Klarinet Archive - Posting 000494.txt from 1996/02

From: Teri Herel <Herelt@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: conditioning reeds by soaking
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 10:50:48 -0500

In a message dated 96-02-15 16:26:45 EST, bfogle@-----.EDU (Bill Fogle) writes:

> I've seen this "soak 'em first" wisdom posted here a couple of times.
> I've always wanted to ask: don't you find the reeds warp and the tips go
> wacky when you put them through this wet-to-dry-to-wet cycle? My latest
> vision for reed longevity is the idea of "minimizing" extreme humidity
> swings. I've actually had some exciting success lately by controlling
> humidity with damp paper towels in my reed holder and stuff (no I don't
> sell reed holders! Promise!).

The idea, Bill, is to get them to warp! Then you sand out all the warpage
(avoiding the tip) and theoretically you've gotten rid of most of the warping
that reed is going to do before you ever play on it, making it much more
stable. I soak them, dry them, and sand them three times before I play them.
Does it really work? I think so. However once you leave a fifteen dollar
box of reeds soaking overnight by mistake, you'll wonder if it's really worth
it...

Teri Herel