[bass9396]

Howdy again folks,

Anybody know a procedure to SAFELY sand engraving off a plastic clarinet body? Thanks!

 

[tictactux]

Howdy again folks,

Anybody know a procedure to SAFELY sand engraving off a plastic clarinet body? Thanks!

Brand or serial number? (what for...?)

It depends on the material used. Thermoplasts (ABS) can be "done" with a torch or a soldering/ironing iron, thermosets (bakelite-like, eg resonite etc) must be filled and filed.

 

[Roger Aldridge]

I'll echo the previous question about WHY? It makes no sense to me to want to do that. Especially, if you ever want to trade or sell the clarinet.

Roger

 

[bass9396]

It's an old school horn my wife acquired but it has some kid's name engraved on it....too bad it's not my name.

Thanks

 

[tictactux]

It's an old school horn my wife acquired but it has some kid's name engraved on it....too bad it's not my name.

I'd wait with erasing till you are sure that the kid hasn't become famous...

 

[Enviroguy]

Howdy again folks,

Anybody know a procedure to SAFELY sand engraving off a plastic clarinet body? Thanks!

And when you re-engrave, where exactly do you put the "R-13"?

 

[Fred]

I've had instruments that people took one of those vibrating engraving tools to and really did an ugly job of marking the instrument. John Butler took a truly ugly such mark off the bell of an ex-military clarinet for me and did a great job. I would not have attempted it myself.

 

[Simon Weiner]

And when you re-engrave, where exactly do you put the "R-13"?

NO NO NO not R-13 you want to put Leblanc Backun Legacy on the horn. Hey you might be the only guy who can get one.

 

[SuzySax]

Maybe it's time to upgrade to a wood clarinet? Save the plastic for use in the rain. Just an idea...

 

[Simon Weiner]

Maybe it's time to upgrade to a wood clarinet? Save the plastic for use in the rain. Just an idea...

Cute Cat. Not bad advise either. Depends what they wanna use it for however.

 

[bass9396]

Hi Ben,

Thanks for the tip....so what do I fill it with? Sanding is no big deal, I just want to fill with the right material.

Someone else mentioned taking engraving off metal....do you know how your friend did that?

Thanks

 

[tictactux]

Thanks for the tip....so what do I fill it with? Sanding is no big deal, I just want to fill with the right material.

Ideally with the same as the clarinet; else take a mix of superglue and wood or plastic dust. Epoxy filler should do too, you might have to paint it afterwards (I repaired a Bundy bell that had a large chip off with automotive epoxy filler and paint.)

 

[bass9396]

Ben,

Thanks a lot, that really helps!

 

[simso]

Is there an off the shelf product you can by to fill in any engraving, or is this just as ben has mentioned custom mixes to do the job. I have a selmer bass clarinet which has got big deep engravings in the back from the school it belonged to before they traded it in, If I have to do a custom mix then Ill grab a cheap second hand clarinet and file it to get the colour and then mix it with epoxy. Any one got better recommendations
Steve

 

[Gordon (NZ)]

You just might get away with simply dabbing along the engraving with clear superglue, then sand-papering after it sets. With a black body it is surface texture more than colour that is visually obvious.

 

[simso]

Yeh thanks gordon, Ive used the clear epoxy resin for rejoining a oboe which had snapped clean in half, worked fantatsic, but didnt match in very well. Ive seen repairs done and holes filled in ebonite with a black type opf resin and unless you knew there was something wrong you would never pick it, will trial out filing up some ebonite and mixing it together and see how it comes up. Thanks for the help, any more info would be greatly appreciated
Steve

 

[Gordon (NZ)]

Ebonite 'powder' plus superglue is great for filling in substantial holes, chips, and wide cracks, but i doubt that it is that suitable for a scratch. I think the grains of ebonite powder may be too coarse, and not go much into the scratch. This is partly why I suggested superglue on its own. You cannot mix superglue and powder before using it, and I think you could get into a heck of a mess using them alternately on a long scratch; superglue readily dissolves the surface of typical ABS clarinet plastic.

Unless superglue is dabbed very carefully and splaringly along the centre of a scartch with say a dental probe or equivalent, I think you could easily finish up with more cosmetic damage than what you started with. BTW, that is how I apply thin superglue to narrow splits in timber clarinets - no filler.

On the other hand, the very fine, black, paint pigment powder from a paint or hardware store, can be mixed with epoxy, and may more readily fill the scratch..

 

[super20dan]

i bet its a bundy and he is embarrased to be seen playing one

 

[simso]

Thanks, I got no problems with owning a bundy, I have a bundy bass and a selmer alto, but theyve got the old school engravings in the back and I would like to remove them, as they just look bad.

 

[bass9396]

Me to Simso....I have a Bundy Bass and Alto to go along with my pro horns. That Bundy Alto talks...I love it. They're the best made instruments on the planet and by far the most durable. Ditto on the school engravings simso......they are such a pain just to look at because they're so bad, and then there's the kid's name on the horn, yuck!