Doublereed Archive - Posting 000016.txt from 2009/08

From: "Miriam Williams" <mwquacker@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [DR-L] mandrels and tubes (oboe)
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:56:26 -0400

I seem to recall that some oboe reed makers do not even use a mandrel, that
it's mostly used to give the reedmaker something more to hold on to. I'm
sure I don't have the email any longer, but maybe someone could track it
down in the archives -- that it was Jennifer Paull (gosh I miss her) that
said "there's no way on God's green earth that the staple will get crushed
in the tying on process" or something close to that.

I like using the mandrel for the purpose of having a better grip, and also
to align the cane on the tube, although I've given up tying & scraping. Too
hard on the hands (arthritic thumb joints).

In examining a student's store-bought reed (it was v flat), I found that the
end of it was easily crushed! Never saw that before. I suspect it was a
faulty seam.

My $0.02
Miriam

----- Original Message -----
From: "Herb Fawcett" <herbgosia@-----.net>
To: <doublereed@-----.org>
Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 11:52 AM
Subject: Re: [DR-L] mandrels and tubes (oboe)

> Sarah,
> Thanks for the note; it would be great to start from a step or two in
> front
> of the beginning.
> Sol Schoenbach handed me a bunch of "staples" when I was in school and
> suggested I tie them up, actually screw it together. The way it worked was
> by a threaded barrel closing over the cane against a cast tube. It
> required
> re-shaping the cane, it leaked, and in general was fubar.
> So far, I have succeeded in placing a sort of staple in the tube, but
> after
> forming the blank. Too soon to know, but it may help with consistency of
> the
> tube. From whom did you obtain the Heckelphone staples? Heckel? My source
> of
> tubing is limited and there is a lot of work involved in the stretching
> and
> swaging the stuff into a conical form.
> Thanks,
> Herb
>
>
> On 8/17/09 5:12 AM, "Sarah Cordish" <cordish@-----.il> wrote:
>
>> Herb,
>>
>> Somewhere deep in past IDRS journals from several years ago is an article
>> by
>> a bassoon reed maker who espoused tying bassoon reeds to metal staples as
>> a
>> way of stabilizing the reed. The author was of the opinion that the
>> stapled
>> bassoon reeds performed better and were more consistent.
>>
>> One would have to do a search on the IDRS site to find this article. I
>> don't remember when it was published. But, if you want to build on
>> someone
>> else's experience, it might be worth looking for his article.
>>
>> I remember when I read the article being intrigued to try it some day.
>> What
>> I also remember is that he said heckle reed staples made the best tubes
>> for
>> bassoon reeds; but it is very hard to find them.
>>
>> Things have changed since then; and heckelphone staples are available
>> these
>> days with the new wave of heckelphone fans. I bought a couple staples
>> from
>> Germany out of curiosity; and they do look plausible for bassoon.
>>
>> I thought of this again when I had to go tighten the wires of my reeds
>> following the heat wave -- also, when my second wire broke in the middle
>> of
>> rehearsal. Maybe it is time to try that staple idea.
>>
>> Sarah
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Herb Fawcett" <herbgosia@-----.net>
>> To: <doublereed@-----.org>
>> Sent: Monday 17 August 2009 09:34
>> Subject: Re: [DR-L] mandrels and tubes (oboe)
>>
>>
>>> Phil,
>>> I have wondered in the past how that system worked if you used thread
>>> that
>>> would not stretch, such as silk. Nylon for bassoon reeds is really
>>> troublesome, but I suppose many have adapted to it. The elasticity can
>>> cause
>>> the tubes to collapse, and I think cotton is far superior for wrapping
>>> bassoon reeds. Aggressively stretching the nylon could cause collapse of
>>> an
>>> unsupported tube.
>>> Nylon cord may in fact be a solution in the system of retro-fitted
>>> staples
>>> (for bassoon reeds) that I am exploring. So far, the system is tedious,
>>> but
>>> promising. Swaging may be a better way to accurately form the smaller
>>> end
>>> of
>>> the tubes, as stock tubing doesn't come in ideal sizes. I have annealed
>>> and
>>> opened the one end of the tube, but the small end may still prove to be
>>> too
>>> large for my purpose.
>>> Herb
>>>
>>>
>>> On 8/16/09 10:23 PM, "philfrei@-----.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Just curious. Has anyone actually damaged an oboe staple by tying it on
>>>> a mandrel that did not fit the tube exactly?
>>>>
>>>> Yes, it is nice to get a perfect fit, to ensure that all of one's
>>>> staples are identical. But if, for example, one misplaces one's mandrel
>>>> and borrows another that is a little snug, is there any danger in
>>>> tying? The metal in those tubes is pretty strong, it seems to me, and
>>>> the shape should be pretty resistant to compression, especially given
>>>> that the force of the string is pressing in from all sides, even if it
>>>> overhangs the mandrel a couple millimeters.
>>>>
>>>> Phil Freihofner
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
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>
>
>
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