Klarinet Archive - Posting 000305.txt from 1996/11

From: "David B. Niethamer" <niethamer@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Cleaning Vandoren Reed Guard
Date: Thu, 14 Nov 1996 18:45:55 -0500

David Blumberg wrote:

>Also, heat up the crystals with a hair dryer to dry them out- they sometimes
>give off too much moisture. And last of all, make sure that your reeds are
>wiped off (excess moisture) before you put them in the case. I remove the
>crystals, or even take off the top in the summer.

The crystals *attract* the moisture from the reeds, much like those cheap
buckets of crystals you can put in your closet to "dehumidify" it. So,
unless they have a great deal of excess moisture (which happens here in
Richmond, humidity capital of the world!), they wouldn't "give off"
moisture.

So, the hair dryer is a great idea - thanks David! Also, definitely
remove any excess surface moisture. Flattening the back of the reed on a
piece of plain paper also helps, and helps the performance of the reed
the next time. Also, I can't remember where, but you can buy replacement
tubes of the crystals if you need to - probably in all the ususal places
(Weiner, WW&Brasswind, etc.). I recommend leaving the top off the case in
the summer (when you can - obviously not in the instrument case while
transporting it somewhere). Even without the top, the case keeps the
drying process from happening too quickly, which is what causes warping
(fast, uneven drying of the cane).

David

David Niethamer
Principal Clarinet, Richmond Symphony
niethamer@-----.edu
dbnclar1@-----.com
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/