 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: cpark
Date: 2007-05-05 17:14
What are some of the best methods and theories out there regarding curing cane?
I would like to avoid any posts about curing finished commercial reeds as that is a totally different animal.
I've tried curing after completing the blank, but the blank still ends up warping. Now I'm doing more curing in the tube stage in hopes that it will stabilize by the time it becomes a blank.
Some players advocate soaking the reed between every step and working on the cane while it is still wet. Others advocate only working on dry cane.
Bboard reed makers, what are your thoughts?
Best,
Chris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: crnichols
Date: 2007-05-05 18:55
It's rumored that Morree did his curing in the tube form rather than blank form. I've tried both ways, and the simple fact is that some warpage is inevitable...unless you happen upon that freak piece of wood. Of course the idea is to minimize this phenomenon, and I've found the best approach is to cure for 4 weeks or more, wetting once or twice a day and allowing to dry completely.
Christopher Nichols, D.M.A.
Assistant Professor of Clarinet
University of Delaware
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: RodRubber
Date: 2007-05-05 21:24
cpark,
Many reed handmakers feel that the "curing" process is not needed. I believe that too much soaking and drying takes away some sort of essential oil from the reed. I think the curing process is taking away some sort of vibrance from the reed. I think you should just take a tube, and make a reed. if that reed is really vibrant, make the rest of the reeds from the tube. I really feel like my hand made reeds made in this fashion stabilized rather quickly, and didn't warm much.
When i did try "curing" the reeds. I cured them as blanks and rubbed them on a bastard file to eliminate swelling. The reeds I made out of those blanks were never as vibrant as the ones i didn't cure. I tested this by using two blanks from the same tube, one cured one un cured (I did this with about a half dozen tubes). Obv this is not exactly scientific, because different parts of the tube can vary in density and vibrance for sure. However, in this experiment, i preferred the "un cured" reeds in every case.
Curing takes too long for me. I like instant results. The best reeds will play right off the dual, and will last a long time. They will also still sound good when they are soaked from initial playing.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cpark
Date: 2007-05-06 22:20
Rod Rubber,
Interesting take...i'd never heard that before, but I will take your advice and see how it works.
I've done a fair amount of curing on some of my cane but it has never gotten to the point where the blanks stop warping. I'm starting to believe that cane will warp every single time it's saturated so maybe I'm better off not curing. The cane does not get too saturated from normal playing anyhow.
Anyone else with thoughts on 'not curing'?
Thanks!
-Chris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Clarence
Date: 2007-05-06 22:41
I tried making oboe reeds from local cane without much success.
I may not have to right kind of cane.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
