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.
Showing posts with label Woodwinds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Woodwinds. Show all posts
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Woodwind Tip #3: The Arguments for Oiling a woodwind
Just like brass, there are plenty of times that any woodwind instrument is going to need to know about oil. The difference is in the type and frequency of application. No matter what, though, all woodwinds will need oiling, no matter the material.
All woodwinds, just like brass instruments, have parts that are metal on metal contact. If you look at the posts that hold the keys on, the rod is held between the posts. It's held either by steel screws at each end or it is a long steel hinge rod with threads at one end and a screwdriver slot at the other. The key is either held by the screws or is floating on the rod like a hinge. If it's a hinge rod and tube, it takes a small amount of oil to reduce wear on the parts. Steel is harder than brass, and will eventually wear it down, thus widening the hole and introducing wobble. This wobble would affect how well the pad seals the tone hole, which means leaks.
There is another, more serious problem here, though. The rod is steel, but rarely is it stainless steel. This means moisture is a factor. Without the oil to displace the water, the rods or screws will rust, and rust takes up more space than un-oxidized steel. The tolerances between the hing rod and the tube are extremely close, and the steel rusting will easily cause the two surfaces to bind together due to lack of space. Now the keys don't move
This is a very very easy fix. Most music stores that cater to wind instruments sell a product called key oil commercially. It is thicker than brass valve oil, which is a good thing. For one thing, the amount of movement is far less than brass, which means the oil doesn't move around as much. Also, you aren't breathing on the surfaces that have the oil when you play, so you aren't pushing it off the instrument. For hinge rods, it only takes a drop to completely coat the hinge rod. Maybe a second drop on a longer one for say a saxophone.
Look closely at the hinge tubes, especially when there are multiple keys on it, like the upper or lower stack. Move a key and see where one section of tube moves against another. This is the spot where a very small amount of oil can be intruduced. Take something small, like the tip of a pencil, and get a small bead of oil on the end. Enough so that it is rounding the end of the pencil, but not enough that it could drop off due to gravity. Touch the oiled tip to the tube joint, so that the bead of oil is now sitting on the joint. After that, move all keys, one at a time, over and over to get it to work itself into the joint. With how close the tolerances are, it will move it's way through the entire section due to capillary action. Once you've moved everything for a few moments, get a q-tip and swab the excess oil that didn't go into the joint. Screw joints are even easier, as you just put a drop in the same way at each end of the rod where the key rod meets the post. If it's got screws at both ends, it's not a hinge rod.
Beyond that, the rest of the post deals with one particular part of the woodwind family. That's those actually made of wood. Clarinets, oboes, and even some flute or piccolos, this means you. There is a need for a different type of additional oil in your case.
The wood used for this is known in the instrument world as Grenadilla. It's also known as African Blackwood, or scientifically it's called Dalbergia Melanoxylon. It is an extremely dense, oily wood from the parts of South Africa. It has been used to make musical instruments for over a hundred years, including Scottish bagpipes. This is due to the high density and oil content. It is so dense that it will not float in water. It is oily enough that people can set a very seasoned piece of wood in a double boiler and it will still sweat out the natural oils.
That being said, it is wood, and it does something that all wood does. The oils will dissipate over time, which will leave the wood vulnerable. Once the cells are empty of oil, the wood wants to soak up whatever moisture it can. This is usually introduced to the instrument through the bore by the players breath. Once the moisture is there, it soaks in and causes the wood to try to swell. But, the saturation levels aren't balanced, meaning the exterior isn't as wet as the bore, so the bore is trying to expand against an exterior that isn't. This creates stress in the wood, and the more times this happens, the greater the likelyhood the exterior will crack to relieve the pressure. If this happens through a tone hole, or goes all the way to the bore, there is little to nothing a repair tech can do to fix it.
The way to innoculate the instrument is to swab out the bores. This can be done at home, but with a few precautions. Firstly, the type of oil is very important. Any oil you would normally use in the kitchen is a no. These can go rancid, and if it does this in the wood, it will never come out. It would become impossible to breathe around the instrument, let alone want to put your mouth on it. Just like key oil, it is easy enough to get dedicated bore oil from companies. Usually I go to the health food store and get a bottle of almond oil. It doesn't go rancid like other oils, is usually the same price as the bore oil for 20 times the same amount, and has little to no odor when used. If you have any nut allergy, you'll know if you have an issue with this and just use the regular bore oil.
Also, it doesn't take much oil to protect the instrument. This is one of the rare times I actually use pad savers. I use one for a flute, as the narrow diameter means I can control where its touching at all times. Control is very important, as you don't want any on the pad surfaces. Put a drop or two on the end of the bore, then use the pad saver to mop the oil around on the surfaces. the one drop should do halfway through the section of a clarinet. Once the bore of the joint has been covered half it's length, I turn the joint around and do the same from the other end. Then, I walk away for at least an hour.
This hour gives the wood time to soak up the small amouth of oil. Due to the density, it will take this long to penetrate even a fraction of a millimeter, but that's all we need for now. After that, I take another pad saver, one without oil, and any excess off the bore. There's rarely anything on it, but it's still a good idea. At this point, the layer of oil is just below the surface, and any moisture can't pass through it to soak into the wood. If the surface looks just dry like no oil was applied, wait a day or two and maybe, if it still looks dry, apply another thin coat. No matter what, until the oil is completely soaked in or wiped off, don't try to play the instrument. It will sound off, and could push the excess oil off the surfaces
In dry climates, this probably would need to be done every 4-6 months. In damper climates, the oil will dissipate more slowly, and should only need to be reapplied annually. If in doubt, take it to a tech to do this. They will likely take the keys off when they do this, because they'll first clean the body with oil soaps to remove any dirt or oils from your body, then apply oil. Like cleaning your teeth, regardless of how well you brush you still need to go to the dentist for a thorough cleaning.
This is also true for oiling the mechanisms of all woodwinds. It shouldn't need this more than once every 6 months, and when you take it to a tech, they'll clean then old oil off start fresh.
Doing this for your woodwind will protect the instrument from moisture, both in the mechanisms and in the materials that make up the bore. It's a lot cheaper than when a technician has to wrestle with frozen keys or try to prevent cracks from getting worse.
All woodwinds, just like brass instruments, have parts that are metal on metal contact. If you look at the posts that hold the keys on, the rod is held between the posts. It's held either by steel screws at each end or it is a long steel hinge rod with threads at one end and a screwdriver slot at the other. The key is either held by the screws or is floating on the rod like a hinge. If it's a hinge rod and tube, it takes a small amount of oil to reduce wear on the parts. Steel is harder than brass, and will eventually wear it down, thus widening the hole and introducing wobble. This wobble would affect how well the pad seals the tone hole, which means leaks.
There is another, more serious problem here, though. The rod is steel, but rarely is it stainless steel. This means moisture is a factor. Without the oil to displace the water, the rods or screws will rust, and rust takes up more space than un-oxidized steel. The tolerances between the hing rod and the tube are extremely close, and the steel rusting will easily cause the two surfaces to bind together due to lack of space. Now the keys don't move
This is a very very easy fix. Most music stores that cater to wind instruments sell a product called key oil commercially. It is thicker than brass valve oil, which is a good thing. For one thing, the amount of movement is far less than brass, which means the oil doesn't move around as much. Also, you aren't breathing on the surfaces that have the oil when you play, so you aren't pushing it off the instrument. For hinge rods, it only takes a drop to completely coat the hinge rod. Maybe a second drop on a longer one for say a saxophone.
Look closely at the hinge tubes, especially when there are multiple keys on it, like the upper or lower stack. Move a key and see where one section of tube moves against another. This is the spot where a very small amount of oil can be intruduced. Take something small, like the tip of a pencil, and get a small bead of oil on the end. Enough so that it is rounding the end of the pencil, but not enough that it could drop off due to gravity. Touch the oiled tip to the tube joint, so that the bead of oil is now sitting on the joint. After that, move all keys, one at a time, over and over to get it to work itself into the joint. With how close the tolerances are, it will move it's way through the entire section due to capillary action. Once you've moved everything for a few moments, get a q-tip and swab the excess oil that didn't go into the joint. Screw joints are even easier, as you just put a drop in the same way at each end of the rod where the key rod meets the post. If it's got screws at both ends, it's not a hinge rod.
Beyond that, the rest of the post deals with one particular part of the woodwind family. That's those actually made of wood. Clarinets, oboes, and even some flute or piccolos, this means you. There is a need for a different type of additional oil in your case.
The wood used for this is known in the instrument world as Grenadilla. It's also known as African Blackwood, or scientifically it's called Dalbergia Melanoxylon. It is an extremely dense, oily wood from the parts of South Africa. It has been used to make musical instruments for over a hundred years, including Scottish bagpipes. This is due to the high density and oil content. It is so dense that it will not float in water. It is oily enough that people can set a very seasoned piece of wood in a double boiler and it will still sweat out the natural oils.
That being said, it is wood, and it does something that all wood does. The oils will dissipate over time, which will leave the wood vulnerable. Once the cells are empty of oil, the wood wants to soak up whatever moisture it can. This is usually introduced to the instrument through the bore by the players breath. Once the moisture is there, it soaks in and causes the wood to try to swell. But, the saturation levels aren't balanced, meaning the exterior isn't as wet as the bore, so the bore is trying to expand against an exterior that isn't. This creates stress in the wood, and the more times this happens, the greater the likelyhood the exterior will crack to relieve the pressure. If this happens through a tone hole, or goes all the way to the bore, there is little to nothing a repair tech can do to fix it.
The way to innoculate the instrument is to swab out the bores. This can be done at home, but with a few precautions. Firstly, the type of oil is very important. Any oil you would normally use in the kitchen is a no. These can go rancid, and if it does this in the wood, it will never come out. It would become impossible to breathe around the instrument, let alone want to put your mouth on it. Just like key oil, it is easy enough to get dedicated bore oil from companies. Usually I go to the health food store and get a bottle of almond oil. It doesn't go rancid like other oils, is usually the same price as the bore oil for 20 times the same amount, and has little to no odor when used. If you have any nut allergy, you'll know if you have an issue with this and just use the regular bore oil.
Also, it doesn't take much oil to protect the instrument. This is one of the rare times I actually use pad savers. I use one for a flute, as the narrow diameter means I can control where its touching at all times. Control is very important, as you don't want any on the pad surfaces. Put a drop or two on the end of the bore, then use the pad saver to mop the oil around on the surfaces. the one drop should do halfway through the section of a clarinet. Once the bore of the joint has been covered half it's length, I turn the joint around and do the same from the other end. Then, I walk away for at least an hour.
This hour gives the wood time to soak up the small amouth of oil. Due to the density, it will take this long to penetrate even a fraction of a millimeter, but that's all we need for now. After that, I take another pad saver, one without oil, and any excess off the bore. There's rarely anything on it, but it's still a good idea. At this point, the layer of oil is just below the surface, and any moisture can't pass through it to soak into the wood. If the surface looks just dry like no oil was applied, wait a day or two and maybe, if it still looks dry, apply another thin coat. No matter what, until the oil is completely soaked in or wiped off, don't try to play the instrument. It will sound off, and could push the excess oil off the surfaces
In dry climates, this probably would need to be done every 4-6 months. In damper climates, the oil will dissipate more slowly, and should only need to be reapplied annually. If in doubt, take it to a tech to do this. They will likely take the keys off when they do this, because they'll first clean the body with oil soaps to remove any dirt or oils from your body, then apply oil. Like cleaning your teeth, regardless of how well you brush you still need to go to the dentist for a thorough cleaning.
This is also true for oiling the mechanisms of all woodwinds. It shouldn't need this more than once every 6 months, and when you take it to a tech, they'll clean then old oil off start fresh.
Doing this for your woodwind will protect the instrument from moisture, both in the mechanisms and in the materials that make up the bore. It's a lot cheaper than when a technician has to wrestle with frozen keys or try to prevent cracks from getting worse.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Woodwind Tip #2: A case for the case
The instrument case is one of the best things for your instrument. It keeps the instrument safe, taking dents and dings as a shield. It also keeps the instrument free from dust and rain, prolonging the life of the materials the instrument is made of. Many times, I've had to do cleaning to remove all the dust and dirt from instruments, as that was the only thing keeping the instrument from working as well as it should.
At some point in any instrument's life, it's going to need a new case. Either the old case has become damaged, or the latches stop working, something spilled inside of it, or has just gotten old. Many cases become unusable once they get even the smallest amount of mold in the padding. In a damp environment, it can be a never ending battle against it, and once there will never truly go away. It does become apparent when a case has mold in the foam, as the smell of the case and the instrument becomes pungent and they match.
Once "old case funk" sets in, any length of time in the case will transfer this smell to the instrument, even if it was just cleaned. At that point, there's nothing you can do but get a new case.
There are some things to look out for when getting one
1. Make sure the case fits right
This should be easy, but there are a few pit falls to look out for. No instrument model is build the same as others, even from the same maker. This means that a case that can fix model x will not work for model y. It could put odd pressure on a key or two, pushing things out of place or even deforming the body of the instrument. At that point, it won't play, and every time you put your instrument away, you are increasing the need to go see a technician to fix it. Then, once fixed, putting it back in the case will start the process all over again
Most case makers can tell you what will and will not reliably fit in their cases, but no case is truly universal.
2. Hard vs soft vs semi rigid
For decades, hard cases were the standard, and with good reason. There are very few things that will keep your instrument safe as a good fitting hard case. The downside of hard cases is that they are bulky and heavy, compared to alternatives.
Soft cases are essentially lightly padded, if any padding, cloth bags with a zipper to store the instrument. The chief advantages to them is that they are light weight, and shaped like the instrument, reducing the size of the space needed for storage. However, the chief downside is that they offer very little protection for the instrument inside.
A semi rigid case is somewhere right in the middle. Usually reinforced with hi density plastics, and with dense foam padding to cradle the instrument, they can be lighter than hard cases but more protective than soft cases.
3. Storage in the case
Regardless of your instrument, you're going to need space to store parts of the instrument when not playing. Mouthpieces, cleaning supplies, any sort of oils or greases needed, etc. All of this has to go somewhere. Getting a case that can accommodate all the accessories you need should factor in to what you are looking at
Once you have the case, it's important to keep it in good shape, just like the instrument. Wear and tear to the case is normal, to a degree. Keeping a spatial reasoning about the size and placement of your case will minimize this. Broken and latches and hinges occur mainly when people are careless, and aren't that much fun to replace for the technician or for your wallet.
Periodically, remove everything from the case and vacuum it out. Little bits of dust and other things can fall into the case, and removing them will prolong the life of your case immensely. At this point, it's a good idea to spray down the inside of the case with something to prevent mold. My personal method is to buy a bottle of febreez, non aerosol, and cut it 50% with rubbing alcohol. A few quick spritzes over the surface, followed with leaving the case open for an hour or so, and it will off gas most of the scent and alcohol. Then, putting the instrument in will ensure the padding has been dried up by the alcohol, and give the instrument a very faint odor of the febreeze.
Take care of the case, the case takes care of your instrument, and your instrument takes care of you. Simple as that
At some point in any instrument's life, it's going to need a new case. Either the old case has become damaged, or the latches stop working, something spilled inside of it, or has just gotten old. Many cases become unusable once they get even the smallest amount of mold in the padding. In a damp environment, it can be a never ending battle against it, and once there will never truly go away. It does become apparent when a case has mold in the foam, as the smell of the case and the instrument becomes pungent and they match.
Once "old case funk" sets in, any length of time in the case will transfer this smell to the instrument, even if it was just cleaned. At that point, there's nothing you can do but get a new case.
There are some things to look out for when getting one
1. Make sure the case fits right
This should be easy, but there are a few pit falls to look out for. No instrument model is build the same as others, even from the same maker. This means that a case that can fix model x will not work for model y. It could put odd pressure on a key or two, pushing things out of place or even deforming the body of the instrument. At that point, it won't play, and every time you put your instrument away, you are increasing the need to go see a technician to fix it. Then, once fixed, putting it back in the case will start the process all over again
Most case makers can tell you what will and will not reliably fit in their cases, but no case is truly universal.
2. Hard vs soft vs semi rigid
For decades, hard cases were the standard, and with good reason. There are very few things that will keep your instrument safe as a good fitting hard case. The downside of hard cases is that they are bulky and heavy, compared to alternatives.
Soft cases are essentially lightly padded, if any padding, cloth bags with a zipper to store the instrument. The chief advantages to them is that they are light weight, and shaped like the instrument, reducing the size of the space needed for storage. However, the chief downside is that they offer very little protection for the instrument inside.
A semi rigid case is somewhere right in the middle. Usually reinforced with hi density plastics, and with dense foam padding to cradle the instrument, they can be lighter than hard cases but more protective than soft cases.
3. Storage in the case
Regardless of your instrument, you're going to need space to store parts of the instrument when not playing. Mouthpieces, cleaning supplies, any sort of oils or greases needed, etc. All of this has to go somewhere. Getting a case that can accommodate all the accessories you need should factor in to what you are looking at
Once you have the case, it's important to keep it in good shape, just like the instrument. Wear and tear to the case is normal, to a degree. Keeping a spatial reasoning about the size and placement of your case will minimize this. Broken and latches and hinges occur mainly when people are careless, and aren't that much fun to replace for the technician or for your wallet.
Periodically, remove everything from the case and vacuum it out. Little bits of dust and other things can fall into the case, and removing them will prolong the life of your case immensely. At this point, it's a good idea to spray down the inside of the case with something to prevent mold. My personal method is to buy a bottle of febreez, non aerosol, and cut it 50% with rubbing alcohol. A few quick spritzes over the surface, followed with leaving the case open for an hour or so, and it will off gas most of the scent and alcohol. Then, putting the instrument in will ensure the padding has been dried up by the alcohol, and give the instrument a very faint odor of the febreeze.
Take care of the case, the case takes care of your instrument, and your instrument takes care of you. Simple as that
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Woodwinds tip #1: Ditch the Pad Saver
If you don't know the name, you know what it is by the description. It's a very soft and fluffy pipe cleaner, the length and shape of the bore of the instrument, usually with a plastic end on it. It's designed for woodwinds to swab out the interior of the instrument for moisture, and it's name indicates it's there to prolong the life of the pad.
Talk to a high level player or instructor, and the first thing they will tell you about it is to not use it. The way they are designed and how people are instructed to use them, they will do the opposite of their name.
Yes, they do soak up the moisture that accumulates on the bore of instrument, but then where does the moisture go? The instructions on the Pad Saver says that it is to be stored inside the instrument. That means all the moisture it soaked up is still inside the instrument, but now can't naturally evaporate away because all of the airspace in the bore is blocked up with this pipe cleaner on steroids. If anything, holding all the moisture next to the pads like that will decrease the life of the pads, and on clarinets could even cause the wood to crack from holding the moisture there
A better tool is to either buy or make a pull through swab. They are just as low cost as a pad saver, if you go that route. The moisture gets pulled off the bore of the instrument, and then the swab would ideally go into a different pocket or place in the case.
I've seen players go from needing pads replaced every few months to a year or more with this simple change, and these were not occasional players but were people that played their instrument every day for at least an hour.
Bottom line, a Pad Saver doesn't, and not using one at all would be better for your instrument than using it
Talk to a high level player or instructor, and the first thing they will tell you about it is to not use it. The way they are designed and how people are instructed to use them, they will do the opposite of their name.
Yes, they do soak up the moisture that accumulates on the bore of instrument, but then where does the moisture go? The instructions on the Pad Saver says that it is to be stored inside the instrument. That means all the moisture it soaked up is still inside the instrument, but now can't naturally evaporate away because all of the airspace in the bore is blocked up with this pipe cleaner on steroids. If anything, holding all the moisture next to the pads like that will decrease the life of the pads, and on clarinets could even cause the wood to crack from holding the moisture there
A better tool is to either buy or make a pull through swab. They are just as low cost as a pad saver, if you go that route. The moisture gets pulled off the bore of the instrument, and then the swab would ideally go into a different pocket or place in the case.
I've seen players go from needing pads replaced every few months to a year or more with this simple change, and these were not occasional players but were people that played their instrument every day for at least an hour.
Bottom line, a Pad Saver doesn't, and not using one at all would be better for your instrument than using it
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