 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dominic
Date: 2005-06-29 23:22
Hi
Im off to the Philippines very soon and I will be bringing my clarinet with me. As this is the first time I am travelling with my clarinet - how would the high humidity conditions in the Philippines affect the clarinet and reeds. I have a 10yr Buffet R13s and uses Marca and Gonzales FOF reeds.
Any advice is much appreciated!
Thanks
Dominic
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Author: DavieCane01
Date: 2005-06-30 03:29
Dominic,
I expect that your tenons might swell. Bring plenty of cork grease! (Doctor Syntek will be best for this) I've known people to leave the case closed for a couple of days whenever they change climates, to allow the horns to acclimate slowly. I don't have much of an opinion on this. Maybe someone else can add to this...?
I live in Florida, so I know humidity. Your reeds will saturate quickly, since they won't really ever dry out 100%. Once they're broken in, that shouldn't be a problem. After all, they're pretty much 100% saturated when you're playing. Sizes shouldn't change drastically, but feel might. Remember that altitude changes have a bigger effect on reeds then anything. Be prepared. If you're going up, you'll need softer reeds; going down, harder.
Enjoy your trip!
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Author: claaaaaarinet!!!!
Date: 2005-07-01 14:31
I took a wooden clarinet to Florida one summer and naively left it in storage there for two months. The storage place was not air conditioned or climate controlled in any way. When I finally took it out of the case again, it had a white residue and a nasty smell. Don't do this! If you play the clarinet regularly and keep it in air conditioning most of the time, however, I think it will be fine. I actually prefer how my reeds play when the weather is hot and humid!
On a side note, if your trip is fairly short and is not clarinet related, I would advise just leaving your clarinets at home. I have traveled extensively (clarinet related and otherwise), and if I can afford to leave my instruments behind, I do. You're going to be in the Philippines! Clarinet can wait a month or two. Plus, you will find that dragging your instruments through airport security and through the streets of Manila is a real, well, drag. It's also a liability.
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Author: Dominic
Date: 2005-07-01 18:36
Thanks guys! I know - I'm a bit apprehensive taking my clarinet with me but I'm having some clarinet lessons with someone from the PPO (Philippines Philharmonic Orchestra) and might do some auditions as well. I'll probably just take my Bb (Mozart Cl Conc on the Bb - sorry guys! lol ). Hopefully, I won't have too many problems with the airport security (UK - AMS - MNL). Also, we don't have any air-cons, so I guess I must ensure that I swab the clarinet thoroughly before putting it away.
Thanks for the advice!
Regards
Dominic
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2005-07-02 13:48
(Disclaimer- I sell humidity control items)
We are in the lazy-hazy days of summer here in Georgia and temperatures are over ninety and so is the the relative humidity. As with most of my products they are created from self-defense so you can control the RH within your case and reeds by using a desiccant - and IMHO your need a measuring device to tell you what the RH really is. You can get the silica gel canisters for free often from the pharmacy from those that are used to keep medicines dry in the bottles. Reeds can be kept from mold by using a zip lock bag (the new freezer kind are less prone to take up water vapor than the regular ones) with desiccant too. Of course air conditioning removes moisture too.
L. Omar Henderson
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Author: sara
Date: 2005-07-03 01:36
Mr. Henderson,
I have a question about the silica gel canisters. Do you mean to keep it in the clarinet case? Am I right to assume that they are not harmful to the instrument? (Ie, is it toxic or is there a danger of cracking the clarinet?)
Would you please tell me where else one may get one besides the pharmacy?
Thank you
Sara
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2005-07-03 02:08
(Disclaimer - I sell humidity control and monitoring products)
The silica gel canisters that they use in pharmacy pill bottles are little plastic cylinders about 3/4" long and 1/2" in diameter. The ends have tiny holes but on the inside of the canisters there is a dust proof permable membrane between the silica gel and the holes. The plastic cylinder is heat sealed. In this way the silica gel dust cannot get out of the canister but water vapor can be absorbed through the holes and permeable membrane. They are perfectly safe to put in your case and even in contact with the clarinet. Their safety is indicated by their use inside bottles of drugs and pills. Silica gel packets which come in many things including electronics can be problematic if the paper membrane in broken or abraded and silica gel dust leaks out. We have had discussions a long time ago about the potential toxcitiy of the silica gel used in these cheap packets that is contaminated in manufacture with other toxic substances. The canisters can be purchased in bulk from packaging wholesalers that sell packaging materials to the pharmaceutical industry - unfortunately usually in lots of 1-10 K canisters. Try the local pharmacist for discarded canisters.
IMHO the prudent thing to do is keep the clarinet in an airconditioned environment - if not, then you should use a hygrometer or chemical RH indicator strip to tell you what the RH is in the case and use desiccant to bring down the RH or a humidifier to raise the RH to between 50-65% RH. Long term storage above 50-55% RH may allow mold and mildew to grow in the case and on the clarinet. Short term excursions in humid environments are a way of life for many however!
L. Omar Henderson
Post Edited (2005-07-03 02:12)
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