Tech/maintenance cork for mouthpieces - no alternatives yet?

[LostCircuits]

My question is, it takes me about 5 minutes to replace a neck cork and it lasts for a few years. Other than a science project and the idea of accommodating mouthpieces with different bore diameters, is there any advantage for a single mouthpiece user?

 

[turf3]

My question is, it takes me about 5 minutes to replace a neck cork and it lasts for a few years. Other than a science project and the idea of accommodating mouthpieces with different bore diameters, is there any advantage for a single mouthpiece user?

No.

For that matter, so far the proposals for accommodating different bore diameters don't seem to offer anything that is better than just wrapping a piece of paper around the cork.

I think this is a case where it's easy to play around with different stuff with minimal risk of actually damaging things, so they do that.

 

[Stephen Howard]

No.

For that matter, so far the proposals for accommodating different bore diameters don't seem to offer anything that is better than just wrapping a piece of paper around the cork.

I think this is a case where it's easy to play around with different stuff with minimal risk of actually damaging things, so they do that.

There's a far easier and more elegant solution to this perennial problem.

Get a piece of shrink fit that fits over the entire cork. Grease the cork well (this is important) then slide the shrink fit onto it. Have at it with a heat source. Once it's shrunk and cooled, twist it off and pop it in your accessory compartment. The next time you need to use a mouthpiece with a larger bore, slip the tapered tube of shrink fit on the cork and you're good to go.

 

[eb424]

Cork is not perfect but its the best we have for the job it does.
Warbuton a number of years ago tried the the O ring route but it never took off.
How many mouthpieces do you use?
You can expand cork a little by holding it near heat but this depends on how big the difference is between your mouthpieces.

Are they the bread makers..could be interestig different size sices for different pieces..lol

 

[LostCircuits]

Cork is not perfect but its the best we have for the job it does.
Warbuton a number of years ago tried the the O ring route but it never took off.
How many mouthpieces do you use?
You can expand cork a little by holding it near heat but this depends on how big the difference is between your mouthpieces.

I just dip the tip of the neck into a pot with hot water for a few seconds. Always works. But I don't know how often I could repeat this and I have settled on 2 mouthpieces (alto) which have identical bores.

 

[PigSquealer]

I just dip the tip of the neck into a pot with hot water for a few seconds.

You just gave away the secret ingredient in your tea 😵‍💫

 

[LostCircuits]

You just gave away the secret ingredient in your tea 😵‍💫

Tricked you, I do have coffee, I don't drink tea, my dear. And I love my toast done on two sides.

 

[Woodpad]

There is also the commando method. No cork, no glue, only a fitting heath shrink tube for each mouthpiece saxophone combination, kept with the mouthpiece while the neck is bare in the case.

 

[thomsax]

My question is, it takes me about 5 minutes to replace a neck cork and it lasts for a few years. Other than a science project and the idea of accommodating mouthpieces with different bore diameters, is there any advantage for a single mouthpiece user?

To replace a neck cork is more than a 5 minutes work for me. I use cork tubes and I also use shellack. To replace neck corks is considered to be a quick and easy DIY job.

 

[LostCircuits]

I just use regular sheets. Most of the time consuming work is removing the old glue from the neck and really cleaning it to provide a good base for the new cork. Hammering the sheet with a ball peen is less than a minute, adding the bevel to the leading edge, another 30 seconds. The really time consuming step is letting the contact cement dry. But it does take a little bit of skill to line up the new cork with the tip of the neck, once you start, there is no going back.
But I've done it so many times now.
One caveat is the quality of the cork sheets. You can buy a 10 pack off Amazon and there are maybe two good quality sheets. And sometimes you get 7 or 8 but it's unpredictable.

How are the cork tubes in that respect?

Oh, and you can always use the Valentino cork from MM or buy it for a fraction of the cost from 3M, it does stay elastic/compressible for a long time, peels off easily and is easier to apply because you can correct the alignment. But it's too wobbly for me.

 

[thomsax]

The tube corks are alreay cylindrical so it's easier to sand them even. Seamless as well.

 

[Dr G]

Tricked you, I do have coffee, I don't drink tea, my dear. And I love my toast done on two sides.

Hey, I butter both sides too!

 

[Targa]

Hey, I butter both sides too!

So that when you drop it it’s confused and lands on its edge?

 

[turf3]

 

[Dr G]

I need to try this. Too bad that our neighbor's cat died last year. I think he would have enjoyed it.