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Reed hardness testers

Author: giffpa
Date: 2011-06-05 20:54

Has anyone worked with machines that hardness test cane before the vamp is cut? I am just wondering how well they can predict cane hardness/density.

Thank you,

Paul

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Re: Reed hardness testers

Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2011-06-05 21:37

All the reed fabrication videos I've seen measure the stiffness *after* cutting - so if you cut a nominal #3 reed, some will end up in adjacent bins - #2.5 and #3.5, just because the reed stiffness is not uniform across the whole cane tube.

--
Ben

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Re: Reed hardness testers

Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2011-06-05 22:00

Double reed players use cane hardness testers, but they're *very* expensive. http://www.forrestsmusic.com/cane_measuring_tools.htm

I can't find it now, but there's been a very poor quality clarinet reed strength tester on the market practically forever. It's a plastic box, about the size a mouthpiece comes in. You press a lever, drop the reed in tip first, release the lever and a spring-loaded bar presses the tip up, giving a reading on a gauge (like a spring-loaded scale). It used to sell for around $35 and was worth minus $35. The readings were totally inconsistent, and it often chipped the reed tip.

See http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=101686&t=101544

If you've got $105.75 to spare, you can try the UHL http://www.uhl-technik.de/en/pi6/pd25.html.

Ken Shaw

Post Edited (2011-06-06 00:40)

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Re: Reed hardness testers

Author: Buster
Date: 2011-06-06 01:00

Post Edited (2015-01-04 06:27)

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Re: Reed hardness testers

Author: Joseph LeBlanc
Date: 2011-06-06 02:45

Paul,

The Uhl RSG 20 is meant to test the strength of a finished reed- not what you are looking for I think.

I don't have experience with the density testing devices...if you get one, let us know your findings.

Joe

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Re: Reed hardness testers

Author: Buster
Date: 2011-06-06 06:33

Post Edited (2013-07-07 03:21)

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Re: Reed hardness testers

Author: Buster
Date: 2011-06-06 06:42

Post Edited (2015-01-04 06:28)

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