Author: johnt
Date: 2008-07-30 21:06
Hello Clare,
Well, we've all been just where you are. So don't beat yourself up over it. You need to ask your teacher to establish with you what the optimum tie length is for the shaped cane & staples you have. For now, try lengthening the cane on the staple about a millimeter at a time, trial & error. I suspect you are probably tying too short. If you have been trying to tie at 72 mm. or less try 73 or even 74. Instead of jiggling the cane, hit & miss, try simply lifting or pushing the cane away from the side that closes first. The ultimate goal is to have the two sides close at the same time a wrap before the one that puts the thread at the top of the staple but no farther. Make sure that the cane is oriented on the staple. The axes (x & y) of the oval at the top of the staple must match the axes (x & y) of the cane. The way to do this is to sight down the flat part of the mandrel handle. The end of the cane where the fold is should match the planar surface of the mandrel handle. If the cane is off kilter, it needs to be straightened on the tube before proceeding. Then the cane must be straight up, not cocked to either left or right as you look at the reed. All this must be done before you cross the thread over & begin wrapping down towards the cork. Tying is a task which must be mastered before scraping begins. There is no future in trying to scrape a reed which is not closed on both sides all the way from top of staple to tip. It will surely leak. Fishskin or teflon tape are emergency measures to be used as a last resort. If you are not having success after following the above procedures, then I would suspect that the cane you are using is faulty, either not shaped properly or warped to some extent, precluding its closing in a proper manner. Ask your teacher to walk you through the steps on Friday. It is paramount to get the cane positioned first before applying constant tension to the thread.
I use a fist size wooden dowel, 4.25 inches long & 5/8" in diameter. I find the spool too cumbersome. I measure 42" of FF thread, apply beeswax & then lay one end of the thread in the slot of a round headed screw & wrap the thread about a half dozen turns around the screw shank. Then I take the other end & wrap it around the dowel. The screw is in a plank anchored to my reed table by two C clamps. I think you will find it much easier to maintain proper tension using this method. If you wrap your reeds using the spool, much of the tension is lost by the thread burying itself in the wraps on the spool. With the dowel, of course, there is none of this.
Email me <gtowle839@sbcglobal.net> or call me (1-831-484-2316) if you want to discuss or clarify any of the above.
Best,
john
|
|
The Oboe BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
