 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: joannew
Date: 2006-08-01 19:50
neat - this stuff really works!
I came across some funny looking plants this summer that a botany book identified as reed rush. I have heard that this is the traditional material for sanding reeds, but have never actually seen it before. So I picked a few stalks, and had my first chance to try it out today. Lo and behold... a few swipes across the back of a stuffy reed seems to do the trick!
(I realize this is probably not news to most of you, but a nice surprise for me!)
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Author: BobD
Date: 2006-08-01 23:03
Hank, are horsetails the same as cat tails? You know, the ones we used to make "punk" out of?
Bob Draznik
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-08-02 02:04
I suppose we should now enter the age old debate:
"How to Use Reed Rush"
1. Use the reed rush dry, as is
2. Wet it and flatten it before use...GBK
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Author: FDF
Date: 2006-08-02 02:51
I’m certainly not an expert, but I’ve been getting good results from using commercial reed rush wet. First, I use snake slip, a fine abrasive used by artists on lithograph stones, to take the reed down, then brush the abrasion with reed rush and fine tune spots that are thicker than desired. Lately, I’ve received good results, but it requires patient application and trial over a period of time.
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Author: susieray
Date: 2006-08-02 02:55
Giant horsetail grows in the California Redwoods area; it's HUGE. I live about 70 miles from the Redwoods, so we drive down that way pretty often on our way to the beach, which is another 10 miles past that. I have never picked any of it though, in fact I am not sure if collecting plants is allowed there. Oh well.
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Author: Shawn
Date: 2006-08-03 13:00
Has anyone tried to collect a sample and grow it for their own use? This is the only thing I use for balancing reeds.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2006-08-03 13:05
Hi Shawn,
I think the sandy soil is an important part of the plant's habitat. All of the growths that I have found are usually in that type soil and quite moist as well. Ask a naturalist for more expert advice.
HRL
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Author: susieray
Date: 2006-08-03 14:01
The main requirement is dampness, it is a bog plant. It grows along the irrigation canals here in Grants Pass and in the Redwoods where it is pretty damp.
Yes you can grow it if you have a spot wet enough for it. In fact you can probably find a mail order nursery that sells plants of some variety or other of horsetail.
Sue
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Author: Bruno
Date: 2006-08-03 19:01
Number 600 wetordry abrasive paper works ten times better. You can use it dry, or Hey! you can use it wet. One 8" x 10" sheet will cost you a buck or two in your local hardware store and last about ten years (but maybe that takes the fun out of it for some, eh?). You can forget about having to "have patience" when you use 600 grit wetordry instead of rush, and you can enjoy the secret thrill of 1) knowing that you're using something that really works well because it was designed specifically for the job; that is to say, smoothing a surface and removing material in a controlled manner, and 2) you'll feel good because you've jumped into the twenty-first century with both feet.
while you're out to the hardware store, stop off at the local glass shop and ask the proprietor if he'll cut you a piece of 4" X 8" (or so) plate glass and polish the edges so they won't cut your finger. Tell him any glass that's 1/4" inch thick won't do; it has to be plate glass, which is absolutely flat and level (unwavy). If you smile and catch him on a slow day he might not even charge you, especially when you tell him you're a clarinet player and will use the super-level and smooth glass surface to work on your reeds.
b.
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Author: John O'Janpa
Date: 2006-08-03 21:27
I bought some young plants and keep them in a flower pot on my deck. I water them frequently so that there is always some water in the dish under the pot.
They are still gaining size, so i haven't tried harvesting any yet.
I bought them as a nostalgic reminder of my youth, but will try harvesting some once they are large and abundant.
Some people grow them on the edges of ponds, fish ponds, etc.
They like a lot of moisture and I'm told a lot of fertilizer.
I bought six clumps of them for $8 including shipping.
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Author: Shawn
Date: 2006-08-04 12:11
John,
Do you remember where you ordered your sample? I think that sounds cool.
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Author: John O'Janpa
Date: 2006-08-04 14:12
I got mine from an internet auction site using a search for horsetail.
Lots of sellers at all different prices.
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Author: joannew
Date: 2006-08-06 08:10
My reed rush looks a bit different from the horsetail picture linked from the other thread, although a google images search didn't come up with what I have. At each node towards the top of the stem the plant had a round of needle-like leaves. The younger greenest stems are really easy to pop apart at the nodes, the older yellower ones needing a knife, so I only collected the green ones. They came from Texada Island, on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.
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