 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-03-02 01:25
I really like the Vandoren Reed Resurfacer: a small piece of etched glass, complete with a stick with similar etched glass, that's used to adjust reeds.
http://www.vandoren-en.com/Reed-resurfacer_a101.html
I know others feel the same way given discussion of this product on the bboard in thread's past. For me, it's like the "Everylasting Gobstopper" (a Willy Wonka reference) of sandpaper in its tendency to not easier wear out. I don't much use the stick, instead applying ATG like principles solely to the glass plate.
My question is whether anyone knows of someone who sells such etched glass plates. $50 seems like a lot of money to pay Vandoren for a 2" X 3" piece of etched glass.
Thanks.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2015-03-02 01:34
any good glass repair shop (that repairs mirrors, lamps, door windows etc) might have a shard or two lying around.
Internet? Not so much I'd think.
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Ben
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Author: ClaV
Date: 2015-03-02 01:39
ATG actually does not have etched glass. Ours got "etched" quite a bit from the sandpaper. So it may be easier to finish your favourite piece of glass to the desired roughness with a sand paper.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2015-03-02 01:48
I'm a retired stained glass designer-builder. The etched glass I bought or etched myself looked milky (translucent or even close to opaque) but felt nearly smooth or only slightly grainy to the touch. It would have been useless for adjusting reeds. If the glass you want has a truly sandpaper-like texture that can wear away at the reed, then I doubt that you could get that glass cheaply or free as scrap from a stained glass supply shop or window repair / replacement shop. Worth a try, of course -- good suggestion, Ben -- but the glass in the reed-adjustment tool sounds specialized to me and outside the normal realm of lamps, mirrors and windows. I'm not even sure how I'd create such a texture if I wanted one -- although I never tried, so maybe people in one of those shops would know how to get that surface for less than the retail price of the tool.
(Acid etching at home without the proper training and safety gear is extemely dangerous, btw. Don't even think about it.)
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-03-02 02:30
Acid etching uses hydrofluoric acid which is really nasty stuff that you do not want to get anywhere near you, let alone on you in any quantity.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2015-03-02 04:47
A friend of mine has an etched glass nail file...I would think it would work really well on reeds...it certainly takes care of hangnails in a hurry. That would take care of half of what you need. Not sure where to get the 3"x4" piece though.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2015-03-02 20:56
But why is glass better than metal or sandpaper? Sandpaper is super-cheap. Metal lasts just about forever when used on something as soft as a reed. Glass has one big fault as a material for making a tool: it's breakable. (I'd love to have a great reed for every time I've dropped tools on the floor.)
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2015-03-02 21:42
because glass is amorph. There's no crystalline structure that messes with your reeds, resulting in a purer sound.
![[tongue]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie6.gif)
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Ben
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-03-02 22:06
Lelia:
I not only see your point but should rightfully yield right of way to you considering this is an area I know as little about as you, and your avocation in it, must know tons about.
I like the etched glass not so much to save money on sandpaper but it's easier for me to pop my little vandoren plate of etched glass in a clarinet case, and know, unlike sandpaper, that its ability to remove reed material isn't compromised (as much) with each use.
Yes, in both cases, one must clean the gritty surface of shaved materials periodically to achieve good results--it's just that the glass lasts, while sanding via classic ATG methods involves the teardown and reassemble time/costs of the sandpaper.
In fairness, Tom Ridenour's ATG sanding block has designed contour in it that conforms to the reed contour of having its center and distance from the tip is consistent with greater thickness.
Metal of course, not to mention clarinets, finds you on "the long TSA line," when boarding planes. ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
I sometimes wonder if the Reed Geek product niche wasn't, for all intents and purposes, effectively created by heightened airport security, and the need to place sharps like reed knives in non-carry on luggage.
Roxann: the nail files...super suggestion....perfect thanks.
Post Edited (2015-03-02 22:09)
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Author: donald
Date: 2015-03-02 22:58
About 10 years ago I investigated this- and got a glass-work workshop nearby to make me 1) a reed stick and 2) a glass plate like the Vandoren products. Unfortunately the abrasive surface was too fine- even in their "most rough" surface. I understand that in order to make a surface with the abrasive qualities required they'd need to make changes to their production that makes it uneconomic for "one off" production.
You might find a different situation, but that's what happened here.
dn
Post Edited (2015-03-02 23:29)
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