I believe that the parents are the ones we should be developing a common knowledge of their student’s instrument, instrument products, and instrument care. Below will be a few tips to help our students parents as their child begins on his/her’s music journey.
How important is cork grease?
One of the most common repairs for clarinets and saxophones are tenon cork and neck cork repairs. Majority of the time, these repairs are due to a lack of cork grease or to the excessive use of cork grease. Replacing the cork on your instrument may result to $15 - $65 worth of repairs. So how do we prevent these costly repairs from happening?
How can too much cork grease or the lack thereof damage my instrument?
First we need to understand what is the purpose of cork grease, and what causes these corks to eventually give out on us? Cork grease lubricates the parts of the instrument that connects together. Attaching these parts without proper lubrication may cause the cork to tear or losing its tight hold onto the instrument. Due to inadequate lubrication, the cork may start to deteriorate and may produce other issues.
Let us discuss the excessive use of cork grease. How much is too much? If you can wipe off the cork with a clean, dry finger and pull off extra cork grease, then there might be way too much. If this is the case, you can easily wipe off the excess cork grease with a clean, dry rag.
What happens to the cork when exposed to too much cork grease? Too much cork grease can saturate the cork, causing the cork to be soggy and easy to tear. Some cork grease may contain chemicals that can seep through the cork, and dissolve the glue that keeps the cork attached onto the tenon or neck. Once the cork has been damaged, it would be matter of time before the cork would need to be replaced.
What can I do make my cork last much longer?
The answer is D’Addario’s All Natural Cork Grease. This cork grease is all natural made with organic ingredients. The cork grease allows the cork to retain its natural structure and not dry out. And because the cork grease is all natural, you will not find chemicals that will do damage to your cork. Jojoba wax, carnauba wax, and candelia wax are natural lubricants that make up this wonderful product.
