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Re: Anyone storing wooden reeds in a fridge?

Author: Micke Isotalo ★2017
Date: 2017-10-16 23:11

Karl: Your experience may very well be different, but as an example I can't remember any of my reeds having a wrinkled tip when humidity is + 50 %. Between 40-50 % some starts wrinkling, and below 40 even more reeds are doing that.

In summertime with natural indoor humidity of 50-70 % I get a lot more playable reeds and reeds with better response than from those kept in an environment of 15-30 % humidity in wintertime. Even some more or less unplayable reeds kept in such conditions during the winter becomes playable during the summer.

My routine with my basement storage doesn't cause me trouble since my practice room is nextdoor to that basement compartment.

I'm also talking about storing hundreds of reeds, not just a six pack or similar. Though I may not be playing on hundreds of reeds in one winter I would prefer to keep them all in the best possible playing condition, rather than just a few. A lot of these reeds (of a lot of different makes, models and strengths) are also kept for testing purposes when I'm trying out new equipment. Then it's convenient to have any reed playable at any time. Almost always another reed is a better match to a certain mouthpiece than the reeds I'm using on my own equipment.

Anyway, I'm not advocating a basement storage but just asking if someone have tried storing reeds in a fridge. Perhaps a crazy idea, but it came from the fact that the temperature in a fridge is similar as in my basement compartment.

At the same time I also realize that there are differences, as the walls in my basement which are of concrete and plaster and not of plastic and/or metal as in a fridge. It's also a lot bigger than a fridge.

However, before writing this I placed a humidity meter in my fridge and got a 44 % level of relative humidity at the upper shelf (temperature 8 degrees Celsius), while it was 39 % in the room (at 20 Celsius). However, on the lowest shelf the humidity was as much as 53 % and the temp was 5,3 Celsius. Thus actually a notable difference from the indoor level and perhaps I will try again later in the coming winter when indoor humidity is a lot lower.

If reed storing in a fridge actually works I can't see why it should be less convenient than storing them in any other place. Well, perhaps storing hundreds of reeds in your fridge may not make your spouse or the rest of your family too happy (with no room left for his or her beer, or the children's vegetable juices), but apart from that. And of course this would be a lot more convenient than building a basement, if you don't already have one :-)

Sorry if someone experienced this as an unnecessary topic, or if it even offended someone.

P.S: When I checked the meter again, it was up to 62 % humidity - still at the lowest shelf and with the same temperature as before. I know the response of this meter is somewhat slow.

Post Edited (2017-10-17 11:09)

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