PAY ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING WARNINGS. Call if you need help.
Be aware that too vigorous brushing under keys may loosen or knock loose
key corks. Key corks are thin cushions used to help prevent noise as
keys are opened or closed. Some key corks are important for making the
horn play properly, but most aren't critical.
Too vigorous brushing under keys may also unhook needle springs.
Needle springs are those little wires that connect the posts and the keys.
They are used to either lift the key after you release it or to hold a key
shut. Springs ARE critical to the horn playing properly. If you
see a spring that is not hooked, just push it back until it hooks back onto
the little hook on the key.
Just because it is a screw doesn't mean it has to be tightened!!!
Leave the screw turning to someone who knows what they are doing, which is
usually NOT you. :)
Tiny drops of oil are what you want when oiling your mechanisms. Too
much oil combines with the dust and dirt on your horn to make mud.
Oiling is critical to prevent rust and corrosion on the fasteners that hold
the keys on.
Body Warnings
Wood bodies are made of...yes, wood. They can crack.
It is not the end of the world or the clarinet. Cracks are caused by
uneven changes in the walls of the body. Most of the time, a crack does
not go all the way through and does not affect the way the clarinet plays and
so is no big deal. The fix is almost invisible.
Cleaning is kind of tricky. You don't want to use
water because of the pads and keys. It is best just to swab the horn out
and wipe off the finger prints after each use.
You may have heard of "bore oil." If you have, we hope
you haven't been too traumatized by it. Try to forget you ever heard of
it. If you want to do the BEST for your wood clarinet body do this:
Every winter and every summer eat an orange and put the peelings in a plastic
bag with your clarinet, not the mouthpiece. Let it stay in the bag a few
days. This will nourish the wood. It will also deodorize the
clarinet. After this treatment you will need to wipe the bore and body,
dust the keys and oil the mechanisms.
Plastic clarinets are more stable than the wood ones because
there is much less expansion and contraction with temperature. Humidity
doesn't affect the body at all. Swabbing the bore and wiping off the
fingerprints after each use is all you need to do.
use ANY SOLVENTS to clean your plastic clarinet. Solvents are: lighter fluid, alcohol, nail polish remover, lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, you know, flammable stuff. If you wouldn't drink it, don't put it on your horn. Solvents will actually alter the molecular structure of the plastic. It is not a pretty sight.
Please do not use super glue on your horn in any way, shape, form, or
fashion. To do so will cause extra time and expense with repairs and
will not be corrected under our maintenance agreement.
HEED THESE WARNINGS
IF IN DOUBT, DON'T!!
CALL CHARLIE AT 800-264-7228 OR EMAIL