper and lower joint together. There is cork on both the top and bottom of the bridge key mechanism, and it's crucial for making sure the keys on the lower joint can help seal the pads on the upper joint for intonation and leak prevention. This also happens to be the most commonly replaced cork on a clarinet, as this cork is easy to damage.
A lot of the cork on an instrument is under the feet on keys for woodwinds. These corks are important for regulating how open a key is over the tone hole, which effects the playability of the instrument in interesting ways. Too open, and the note is hard to center on the pitch, whereas too low and the sound is muted and stuffy. Just like with the linkages, taking care of this cork means keeping an eye on it and being careful with it.
There are many synthetic corks out there, and depending on the application, they can be a good thing. On the feet for flute trill keys, for example, many manufacturers will have them. Some of the regulation areas benefit from the synthetic because it has a better ability to keep the keys silent when they move. However, I have yet to find a synthetic tenon cork alternative I like. They usually don't glue well to the tenon, or they are hard to thin down once on the tenon for a good snug.
Overall, the cork or cork alternative on your woodwind is more vital than you think. With some proper materials and keeping aware of how things are, they can last years and years.
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