Why do pads stick?
The whys and wherefores of the most annoying feature of woodwinds.
For the last 15 years or so I have had a display table in the vendor area for the annual Navy International Saxophone Symposium and the Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair (now rebranded as Convention). I am selling more accessories now, but for years the main focus was, and remains, in offering quick-fast-in-a-hurry repairs on site. If I had to pick one repair need I could guarantee seeing at both events, likely multiple times each year, it would be sticky pads.
Probably every woodwind player has experienced a sticky pad at some point. If you have not, then there is probably a Greek myth, Norse saga, or Germanic fairy tale about you that describes a kind and virtuous musician who suffered terribly but a benevolent god/gnome/witch rewarded the blessing of never having sticky pads. I love that story. The part about musician trapped on an island by an evil troll and having to make a raft out of old reeds to escape gets me every time. Oh… sorry…
But why do pads stick? First, let’s define what sticky means.
Hugs and kisses
In general the term “sticky pads” will be used by players in 2 ways. One is to describe the “kissing” sound that pads make when they lift from the tonehole. Free motion of the key is not impacted, but there is noise. Players can be highly obsessive about this, particularly flutists because the instrument is literally next to their ear and the noise is more apparent. Players will sometimes insist upon completely silent key action, some for their own preference and some for concerns over recording devices picking up the sound.
The other type of sticky pad is when the pad actually sticks to the tonehole enough that the movement of the key is delayed or stopped. Whatever is making the pad stick is grabbing on and holding on tight. Of course, this presents a function problem with the instrument. Mechanically it is not working the way it should.
Differentiating between the two is important when speaking to your tech. You should let them know which type of sticky pad you have concerns about. Most technicians will be most concerned with the sticky pad that prevents proper function. If the player is concerned about a kissy sound on one pad but does not say more than just “fix the sticky pad”, the tech, who is looking for things not moving properly, may not even notice. Do not assume your tech uses the same terminology as you.
The Makers of the Stick
There are 2 main mechanisms that cause pads to stick on woodwinds. One is a mechanical sticking and the other is a chemical sticking. These titles are of my own invention and are imprecise without being inside my head, so I will explain.
If a pad is sticky due to chemical causes, it is because something has oxidized, catalyzed, synthesized, or some other-ized creating some sort of tackiness between the pad an tonehole. Most commonly this happens when a player has played their instrument without cleaning out their mouth first. Dissolved sugars get blown onto the pad or tonehole surface when the instrument is played and get gooey. There are other causes of chemical stickiness I will discuss later.
Mechanical causes pop up when something physically is grabbing between the 2 surfaces. There is usually a lip, a constriction, or some other point of interference between the pad and tonehole that defeat the proper action of the key. A lot of times there may be a fault in the mechanism of the key that is preventing proper key action, but players can label it a “sticky pad”.
Causes of Chemical Sticking
While we would like to think that this sort of thing is preventable by simply rinsing out your mouth or brushing your teeth before playing, it is more complicated than that. Yes, playing your instrument after eating or drinking something is a likely contributor to sticky and noisy pads, but there are more possible culprits.
Stickiness could be caused by freshly resurfaced tonehole beginning to oxidize and those oxide layers may create a weak tackiness against the pad skin. Stickiness could be caused by the tanning chemicals used in making the pad skins reacting with something in the environment. Stickiness could be caused by the player’s body chemistry, and there is nothing that can be done about that.
Of course we need to factor in moisture. If you think back to biology class in school and preparing microscope slides, the cover slip was placed on a drop of liquid and it stuck in place really well. Reed players who stick a wet reed to the table of their mouthpiece with no ligature are familiar with this two wet plates bonding phenomenon. While in my professional experience, this occurrence is way down the list of possibilities, it can happen under the right circumstances.
An increasing contributor to sticky pads of a chemical nature are the uses of old-school remedies that someone’s teacher’s teacher’s teacher swore by and have endured for some reason. Such remedies include applying some sort of oil or varnish to the pads, “cleaning” the pad with a dollar bill, or actually dragging fine abrasive between the pad and tonehole. Please do not do any of these things. Ask your tech directly what they recommend for treating sticky pads of this nature. Eschew any “read it on the internet” solutions.
If you have a sticky pad suddenly pop up at an inopportune time, you may be tempted to use one of these old-school “solutions”—perhaps you use a particular trick regularly—but your very next phone call or email should be to make an appointment with your tech. This sticky pad failure did not just appear out of nowhere. It is a condition that has been building and worsening gradually until it got bad enough to cause the regular function of the instrument to fail. You “fixed” nothing but a symptom of a larger problem.
Prevention and Aid for Chemical Stickiness
First and foremost, do not eat or drink anything but water (plain water, not flavored, not sparkling). You really have to have a very rigid mindset about this. “I don’t do it often” is not acceptable. If you can, brush your teeth before playing. At a minimum you should rinse out your mouth well before playing.
People protest that they aren’t blowing sugary drinks through their instrument, but it doesn’t have to be a sugary drink. Black coffee or tea can leave residue that makes pads stick. Diet sodas can cause all sorts of problems. Carbohydrates and starches are just more complicated sugars. If you had a handful of popcorn or a couple of saltine crackers, that is enough to start to glue your pads closed. Even hours later you can still have dissolved sugars in your mouth that could end up in your instrument.
If you have noisy pads, my advice is to leave it alone and let your technician deal with it properly. The kissy sound is mostly only an annoyance to the player. Nobody else can hear it and such sounds rarely appear on any recordings. You can do more damage to the pads than find solutions in trying to chase down the last bit of noise that is bugging you.
If you have a pad that sticks more than simply making noise and you can determine that it is a chemical-type stickiness—usually you can see part of the pad surface physically being pulled by the surface of the tonehole—your best approach is to try to clean it a little to alleviate the problem.
The first rule is to never close the key on whatever cleaning material you are using and drag the material out. You will only be using gently blotting action. If you think anything more intensive than that is necessary, then chances are you are long overdue for your annual service.
Whatever material you choose should be thin, flexible, and clean. Cigarette paper (ungummed, or cut away the gummed edge) is great for dry blotting. Slide it in between the pad and tonehole on the problem key and blot blot blot. Be mindful of moisture. Cigarette paper can tear quite easily if it gets wet and you don’t want tiny pieces of paper stuck to the pad or tonehole.
If you need to add some moisture to try to loosen up sticky gunk, I recommend using a paper towel and isopropyl alcohol. Trim the paper towel to a manageable size, spray some alcohol on it, insert, and blot blot blot. Repeat with different clean sections of the paper towel as needed. Be mindful of how much moisture you are introducing. If the pads start to get wet, you can introduce other problems.
Avoid using solvents like denatured alcohol or acetone, or cleaning products like Goo Gone or spray cleaners. If used improperly or on the wrong material, these can ruin pads in a hurry.
Mechanical Sticking
The good news and bad news of pads sticking due to mechanical means is the average player can’t do anything about it.
Almost all of the mechanical sticking of pads at the tonehole interface I have seen have been caused by one, or a combination, of two things: tonehole burrs and deep impressions in the pad
.
When toneholes are created, quite often the material curls ever so slightly at the edge, creating a tiny lip. This lip often can’t be seen by the unaided eye, but can be felt by a fingernail catching on it. If a hard fingernail can feel it, a soft pad face can be grabbed by the sharp edge. Every major professional saxophone with straight drawn toneholes has this problem on most toneholes. Some makes are not all that bad and the burrs are either small enough not to be of immediate concern. Other makes, however, have such large burrs on toneholes that it is a wonder they do not have a sharp edges warning label. These often pose problems very early in the instrument’s life and hasten the need for an overhaul.
Tonehole burrs are even a problem on some upper level flutes. Flat toneholes are a necessity for modern engineered pads, but many flute makers are stopping at flat and not going the extra step to debur the edges of the toneholes they just made flat.
The other contributor to mechanically sticky pads is deep pad impressions. The days of soft squishy “pillow pads” are long gone , but many instrument makers and techs continue to use the same installation techniques and hold the same expectation of success. Installing pads with a deep impression almost invites the chance of mechanical sticking. The felt core in instrument pads is constantly absorbing and shedding moisture and changing slightly as a result. It is not uncommon for the felt to swell up around the tonehole impression and constrict the dimensions. The deep impression in the pad can literally grab onto the sides of the tonehole.
This is a common problem with cork pads that have impressions that are far too deep, whether from original installation or long term compression by spring tension or use.
Likewise, it is common to see pads on bassoons, clarinets, and simple system flutes where the center of the pad has been '“sucked down” into the tonehole. This not only provides the opportunity for mechanical sticking, but also provides far more surface area for chemical sticking to be a problem. The modern acoustic standard for instruments in that the pad should be a lid lifted from the tonehole, not a plug pulled from the tonehole.
If you have a new instrument that has mechanical sticking problems that your tech has to rectify, make sure you tell the company that made the instrument. Nothing will change in their process if nobody tells them there was a problem.
The Sticking Point
To minimize concerns, catastrophes, and down time, make sure you keep the inside of your instrument clean by not blowing stuff through it to start with, learn to identify and quantify the different types of sticking, and make friends with your local technician to learn their recommendations and remedies.
If you suspect mechanical sticking, get it fixed sooner rather than later, because it will likely be a problem when the weather has seasonal shifts. Mechanical sticking will shorten the life of your pads.
Jeff’s Woodwind Shop has recently changed its scheduling process and priorities resulting in many more openings for annual service/COA appointments as well as incidental things like sticky pads. Visit www.woodwindfixer.com to schedule your appointment.