I am trying to raise from the dead the clarinet of my great-grandfather, just to see if mounting the reed properly (in the past I did it in the wrong manner) I can produce a sound (no intention to learn to use it)
It’s very old, about one century I think, and I sent it in the eighties to a technician for repairing, but I was always unable to play it, so it came hanging in a wall until yesterday 
Today I realized it was stuffed with Sceliphron caementarium nests 
I cleaned the tubes with a pipe-cleaner, and now it’s clean
The pads are damaged, but I think they may work for the test
The main problem is that the 2 bodies don’t fit well because corks are too much worn, but I don’t want spending money for a professional repairing, and even buying and changing corks seems too problematic to me, so there is an alternative way to make them air-tight?
In other words, can I just tape them with an electrician tape?
And what about the reed?
I googled and found there are tons of different reeds for different clarinet intonations YUK
Maybe there is a universal reed?
Hello Claudio
The best thing to do if you want it to sound good is take it to a repair shop.
Anyway, if you want to do a test in case it sounds:
1st you need a reed. There are clarinets in different sizes (requinto in Eb, Clarinet (normal) in Bb and bass clarinet (also in Bb, eye) are the most common. You should order a reed for normal clarinet in Bb. There are them of different strengths (loose, medium and strong) For your test ask for loose or medium.
2º If you do not change the corks, it may be worth putting a little insulating tape on top of the corks so that they adjust when mounting it
I insist that the best thing would be to have it repaired. If the pads do not close well the sound and tuning will be bad
If the pads leak air, put a cigarette paper around the faucet, or impregnate them with Vaseline. It is not the most appropriate way, but it is a trick of experience. On one occasion I had that problem with a pad and I was able to muddle through for that concert. Naturally, the next day I changed the pad
Good luck with the relic found
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Thanks for information
I am sure I don’t want learning to use it, and it will come hanging to the wall very soon for the sake of my wife and our neighbour 
, so there is no reason to spend too much money with it
Some reed and pieces of tape according to your advice will be fine to see what happens: in case I record it I’ll let you know, so you can politely skip the audition
LOL
@jjfagot today I received the reed: a D’addario Rico 1,5 (max soft)
The 1st problem is that it was 5 mm longer than the space available, so I had to trim the part opposed to the lip
I tried then to produce a sound according to the video I have seen, but nothing happened, apart the immediate need of a CO2 tank
Quite surprisingly, I was only able to produce some sound with the reed mounted on the same plane of the holes…
Here is the picture
Do I have to change the reed’s placement, then learn to put my mouth properly?
And, this divergence is regular?
Ok Claudio
You see that with old people there are always problems (I am all problems, for example, 
)
The divergence is too great. The reed should be closer to the mouthpiece, but maybe that’s due to the cut you had to make. Try tightening it with the nozzle clamps.
What is really weird is that it only sounds by putting the mouthpiece just upside down. Try moving it, but not just the mouthpiece. Move from the barrel (just the part below the mouthpiece)
I can not think of anything else. Or well, yes: you can put 2 supports in the living room fireplace and place it as an ornament
Poor boy… LOL
It will simply hang to the wall again 
with something in the bell to stop wasp entering
But tomorrow I’ll try to output something: very brief so that my wife doesn’t kill me
I also found at home a couple of recorders used by my wife and her sister when they were ten years old: the sound is awful!
I can’t imagine a 30 children classroom using that crap YUK
Now I understand why our maestro Muti hates the use of recorders in primary schools
This is not the case, as you see here when my fingers keep it flat on the lip
I’m asking myself if that wood could have ever worked…
OK the Mission Impossible is impossible
