 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-06-19 19:17
I had 2 reeds that had chips on end and didnt play well. Instead of discarding I decided to try clipping & sanding. First try at this. Read when sanding to wet reed and wet sandpaper. But if I wet, then fingers do not move reed, which sticks to paper since both are wet. Could it be that you sand dry and paper even though it said wet? Seems dry would work better.
Have only read a few instructional pages.
Also, is caliper used to measure thickness of blade end or simply put it on mouthpiece & try it? Any recommended websites for directions?
Post Edited (2015-06-19 19:39)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-06-19 20:57
It may very well be the grit is too big on your sandpaper. You can easily obtain 400 grit most anywhere and this should work. I have seen recommendations for the use of even finer grades 600 or 1000 (that are available at automotive repair places).
You really want to thin the reed ever so slightly so rubbing with anything rougher (320 etc) than 400 would not allow a gradual enough process.
For what it's worth, my feeble attempts were with dry sandpaper or wet 'reed rush' (another grass that has a ribbed outer exterior - when wet the tube will flatten and will work slowly enough for you to get the thickness you want).
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-06-19 21:42
BGBG wrote:
> Read when sanding to wet reed and wet
> sandpaper. But if I wet, then fingers do not move reed, which
> sticks to paper since both are wet.
Are you sanding the back (the flat surface) of the reed. My experience has always been better using dry abrasive and slightly dampening my fingertips to give some traction between them and the bark. But this is more often done to flatten the back or make the entire reed less stiff.
My impression is that most players who clip their reeds regularly compensate for the thicker tip that results by thinning it from the vamp surface (the tapered surface) very lightly and only in the tip area. You could do this (carefully - you don't want to scrape too much) with a knife or sandpaper (an ATG might be an ideal tool for this). In this instance, the reed stays still and the tool moves lightly.
> Have only read a few instructional pages.
> Also, is caliper used to measure thickness of blade end or
> simply put it on mouthpiece & try it? Any recommended websites
> for directions?
>
The trouble with a caliper is that you're measuring a tapered surface, and it's next to impossible without an accurate mechanical guide to get measurements at consistent locations. Most players just play the reed to test for improvement and stop when the reed plays acceptably.
Karl
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-06-19 23:52
My present paper is 400 and I was sanding the cut part of the tapered surface especially at the end to thin it, by holding it with thumb and finger and pulling away from tip like it was a paintbrush and I was painting the sandpaper. Since clipped it is shorter and thicker and I am trying to thin tip. I started at first by laying it on flat bottom and holding with 3 fingers and that is when it stuck. Couldnt move it. Guess you use dry paper to sand flat bottom. I know nothing about this and the articles I read were not extremely detailed. I do have finer paper to 2000 grit. To quantify I was doing 10 stroke groups then testing after 2 or 3 groups. Have no guidelines-learning as I go. Havent found a really detailed article, but every little tip helps. When reed is wet I lay it on glass on flat bottomside to dry because it seemed correct to do so. Then put it back into holder after awhile. Just play for myself so no need for perfection. Have reeds, can afford reeds, but just wanted to learn how to fix chipped ones if I could. Had a feeling a caliper wasnt of much use.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-06-20 00:19
BGBG wrote:
> When reed is wet I lay it on glass on flat
> bottomside to dry because it seemed correct to do so. Then put
> it back into holder after awhile.
Dry it with the flat side *up* to avoid warping. The cane needs to dry evenly in all directions. If the flat bottom surface is against the glass, evaporation can only be from the vamp (cut portion) and the wood will tend to bend up toward the dry surface on top. With the flat side up and the taper down, evaporation is from all open surfaces (excluding the part covered by the bark).
Karl
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Author: knotty
Date: 2015-06-20 00:27
BGBG: "Had a feeling a caliper wasnt of much use."
Perhaps a dial indicator setup will work, have the dial button just touching a sheet of glass. Then slide various parts of the reed between the glass and button. Just thinking aloud.
~ Musical Progress: None ~
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-06-20 01:47
There is actually a commercially made version of this - Ben Armato's Perfecta-reed. It includes a table to lay the reed on with markings to help locate the gauge and five different fixed positions across the table to position the gauge across the reed's width. It's pricey. Resistance in a reed - stiffness - is a function of the particular piece of cane's physical characteristics - density, elasticity, etc. - as well as its thickness at any point in the taper. Two reeds of equal dimensions can be very different in resistance - indeed, most of the reed manufacturers, AFAIK, grade their reed into strengths by testing their stiffness *after* they have all been cut to the same specs.
You can tell something about a reed's balance (whether or not it's thickness is equal on both sides) with a Perfecta-reed, assuming the entire reed is of uniform density, but it may be an expensive way to do what simple play-testing can do for free.
Karl
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Author: BGBG
Date: 2015-06-20 02:04
OK, dry with flat side up. I had a feeling I was wrong about that.
Believe testing it is better than spending lots of $$ on calipers.
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Author: knotty
Date: 2015-06-20 04:38
Interesting Karl the Ben Armato tool, I'm not aware of all the tools available. I have several Starrett dial indicators with various mounts where I can probably fashion a reed reader but like you say, just put the reed on and play.
~ Musical Progress: None ~
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-06-20 06:06
Try wet/dry sandpaper, as used in Ridenour's ATG system.
Klingspor Brand is one of the industry leaders in such products.
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