REPLACING CLARINET PADS

Here is what you need:
Torch/Cigarette Lighter
Pad Prick
Pad Slick/Leveler Tool
Cloth
Q-tip
Adhesive Pellets
Remove the key(s) that need new pad. This may be a several step process.
Remove the leaking pad by heating the pad cup without scorching the key. When the cup is warm, remove the pad using the pad prick. Remove any shellac or hot glue in the cup by heating it with your torch and wiping it clean with a rag, or a Q-tip.
NOTE: Never let a heated cup with the pad removed rest on the tone hole. It will instantly melt a plastic tone hole and can scorch a wooden one.
Fit a new pad to the pad cup. Matching the new pad to the old pad is OK if the last repair was done by a knowledgeable technician. The base of the new pad should fit nicely with wider skin and felt portion of the pad extending past the pad cup.
(SKIP THIS STEP IF YOU ARE USING HIGH TECH SILICONE PADS). Make a small hole in the bladder skin on the side of the pad with the pad prick. This will vent the pad and keep the air in the pad from expanding with the heat.
Place a few adhesive pellets in the pad cup. Smaller pads require 1 to 2 pellets, and the largest pads require as much as 5 pellets.
Heat the pad cup slowly. The pellets will begin to melt. If you think you need more pellets now is a good time to add them.
Let the cup cool until the pellets are about the consistence of thick syrup. Place the pad in the cup and quickly place the key on the instrument while the cup is still warm.
If you do not get the key on the instrument in time, you can reheat the pad cup to soften the adhesive. Be careful to hold the clarinet to the side of the flame when heating a pad cup on the instrument.
Tap the key on the tone hole a few times to get the pellets to float the key in the proper place. If adhesive ooze out from underneath the cup, something is wrong - maybe too many pellets were used. If the pad does not stick, perhaps the pellets were too cold or there was not enough of them.
Check the new pad for leaks with your feeler gauge. You can make a simple gauge using an old reed and cellophane paper from a cigarette pack or candy package. Cut the reed down the middle then cut a 1/16"W x 1/2" L wide candy wrap and glue it to the tip of the reed. When it is dry this will be your gauge - the reed is your handle
Use the feeler gauge to check the resistance. Using a clock as reference, check the 12:00/6:00, and 3:00/9:00 o'clock points. You should feel resistance at all points. If the 12:00 point is not touching you need to use your pad slick to apply pressure to the 6:00 point and the same for the 3:00 and 9:00 points. Sometimes one adjustment alone can seat the pad quite will, but quite often you may have to repeat this step a few times before you get it right - be patient!
Remember, your goal is simply to get the pad to sit evenly on the tone hole. All leaks should be removed but leaks in the back (the point where the key is connected to the rod that connects it to the instrument) of a pad are more crucial.
(This does not apply to High Tech pads) Keys that are not held in place by springs should be wedged in place and left overnightso that they can make a very good seal.