Instrument Repair Tips by Rheuben Allen Clarinet Repair Tips
Repairing a Crack in the Wood of your Clarinet::
There are two options when repairing a crack in a clarinet. Pinning the crack is done
by drilling a hole through the side of the clarinet. Accross the side of the bore....through the cracked area..... the
hole does not go through the bore. I have seen as many as 4 or 5 pins to close a bad crack. Then a threaded rod is glued
and screwed through the hole to pull the crack together. This technique is good when the crack goes through the bore of
the instrument. The second method and the one I prefer is to use carbon fiber and epoxy to repair the crack. The carbon
fiber and epoxy will vibrate the same as the wood and should not have any affect on the tone color or response of the
clarinet. One or two grooves are cut around the clarinet. The crack is filled with epoxy. Then the two grooves are
filled with the Carbon Fiber and Epoxy. The filled groves then need to be cut level with the wood of the instrument
and polished to match the wood. If the job is good it is hard to tell it has been band.
This article has been taken with permission from Rheuben Allen's website.
