Back when I used to visit middle schools to do on-site repairs, cracked bocals were a common occurrence. A bocal is that metal straw-looking thing that bassoon players stick their reeds on and blow into. In the hands of a middle school student, they are prone to damage. They aren’t a solid tube, but are drawn into a tube shape from sheet nickel or brass, then soldered along the seam to seal the tube. This seam is a weak point, and once it cracks, it’s really tricky to fix. Combine that with the fact that bocals are very easy to dent, and the result is a lot of broken bassoon bocals lying around band rooms across the state of Texas. When I asked the head technician at Fox bassoons how to fix a cracked and dented bocal, he said it wasn’t worth it, that it would never play the same again, and the most practical thing in his opinion was to get another one from the factory. I personally disagree with this philosophy, but after trying to repair a few, I had to concede that it was just easier and cheaper to call up the parts department and order a new bocal.
Necklace length is 20 inches. Chain is sterling silver. Bead caps are pewter. Beads are onyx.
METAL ALLERGY ALERT: the bassoon bocal is nickel plated, so if you have severe allergies to nickel, this is not the piece for you, unless you wear it over a shirt or blouse. I can also coat the metal in epoxy if your allergies aren't as severe.