 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: cpark
Date: 2007-05-18 21:42
I started another post on curing a while back but I wanted to post on a specific issue.
Most reed makers seems to have their own method to cure cane. All with the end goal of reducing warpage. Most seem to agree it works but the evidence for it is little more than anecdotal...not at all scientific.
Is there a scientific explanation to curing? If you really think about it, why would cane warp less upon repetitions of wetting and drying, as if a piece of cane will arrive at some sort of final state where it will no longer warp .
One theme I've noticed in most curing processes is that upon each wetting and drying cycle you do less each time. Less time soaking each time and flattening the blank on sandpaper after each round of curing. Wouldn't the fact that you are soaking the reed for less time automatically lead to less warpage?
Also many people only cure the cane in tube form, no longer curing it once it's become a blank. So for these makers they don't really give their blanks the harsh abuse of curing in the final stages, and must just assume it's 'cured' and their reeds are stable.
In reality the cane never sees the harsh abuse it will get in the curing process. Wouldn't a better solution be to keep the cane at a similar humidity at all stages and ideally the same level it will be at in your humidity controlled reed case(yes they exist and do work).
I welcome thoughts from reed makers/woodworkers/scientifically inclined out there on the bboard who have some knowledge on the subject. I'd like to avoid any anecdotal evidence thanks.
-Chris
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2007-05-18 23:27
(Disclaimer - I raise Arundo Donax Musicalis genetically transformed cane, cure, and make reeds)
Part of the answer to your question is economic and part tradition but the scientific aspects have been by no means fully explained either.
Usually cane is harvested in the second year + in the cold or dormant months so that as little moisture is present as possible. It is sun cured which reduces the moisture levels and turns it from green to golden color. The cane is then cut at the internodes and put into moisture permeable bags of a standard weight. It is sold at auction and then sent to the manufacturer who will further age it from 1 to 3+ years in temperature and humidity controlled warehouses (ideally ??). The cane is then graded by thickness and diameter and split into semi-circular pieces for manufacturing into reeds. All of this has evolved from an economic and traditional perspective.
The problems arise in warpage because cane grows in a tube and we make flat reeds out of part of the semi-circle and the tubules conducting moisture and the associated structure wants to be circular again when moisture is allowed to flow through the tubules.
Partial reed blanks which were overall larger than the anticipated reed form that were wet and then dried in a cycle (who knows what is best?) and then manufactured might? warp less than reeds manufactured directly from the aged split cane but I do not know of a scientifically designed study to testing this - maybe not.
The historical perspective is that the several year aging process stabilizes the cane sufficiently that warpage is minimal (no proof that I know documenting this) after reeds are manufactured.
The economic part would be the extra steps and time needed to cycle reed blanks through hydration and dehydration before final finishing. Is the potential of reduced warpage worth these extra steps ? - this would have to be proven. I would guess that the answer would be no because of the variability already seen in reeds manufactured presently. Would people pay $40.00 per box of reeds that were not much, much, better than the present $20.00 per box high end reeds? Good question.
If you want to do it yourself that might be a good thing to do - would manufacturers do it - probably not economically feasible.
L. Omar Henderson
www.doctorsprod.com
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