Klarinet Archive - Posting 000180.txt from 2001/10

From: "Kevin Fay" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Reed Resurfacer
Date: Mon, 8 Oct 2001 12:16:20 -0400

Abe Galper posted concerning Vandoren's Reed Resurfacer:

<<<I myself use something like this by having a plate of glass with some
abrasive paper on it. I merely hold the abrasive paper down on the glass and
move the reed up and down.

I use garnet 150 to get the wood I want off.>>>

I did this, too -- it's amazing how a little flattening can make an
"unplayable" reed your very favorite. This worked so well for me that when
I was in school I carried a plate of glass and some sandpaper in my case
cover. The second time I had a case cover full of broken glass, my teacher
Bill McColl made another suggestion: the "bastard file." (This is the BIG
one, with no handle, that you can get at Wal-Mart or Home Depot.)

Apparently, files are made to extremely close tolerances. I zip the reed up
the file, and it's flattened right quick. A few strokes with a toothbrush
and the file is clean and ready for the next reed.

The result is pretty much the same as the sandpaper and glass, only no
broken glass. Unfortunately, the file weighs a bit, and I'll have to
remember to take it out of the case if I want to bring the clarinets on an
airplane. On the good side, I've had the same file for about 18 years, and
it appears to still work just fine.

YMMV,

kjf

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