Klarinet Archive - Posting 000631.txt from 2000/10

From: Gary Truesdail <gir@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Re: Warping Reeds
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 00:06:53 -0400

Wet lumber, placed on a flat surface (concrete walkway) for several days, waiting
to be used in a construction project, will begin to dry out on the surfaces
exposed to the air and heat of the sun with the greatest moisture loss on the
top. As the moisture leaves the wood the cells begin to shrink, but only on the
sides exposed to the air (which carries the molecules of water away) with a big
assist from any heat source (sun). As the cells shrink the lumber will begin to
pull together on the exposed surfaces while the unexposed surfaces remain
relatively unchanged for much longer period. This causes a change in the shape
and dimensions of the wood, sometimes to a degree that renders the lumber useful
for only the fireplace. This shrinkage is also affected, positively or
negatively, depending on how you view the results, by the thickness, amount,
length and direction of the wood grain in relation to the amount of pith between
the grain. The grain absorbs very little moisture whereas the pith absorbs the
most. As the pith takes up the water or saliva the soft cells expand more
rapidly than the harder grain cells and the reed will begin to ripple. If
allowed to soak freely and long enough both grain and pith will expand to almost
its original size where the ripples will almost disappear. Soak it too long and
it will become "water logged", something that can occur rather quickly with stock
other than Arundo Donax.

Saliva contains minerals and some acids which can dissolve some of the material
in the cane. Some of this mineral and dissolved material, now in liquid form,
will get deposited in other areas on the cane, particularly inside the ends of
the open cells. I wonder if this would contribute to the gradual dying of
response that can occur in a reed that was not 'prepared'.

Long ago I read that a well know player prepared his reeds simply by rubbing them
daily, top and bottom, so as to get his body oil on and into the reed,
effectively creating some small degree of barrier to the moisture.

So....... It seems to me that if one wishes to minimize the type of warpage
described above, (if it does in fact exist in reeds) one should do something that
prevents the moisture from reentering the cane in the first place. This is what
furniture refinishers do, why not clarinet players. It has been tried, remember
the dark, golden-brown reeds.

Everyones ideas on preparing the blanks or ready made reeds by sanding or
repeated wetting and storing to dry out, seem to be a way of either filling the
open ends of the cane pores with cane dust or bending over the ends of the open
pores. This sounds like an seal to me.

What does a dry piece of cane sound like? Do we really want to seal it?

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