Klarinet Archive - Posting 000419.txt from 1996/11

From: Jacqueline Eastwood <eastwooj@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Vandoren reeds
Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 15:54:56 -0500

On Mon, 18 Nov 1996, KIMBERLY L. RIECK wrote:

> > I have been through the reed knife (useless for tip work), X-acto
> > knife (great but encourages gouging and overworking or "spotting"
> > and hence uneven voicing), and presently have returned to fine
> > sandpaper. I feel the fine sandpaper allows me to *preserve
> > the manufacturer's slope*. Thoughts? ----Bill Fogle.
>
> (I'm putting my two cents into the cause now)
> My intructor told me to never use sandpaper because it leaves
> unwanted residue on the reed.
> I was a frequent sandpaper user myself until he told me this.
> bye
> Kimberly Rieck
> UW-Superior
>
Bill, worry not! Yet another reason why I like to use water to soak reeds
-- when you're sanding or scraping, simply dip the reed in the water and
the "sawdust" comes off. And of course, use 3M wet-or-dry sandpaper. The
only unwanted residue I ever get on my reeds is the faint black moldy junk
that appears after a long period of use! Personally, I only use sandpaper
for the backs, preferring to use a knife on the front. But you have to be
awfully good and extremely patient or you'll gouge it. I would think that
sanding in one direction (up) with a fine grain (400 or 600) paper would
be OK, but isn't it hard to get the exact spots you want?

Jacqueline