Author: vboboe
Date: 2009-01-02 17:45
... i think this discussion's missing the most important feature of rubbing alchohol that should matter a lot to all of us as oboe players
-- it's for topical (external) use only
(ya, ya, external use is on reeds, but there are other ingredients in the formula, do they leave residuals that are harmless to the reed when dry but become a potent mini-concentration on the player's tongue when first contact is made with the other chemicals in saliva?)
-- it's poisonous to ingest or inhale the fumes
(ya, ya, use in well ventilated space, it's only used in very small amounts, and heck, it's not as toxic as cyanide ...)
-- since we oboe players already have to deal with stale air management as an ongoing condition of playing our fave instrument, it's very worrisome to me that anyone would knowingly increase their own personal level of environmental toxicity by using rubbing alcohol on their reeds, even if it is only a very small amount
-- rinsing off played reeds in fresh water, and then air-drying them thoroughly and quickly is adequate enough to deter the growth of unwanted germs, because they don't have enough water to get on with their lives, they're too thirsty, they'll go into suspended animation until conditions are better -- such as leaving the reed too long wetting-up in water ...
-- to air-dry my reeds quickly i put them in those airy oboe reed guards, or i prop the lid open on the reed-case overnight, especially when the house night temperature is cold in winter and slows evaporation rate
-- it makes far more sense to me to 'sanitize' the oboe player's huge area of mouth, teeth, tongue and throat -- and even sinuses with that nettipot! - - before starting to play than get squeamishly obsessive about sanitizing the tiny little reed -- straining at gnats & swallowing camels so to speak
-- the other thing that occurs to me is that since alcohols are known to dissolve natural oils & resins, for example, vodka or gin makes an excellent steeping fluid to extract herbal oils from fresh plants, it seems likely to me that rubbing alcohol would chemically interact with the resinous waxy content in the outer bark left on reeds, weakening the very structures that are left on when cutting to give strong support to the reed ... and that would lead to early collapse of the aperture
-- experiment question -- those of you who do tanning salons in winter, maybe take your older reeds along, theoretically exposure to UV would sanitize them, and perhaps harden them up a bit too? Anybody done that and can tell us?
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