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Doublereed Archive - Posting 000027.txt from 2008/02

From: herb fawcett <herbgosia@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [DR-L] Wire Tightening Question
Date: Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:59:44 -0500

I'll add my $0.02 to L. Rhodes comment.
There is no reason to routinely soak a bassoon reed for such a long time.
Only if the reed were stored for a year or two, I might do that.
My usual procedure is the same as his; I dip the reed and set it aside for a
few moments, or I place it in the reed box if I am headed to a session.
I quit using Duco, preferring superglue, but that is a personal preference.
If the second wire is not tight when the reed is in playing humectance, I
tighten it until it is just snug, the same with the first wire.
All that said, my newly formed blanks dry for at least a week on the rack,
wrapped in twine, before I put the wires on after forming. Then I wait a few
days and re-adjust the wires before sealing the butt in whatever fashion I
choose (lately, shrink tubing over superglue). There is not much more
drying to occur.
PS: Norman Herzberg said it was hard to imagine a second wire being
overtightened, but I agree with Larry that it can cause the tube to become
too round which makes my reeds stuffy.
Herb

On 2/3/08 1:35 PM, "MelT211639@-----.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
>
> I have a wire tightening question for the list. I make my bassoon reeds
> with a bevel and standard 3 wire placement and gradually tighten the middle
> and butt end wires as the reed dries. After 2 days when the reed is totally
> dry, I tighten the middle and butt end wires until they are very snug, then
> apply a bead of sig-ment adhesive (like Duco) along the seams, wrap a turks
> head with cotton string, and apply two coats of adhesive over the string.
> When
> using reeds, I typically immerse them for 5 - 10 minutes prior to playing.
> I find that after using a reed for a while (weeks or months), the middle wire
> gets loose when the reed is dry, so two questions...
>
> 1. Why does the wire get loose...do I continue to leach something out of
> the cane every time I soak the reed causing it to shrink further?
>
> 2. Should the middle wire be re-tightened so that it always remains snug
> when the reed is dry? When the reed is well soaked, the wires are not
> loose...only when it's dry.
>
> Thanks.
> Mel Toub
>
>
>
>
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