Clarinet hits the deck!

Clarinet Tenon – Before

How does this happen??? In all the years I’ve been playing, I’ve never dropped my horn. Not to say that accidents never occurred (like getting kicked over by someone else on stage), but…

This is middle school. Kids drop them, toss them, use them as weapons. I once heard about two young trombone players who were sword fighting with their hand slides. You can just imagine how that story ended.

Back to our clarinet.

There are several ways to repair a broken tenon. In this case I chose a composite method, utilizing granadilla wood dust and cyanoacryllic glue. It’s a layered application of dust and glue, against a form placed inside the bore of the instrument. After you achieve the desired thickness, the filled area is machine-sanded and buffed. Good as new!

Clarinet Tenon – After

Next up:  An early 20th C. ophicleide! I’ll keep you posted…