 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2017-12-24 04:11
I have a plastic Bundy Thumb Plate Oboe and the sleeve that the reeds are inserted into is a 'smigin' smaller in diameter than what is on my Howarth S2. Sometimes reeds (the cork that is) is a bit tight when inserting into the Bundy. Well , apparently owing to this tightness, when removing the reed I have inadvertedly also slightly pulled out the sleeve and just noticed this mornng that it was out by about a millimeter or more. So , to push it back in I used a small wooden block and a small hammer. Fixed. But will have to keep an eye on this in future. I can imagine if it was a wooden Oboe and the sleeve came slightly out that moisture would end up in the gap below the sleeve. I would imagine this would be a real danger of the wood cracking right there.
Skyfacer
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Author: oboist2
Date: 2017-12-25 01:36
My first oboe teacher has 2 cor Anglais, and both of them had a problem with the receivers, and some repairman who he took them to, glued them in, but did not push them all the way. No problems with cracking but the instruments are a bit flat. It will me an expensive job I think to remedy.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-12-25 02:40
I had to repair a split top joint on a Chinese oboe and also open up the reed socket as it was too narrow. I was expecting a socket that was machined with a base, but it was just a bit of brass tubing stuck in the top with no base as were all the other socket linings, so they were pointless as they didn't protect the sockets at all.
But what with it being a plain piece of tubing, it was a doddle to use a twist drill to open it up instead of machining it wider and stopping when the cutter nearly makes contact with the base.
The length of the top joint bore of oboes, d'amores and cors is measured from the base of the reed socket to the end of the tenon. That can be done by making a plug of a specific length that fits all the way into the socket and then use a gauge with two markers (like a fixed Vernier gauge) to determine the socket is the correct depth. Then use a special cutter to depth the socket if it's too shallow (and therefore making the top joint bore too long at the top end). If the socket is too deep, then a spacer can be push fitted into it.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
Post Edited (2017-12-26 14:33)
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Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2017-12-25 04:08
Hi Chris and Geoffrey. Thanks for your responses and all the best for the Season.
Skyfacer
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Author: jhoyla
Date: 2017-12-25 13:55
A straight narrow rod through the reed well and to the end of the tennon (standing vertically) and mark off the top of the reed-well.
Measure depth of the well using the foot of a vernier caliper to the sill.
I use a round, tapered chopstick to measure bore diameter at the base of the reed-well in a similar fashion - drop it in as far as it will go and measure. Then drop it onto the sill and measure. Difference in measurements is how far down the chopstick went, before the bore prevented it entering further. Vernier caliper to measure the chopstick at that depth.
BTW - reeds are always much wider at their base than the width of the bore. I think the reason is that a specific angle is required to press the reed blades together to maintain a seal. An internal bore that matched the bore of the instrument would leave the reed blades too loose to seal. The question is; since this angle is dictated by the outside of the staple but the bore is a function of the inside - potentially we could create a perfect staple, no? 
A good seal is the most critical part of a good reed - leaky reeds never play well.
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