Author: oboi
Date: 2012-07-20 06:33
Ooo, that crochet thread looks interesting, although I just buy the large 300 yard spools from double reed shops. I don't respool them, unlike what the stores suggest. Not sure of the average cost difference between buying blanks or starting from shaped cane + staple since I've never bought blanks. But if there's a big difference, consider starting from shaped cane. Cane prices vary by a lot and IMO cost does not necessarily mean quality. NOTE: I hope you're going to make reeds under a teacher. Otherwise, you WILL go through lots of blanks trying to figure out how to scrape. I go through quite a bit of shaped cane even at my stage in reedmaking, so probably not yet cost-effective compared to the finished reeds I used to buy from my teacher. Maybe breaking even now, ignoring the initial investment of equipment.
Double reed shops have sales sometimes. If you need to buy expensive stuff, wait for their sales. Weber Reeds just had their annual July sale. MMI should have a sale right at the end of the year. Not sure of others. So, that might make a knife or caliper a wee bit cheaper. Cane, staples and reeds generally do not go on sale, however. Shipping can vary lots by store. Lots of supplies can be bought locally at craft or woodworking stores.
Starting from a blank, I use:
- Knife
- Small brass caliper
- plaque - I use flat ones
- cutting block
- disposable razor blades for cutting tip (one lasts me quite a few weeks)
- teflon - for leaks (bought from hardware store)
- sharpening stone (I use a water stone but there are cheaper ones.)
- something to hold your stone in place - I use the white netting that comes from buying pears or mandarins.
- pencil for marking lengths
- table lamp
To start from shaped cane, one adds:
- mandrel
- thread (big roll = cheaper)
- beeswax
- I use a cane tube as an easel for scraping the ends
- more headaches (lol)
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