At Home Clarinet Repair - Learning to Polish Keys at home

Learn to start polishing keys at home with metal polish, paper towel and loads of patience. At Home Clarinet Repair and polishing keys can make them really shine. Patience in going slow and expanding the areas you polish.

[@ashleydesalvo1646]

Exactly what I was looking for! Thank you

[@gottalovetheknowledge4749]

Glad it helps. Just make sure you use just a dab and don't let it clog in to the post area. It's nice to have nice and shiny keywork all the time.

[@W_piano]

Thank you so much dear for this incredible video

[@gottalovetheknowledge4749]

Thank you so much. I should do an update as I did that 3 years ago, although polishing at home is still the same technique as it is limited with no mechanical buffers.

[@patm95]

Would you recommend using a dremel polishing wheel?

[@gottalovetheknowledge4749]

you could try. I found a dremel size to be a bit too much to handle and it may spit polishing compound all over the clarinet. Plus you still have to follow up to clean it up anyway with a clean cloth. . My polishing routine is usually a large buffing wheel but all the keys are taken off and pads would get replaced. I found manually polishing keeps everything nice and shiny over time without affecting the pads.

[@patm95]

@@gottalovetheknowledge4749 great advice. Thank you! Got my sisters clarinet for my daughter. It hasn’t been played in 30 years and needs a good cleaning/reconditioning.

[@TheIldebrandoz]

I don't understand why you have to get your hands dirty like that instead of protecting yourself using simple latex gloves

[@gottalovetheknowledge4749]

Yes you can use Latex gloves. Live and learn. I usually use a machine polisher. BUT if you are doing it at home one may not think of that. When I first started repairing DECADES ago, I used this method to clean keys, albeit without pads in them. IMHO Latex gloves didn't really come into the lime light until the recent covid epidemic, unless you're a medical doctor.

[@TheIldebrandoz]

@@gottalovetheknowledge4749 I understand your point of view, but I'd like to emphasize that latex gloves are by no means a recent discovery that emerged during a specific event. In fact, latex gloves have been used in various industries for decades before any discussion of the recent epidemic. Their versatility and the ability to provide hand protection have made them valuable in various settings, including agriculture. For example, living in the countryside myself, I have always used them on various occasions, especially during the grape harvest. So, while I appreciate your method of clarinet key polishing, it's not accurate to claim that latex gloves are a recent find.

[@gottalovetheknowledge4749]

Yes I totally understand latex gloves and other gloves of various materials have existed for a very long time. No kidding.