Snapped Clarinet
gabj...@gmail.com
connecter of the UPPER half has snapped off, leaving me with a plastic
ring and a two-part clarinet. I am trying two-part epoxy to repair it,
any better suggestions?
Bob Lombard
----------
There's also the metal ring, right? I like the 2-part epoxy, guessing
it's stronger than contact cement, but how are you handling the
alignment? My contemplation seems to end with making a plug with 2
turns on it; one to fit the bore of the joint, one fitting the
counterbore (that plastic ring). You would make the bore-sized section
long enough so that the counterbore-sized section would not be in the
epoxied area.
That join would still be weak, I think. If you have a wood lathe, you
could turn the shoulder (that the metal ring fits on) a little farther
back, so the ring (or a longer one) covers the epoxied join.
This suggested approach is probably not what you are looking for, and
makes it fairly obvious that I have a lathe.
bl
Stephen Howard
Glueing a snapped mid tenon joint is rarely successful in the long
term - most glues aren't that strong in terms of shear forces...and
there's quite a lot of potential leverage floating around when you
assemble and dismantle the clarinet.
But, I doubt you can make it any worse so it's at least worth a try.
It should be a nice clean break and so the broken off portion should
align perfectly. To add strength to the joint, file a chamfer all the
way around the circumferences of the join ( so that when the two parts
are brought together there's a 'channel' around the break ). The glue
will fill this channel and add a little more strength to the bond.
If you wanted to go a little further you could drill two holes
horizontally through the tenon walls, i.e. heading from the bottom of
the joint towards the top, so that a couple of steel pins could be
inserted ( a couple of small round nails would do, even better would
be a couple of small screws ). These pins would be glued in too and
the heads filed off flush with the end of the tenon when set.
You'd be best off doing this after you've glued the tenon and allowed
it to set - it'll lessen the risk of the pilot holes being drilled out
of true and the pins forcing the joint to skew.
Other than that the correct fix is to cut off the existing tenon stub,
turn a socket in the body and fit a new tenon. Such a repair, if done
properly, is practically invisible and just as strong as the original.
A typical cost for the job is about £40.
Regards,
--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk
Bob Lombard
This seems to be a (good) prescription for a broken *male* tenon,
which would be in the upper joint. Is this what the OP has?
bl
Stephen Howard
<thorste...@vermontel.net> wrote:
<snip>
>>
>---------
>This seems to be a (good) prescription for a broken *male* tenon,
>which would be in the upper joint. Is this what the OP has?
>
Yes, I should think so from the description 'The connector of the
upper half'. The remaining plastic ring would be the broken portion of
the tenon.
It's extremely rare to have a cracked socket.
Bob Lombard
> On Sat, 08 Dec 2007 22:08:09 -0500, Bob Lombard
> <thorste...@vermontel.net> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>> ---------
>> This seems to be a (good) prescription for a broken *male* tenon,
>> which would be in the upper joint. Is this what the OP has?
>>
> Yes, I should think so from the description 'The connector of the
> upper half'. The remaining plastic ring would be the broken portion of
> the tenon.
> It's extremely rare to have a cracked socket.
>
Ah so. "Upper half". Well, if I ever come across a broken *socket*
I'll have a notion what to do.
bl
gabj...@gmail.com
was practicing and... Two-piece clarinet AGAIN. Oh well.
So, lemme see if I've got this right:
bl: you suggest putting a screw thread on the INSIDE and putting a
double-ended hollowed-out screw threaded piece of wood on the inside
to hold it together??? Try to explain it a bit simpler, please?
Steve: you're saying file a chamfer around the break on the outside,
and fill that with more epoxy? I think that's what you meant.
For the pin idea, what size of a pin diameter (if you can please in
customary, I'm in the US and not exactly used to metric)?
Lastly, can you MAKE a new tenon?
We've gotten a new one now (craigslist.com, $60 for ANOTHER Vito in
great condition, cork's a bit worn), so this doesn't NEED to be fixed,
but it would help.
An idea of my own: If we took off the keys, is it possible to heat the
plastic up so that is can be pushed back together?
Thanks for the help!
Steve Marshall
<gabj...@gmail.com> wrote
> The epoxy worked for a while, but evenutally it just snapped again. I
> was practicing and... Two-piece clarinet AGAIN. Oh well.
>
You need a repairer to sort it for you.
Your questions show you haven't quite sussed how to do this job properly and
it needs doing right or it'll fall apart again.
The proper way to sort it is to make a new tenon plug. The clarinet is bored
out to accept the plug. The plug needs to be made to suit the instrument,
having the correct bore and you often need to remove posts to fit it.
Toneholes need to be redrilled and perhaps holes for the posts.
If you didn't follow Steve's guidelines it makes it harder to try again
because now you've got glue all over the joint and you'll have a job
cleaning it off. That makes the joint harder to fit and less structurally
sound. On some instruments it can break more plastic off.
there's a chance you could pin it still but you need to measure the
available material and judge the right size of pin you'll need. As you don't
know how to do that the chances are it isn't a job you're going to manage.
Talk to a repairer and see if this is still viable. If not it's means boring
out the joint and making a plug to fit which'll need a repairer anyway.
Steve M
Stephen Howard
>The epoxy worked for a while, but evenutally it just snapped again. I
>was practicing and... Two-piece clarinet AGAIN. Oh well.
>
>So, lemme see if I've got this right:
>bl: you suggest putting a screw thread on the INSIDE and putting a
>double-ended hollowed-out screw threaded piece of wood on the inside
>to hold it together??? Try to explain it a bit simpler, please?
>
>Steve: you're saying file a chamfer around the break on the outside,
>and fill that with more epoxy?
Yes - it provides more surface area for the glue to act upon.
> I think that's what you meant.
>For the pin idea, what size of a pin diameter (if you can please in
>customary, I'm in the US and not exactly used to metric)?
>Lastly, can you MAKE a new tenon?
The pin should be of a diameter that's half the thickness of the tenon
wall.
I agree with Steve M though...you really only get one shot at this
kind of solution.
>
>We've gotten a new one now (craigslist.com, $60 for ANOTHER Vito in
>great condition, cork's a bit worn), so this doesn't NEED to be fixed,
>but it would help.
>
>An idea of my own: If we took off the keys, is it possible to heat the
>plastic up so that is can be pushed back together?
No.
19westb...@gmail.com
Fred McKenzie
You replied to a thread from 2007, so others from there may not see it.
It is not a simple glue job. I suggest you find a reputable instrument
repairman and ask for an estimate. The cost of a long-lasting repair
may be more than the clarinet is worth.
Fred