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Epicness937 /r/Clarinet
3 points
1970-01-19 22:38:00.704 +0000 UTC

I would avoid repair kits only cause they are pretty pricey for what you get. If you want to learn here's what you'll need.

A set of pads. Generally speaking clarinet is pretty consistent with pad size (as opposed to saxophone) and given it's a yamaha you should be able to find a blog of some sort with all the sizes of pads on that clarinet model.

You'll need a sheet of cork, or a few rather. For clarinet DO NOT buy garbage "cork" sheets from walmart or something. Go to musicmedic and get woodwind sheetcork from them. get a sheet of 1/64, a sheet of 1/32, and a large sheet (or just two sheets) of 1/16. You will be using the 1/64 and 1/32 for keys and the 1/16 will be for tenon corks. (note that for tenon corks 3/64 does work sometimes its better to be bigger than smaller)

Next is the tools. You'll need a pair of smooth jaw flat nosed pliers, a small flathead screwdriver (something super long will make it much easier), a pad slick, a spring hook, razor blades, a small butane torch (or something else to safely heat the key cups), and ideally a feeler gauge of some sort.

https://www.amazon.com/Beadalon-201E-007-Flat-Nose-Pliers/dp/B004DGIRP2?th=1

https://www.musicmedic.com/catalog/product/view/id/101/s/stainless-steel-pad-slick/category/66/

https://www.amazon.com/MUSICMEDIC-COM-DOUBLE-SIDED-WOODWIND-SAXOPHONE-CLARINET/dp/B07LB7T8DL

https://valuhomecenters.com/shop/paint-and-painting-supplies/putty-knives-scrapers-and-wire-brushes/razor-scrapers-and-blades/razor-blade/stanley-single-edge-1-12-in-razor-blade?SKU=386308&gsf=t (if you plan on changing all the corks you'll probably need like 20 or 25 blades so get a bigger pack)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg1DJhEBZEM&ab_channel=TheBrassandWoodwindShop this is a tutorial for an easy pad feeler gauge. I use something quite similar to this for clarinet and saxophone just with the tip made out of balloon foil instead.

Next you need adhesives. One to stick the pads on and one to stick the corks on. For corks I use S-18 all purpose cement (and a bit of thinner but you can get by without it). For the pads shellac is ideal however if you already got a hot glue gun at hand you can use that instead.

Lastly a few other things you'll need are Q-tips and rubbing alcohol to clean the keycups. And a paraffin wax block and some wicking tape if you intend to do the tenon corks as well.

With that I believe thats all the tools so now I guess i can start with some guides and tips on the actual repairs.
firstly you got the tenon corks. I like this video cause it just shows you very simply how to replace them. The part where he rubs the wax into the cork with this thumb I use wicking tape for however do whatever feels comfortable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOXEG56QUgY&t=1216s&ab_channel=TheUnitedStatesArmyFieldBand

For the pads there are hundreds of videos on youtube with how to replace them. But really it comes down to heating the key cup, popping the pad out, and putting a new one in. When it comes to the type of pads you'll want synthetic pads, cork pads are to pricey and in my opinion generally not worth using and bladder skin pads are more annoying to float in perfectly and not necessary for student instruments. You will need to adjust the pads with the padslick while the glue or shellac is still hot (you can always reheat it but with a torch be very careful)

Key corks you'll need to cut once on the key. Look at youtube tutorials and images of the clarinet keys to see exactly how you need to cut them. I also recommend taking photos of the corks before you remove them to replace them. To place corks on the keys it is a similar process to doing tenon corks. You need to put contact cement on both the cork and the key and make sure the layer of cement is very thin on both (i will then slide the back of my finger across to remove any extra) and let the cement dry until it is dry to the touch of the BACK of your finger. Then put the cork on the keys and cut accordingly. Repeat what feels like 20 billion times (...ive repaded to many clarinets...) and you're good.

There are alot of other adjustments you can make while repadding but I hope this gives you a good idea on what you are going to do. Remember there are loads of resources on youtube and online about repadding clarinets. and also the first repad is always the hardest and takes the longest.

man_on_a_screen /r/metalearth
2 points
1970-01-18 21:16:09.417 +0000 UTC

Personally I would avoid the kits. I would get yourself a pair of clippers, a pair of needle-nose pliers, and a pair of flat nose pliers individually because they tend to be better quality than the ones you will find in kits and if you do a little bit of searching around you can get what you need for about the same price as a kit. Although full disclosure I haven't had too much experience with the kits and if you do get one of those it should be fine so don't feel you have to buy something super expensive. Pretty much anything to get started in terms of tools should work for you, including the link you provided for the kit (with the possible exception of those scissor clippers... I have tried to use ones that looked like that before and they have not worked very well at all for metal Earth, I would highly highly recommend the clippers I link to below....can't speak to the effectiveness of the non scissor clippers that it looks like they included in the kit). Later as you decide if you enjoy doing it you can always start getting more individual tools as you go along and upgrade your tool kit.

The micro cutter I would HIGHLY recommend. This is the exact one I have. I love this thing. Only problem is with this link it's an add-on item and you have to order over a certain amount because it's so cheap. You can find the exact same kind other places though and sometimes even on Amazon you can find it where you can order it just by itself. Micro Cutter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FZPDG1K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_mrhhCbG0WJMX4

These flat nose pliers are the exact ones I have. I got mine at AC Moore where they pretty much always have 50% off coupons. I wouldn't buy them off Amazon because you can get them for $5 or $6 with a coupon by going to an AC Moore or a Michaels, both chains carry this brand which is pretty common in jewelry making and bead making at these craft stores. Beadalon is a good quality tool that is also very inexpensive Beadalon Flat Nose Pliers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004DGIRP2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_HxhhCbFMG617C

This one is almost exactly the same one I have for the needle nose or I guess they call them chain nose. The ones that I have have a slightly different grip and look more like the flat nose pliers grip above, but they have the same nose part. Like the one above you can find this (with the different grip shown above) at AC Moore or Michaels and pick it up for around 6 or $7. but I seriously doubt the grip really matters all that much, so if you wanted to buy these they would work great I'm sure since they are the same brand. whatever brand you do get though, like other people said make sure they have smooth plier parts on the inside, rather than the ridged plier teeth that you use for building a cabinet or something like that. That will scratch the metal if it has the ridges. You want jewelry making needle nose pliers not something you would use in a workshop. Beadalon Chain Nose Pliers, Blue Sparkle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00164TGZO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_zzhhCbDDP7N21

if you have those three tools, and honestly you really only need one of the pliers and I would recommend if you only get one to get the needle nose, then you are good to go for 90% of the models out there. Like someone else said a set of drill bits is a good idea for rounded parts like cylinders but even then not strictly necessary, you can just use a pencil or a nail or something of the right diameter of some sort of item you pick up around the house....if you are going to do something like the Silver dragon yes you should get a mandrel set, including one of the larger plastic mandrels that goes up to like an inch or an inch and a half in diameter (most models won't have anything that large) but again you can pick those up at AC Moore or Michaels for about $6 with a 50% off coupon -- the metal mandrels I use are also made by beadalon and for about the same price with the coupon, five or six bucks maybe less for a two pack of different diameters, same price as the single larger diameter plastic one.

Alternatively you can buy the metal Earth kit. I think that's about fifteen bucks. I haven't used it myself and some of the tools I've heard don't last as long as the ones I've recommended, but I'm talking about them wearing out after like a year or something. So you will still get your money's worth and metal Earth kind of knows a thing or two about building their own product.

Good luck and hope to see some of your builds on here!