 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: krawfish3x
Date: 2003-08-17 16:02
today i went to play my saxophone and my reeds were covered in green mold(the fuzzy kind). this has happened before a few times. i first had them in a vandoren reed case, then i took the disicant out, then i just put them in a zip-lock bag and still mold. ive gone through at least 9 reeds due to mold. any suggestions on how i can keep these reeds and not have them grow mold?
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2003-08-17 16:14
Hey Kraw, where yah at, Guam? How's the "hume-diddly"? If the Eastern seaboard they have been getting a LOT of mosture lately,How You? Makes a big difference. (Another vote for synthetic reeds?) Bob A
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2003-08-17 18:11
You do dry them off before putting them away, no? Gently get rid of any excess moisture with your fingers. If you like, give it a little "seal" (swipe your finger between your eye and nose and apply a bit of that ick to the reed) just before you put the reed away, after wiping off the reed's moisture.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2003-08-17 19:31
(Disclaimer - I sell Thirsty Reed Pads, desiccants, RH indicator strips and ReedLife). In Georgia we have severe humidity problems during the Summer months so I am used to addressing the moldy reed syndrome. Reeds will not mold if the Relative Humidity (RH) is less than 50%. The reeds should be dried as flat as possible and then stored in a container with low RH (preferably 35-45%). You can squeeze the moisture out of the reed with a swipe on a clean dry cloth (pants work for many) and then dried on a piece of glass or other flat surface - my preference is to suck the moisture out on a flat absorbent surface. The reeds can then be placed in a low humidity environment as fancy as a cigar humidor with special salt solutions to control RH or as simple as a sealed plastic container (the new disposable food storage containers at the grocery store will work) with a desiccant such as silica gel. A RH indicator such as a guage or chemical strip indicator will let you know that your desiccant is still working and the RH in the chamber. To kill the mold spores and clean the reeds you can use a sanitizing solution such a hydrogen peroxide based solution. Straight hydrogen peroxide (drug store 3%) will remove natural oils, natural cane humectants, etc. if used too often. These are approaches that work for me.
The Doctor
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Author: Burt
Date: 2003-08-17 20:36
Don't store your reeds in a nearly airtight container such as a ziplock bag. The moisture left after playing needs a way to get out. (My clarinet and sax cases are leaky enough that they are not a problem.) Since I don't keep dessicant in my cases, I don't know how many damp reeds it would take to consume the dessicant. I can't imagine any room environment which is humid enough to make your reeds moldy.
I made the same mistake with clarinet reeds a few years ago. Soaking them in hydrogen peroxide (3% - the kind used for first aid) reclaimed some of them.
From the Dallas TX area - granted it's not the most humid place in the country.
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Author: Mark P. Jasuta
Date: 2003-08-17 21:01
krawfish3x,
My daughter had the same Vandoren reed case you have. The problem is you have to change or reactivate the desiccant frequently. A high maintenance case to say the least. What I did is remove the desiccant and drill some holes to let it breath. Finally said 'the hell with it." and bought her a mahogany Harris case.
Best Regards
Mark
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Author: krawfish3x
Date: 2003-08-17 21:02
i dont think its the humidity is that bad, it probably was the case being air tight. thanks for the help guys.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-08-19 12:18
I have taken to storing my reeds in the refridgerator.
It's the only dry place in my home...
PS - To 'shave' the blue fur, a capful of bleach diluted in a 750ml spray bottle of water really works. Use a paper towel to wipe off the deceased sporangia and dispose of the remains.
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Author: Matt Locker
Date: 2003-08-19 12:19
Krawfish:
I believe that the problem with the VD case is that there is no way for the moisture to get out - that's why they have the dessicant. I pulled out the middle section of my VD case and then used a drill to open a small 3/16" slot at the reed tip end of the OUTER case. This allows the moisture to escape and cures the problem.
MOO,
Matt
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-08-19 14:33
Don't use the ziplok bag that you had your lunch in.
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Author: moose6589
Date: 2003-08-21 13:47
Yes, i use the doctor's thirsty reed thing, and dessicants, and the mold still comes. I live in Taiwan, tropical island, Guam-like. What should I do? Does the doctor's dessicant canisters work better than the dessicant bags? argh! darned mold. I hate it.
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Author: VermontJM
Date: 2003-08-21 15:57
It's been so damp and humid around here (I'm in Vermont) that I opened my case to find moldy reeds last night... I am just waiting for the dry weather to get here... Not much more to do than that!
Jodi
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