Is there anything that I can use instead of cork wax at the moment that I don't need to go near a music shop, coz I've run out and have just been into Hull?

Thanks

I've used vaseline.......just remember to wsh your hands afterwards or the clarinet will slip out of your hands!!

Thanks. I thought vaseline had been mentioned before, but just wanted to check!

Odd, I've never thought about this, but I haven't needed to use cork grease on my clarinet for several years...

Is that bad?

It's probably greasing itself these days....!

Oh dear, I don't think I've ever greased my clarinet. What am I meant to do?

It's only needed when you can't get the clarinet together without doing it damage. It gives it a bit of lube.

It's not a problem that you don'y do it, until it starts falling apart when you play...

Yeah..it just makes it easier to put the clarinet together..I don't use it that often! ..then again I don't really play clarinet very often!

Although if you don't do it, the corks can crak which costs hundreds to repair.

i was told that the cork grease helps the cork return to its big size after its been compressed in the joint, it keeps it flexible as well as helping the joint lubricate.

I do mine once a week, and the corks in a good state...you can see where the mouthpiece has fitted up to and compressed the cork and when the mouthpiece is not fitted it swells back to full size.

Actually, repairing the cork is probably the cheapest part of the whole repair business.

What costs a lot is the fine tuning of an expensive clarinet. ie the way each key responds and how it affects the other keys. This involves careful examination of the distance each key rises above the tone hole, and then how smoothly the holes are opened and closed. This may involve bending the actual keys, changing the strength of the spring and altering the small pieces of cork glued underneath other keys. This is sometimes straightforward but can often drive you nuts.

Changing the tenon cork, on the other hand, is not difficult. Certainly no more difficult than the fiddly airfix models I used to put together on the kitchen table when I was about 7-10. The main difference is not having a Mum behind you who needs the table for dinner and the words "Just wait till your Dad sees that red paint you dropped on the chair!"

You can either buy pieces of tenon cork from Ebay already cut, or find sheets of cork and do it yourself. In any case, you need a very very sharp craft knike, simple wood glue, sandpaper and preferably a metal ruler.

I think I have links to websites somewhere which I can find if you want.

Steve

I remember being told it cost a lot to repair, but maybe it was a threat to get me to grease them! I dunno, but now that you point it out, it wouldn't make sense for joint corks to cost that much to get repaired.

You can use cork grease on oboes too, and a lot of the cases of oboes come with a stick of it and it's pretty handy for putting the instrument together when it's a bit stiff or whatever It should only fall apart of you use too much!

I have been told not to use vaseline, and cork grease has a special property in it that helps with the maintenance of the cork...and vaseline does not have it in, so I was told. But for the odd use vaseline is ok to use...but try and avoid to use it all the time.
I am trying to get threaded joints now on my instruments.......I find them easier to maintain...if it is generally too stiff all the time just unwind it a bit until it is comfortable on the joint, but not falling off!!!!!