 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ruben
Date: 2017-05-05 14:46
After oiling my reed(s) for a month, I can honestly say that this practice works. Why had I never heard of this before? I find: 1. The reeds last longer. 2. They vibrate more evenly. 3. Water doesn't stick to the bottom of them any longer, so you can bid good-bye to all gurgling.
I've been using rosemary oil, which also disinfects the reed, but I suppose other types of oil would work just as well (snake-oil, cannabis oil, etc.). Allow me to thank the person that orginally brought up the subject.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: ClarinetRobt
Date: 2017-05-05 23:09
Ruben:
What specific steps did you take in your reed oiling procedures?
~Robt L Schwebel
Mthpc: Behn Vintage
Lig: Ishimori, Behn Delrin
Reed: Legere French Cut 3.75/4, Behn Brio 4
Horns: Uebel Superior (Bb,A), Ridenour Lyrique, Buffet R13 (Eb)
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Author: ruben
Date: 2017-05-05 23:15
Robert: A very basic, unscientific trial and error approach: two drops of rosemary essential oil on top of the reed and then I rubbed the oil in a bit with my thumb. The excess oil, I rubbed onto and into the bottom of the reed.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2017-05-06 00:00
Is a month long enough to know the reeds last longer? I routinely (before I started using Legeres) kept cane reeds in rotation well beyond a month without treating them with anything.
Karl
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Author: ruben
Date: 2017-05-06 09:47
I also usually rotate them. When I was a student and too poor to do this, I didn't rotate them. They never lasted a month. As I have said, my conclusions are for the moment impessionistic rather than scientific.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2017-05-06 10:13
Back in 2014 I posted that many years ago my first clarinet teacher used to rub the back of his reeds very lightly with beeswax and said that he thought that it prevented waterlogging and enabled him to play at the extreme upper levels of the instrument. Several people tried it with mixed results. I've tried it myself, but didn't feel that I got any benefit from it. Search on "beeswax reeds" to find the thread.
Tony F.
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Author: ruben
Date: 2017-05-06 12:22
Dear Tony,
I've tried beeswax and it hasn't the same effect or purpose. It does prevent waterlogging, but tends to make the reed heavier- vibrating less freely- and doesn't really nourish the reed as oil does. Oil seems to do both; nourishing the reed and maintaining its sinew; avoiding waterlogging.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Slowoldman
Date: 2017-05-06 19:33
Where can you get rosemary oil? Is that a supermarket thing? Health food store? Thanks.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2017-05-06 22:51
Long ago, some people suggested rubbing cigarette ashes onto clarinet reeds.
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Author: ruben
Date: 2017-05-07 00:52
In my part of the world, it can be obtained in health food stores. It doesn't, however, have to be rosemary oil. I suppose any vegetable oil would work as long as it isn't too heavy, which would make the reed vibrate less ( for instance, lard-ha ha!). I use rosemary oil because it is also antiseptic. It cleans the reed too.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: shmuelyosef
Date: 2017-05-08 06:08
I went through a period where I would routinely take a new box of reeds, soak them all, flatten the backs with 600grit wet/dry sandpaper, polish the tops with 1200 grit wet/dry, put a dab of cork grease on the heart and work it into the whole vamp and tip (on the top) with my thumb, then let them dry. The next day I would start testing them, sort them out into 1) reeds that just work, 2) reeds that are close but might need some break in or some balancing/trimming, 3) ones that are hopeless.
Over the years I have gravitated to 1) take a reed out of the box, 2) force myself to play it for 10 minutes to get a sense of whether breaking in will help it, 3) decide whether it goes into my rotation 4) stop when I have four reeds in my "REEDGUARD". When I need more reeds in rotation, I repeat this with the same box...when I open a new box the leftover reeds get a final once over and at this time I attempt to 'fix' them...they have been tested 2-3 times over 4-6 weeks at this point. It is much more time efficient, and I think I get the same result without spending two hours of up-front work.
I do this for SATB saxophone plus Soprano and Bass clarinet.
As a final note...tea oil works well for the grease too and is also a powerful antiseptic. You can buy it at any pharmacy or apothecary.
Post Edited (2017-05-08 06:09)
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Author: Agomongo
Date: 2017-05-08 10:15
shmuelyosef wrote:
> I went through a period where I would routinely take a new box
> of reeds, soak them all, flatten the backs with 600grit wet/dry
> sandpaper, polish the tops with 1200 grit wet/dry, put a dab of
> cork grease on the heart and work it into the whole vamp and
> tip (on the top) with my thumb, then let them dry. The next day
> I would start testing them, sort them out into 1) reeds that
> just work, 2) reeds that are close but might need some break in
> or some balancing/trimming, 3) ones that are hopeless.
>
> Over the years I have gravitated to 1) take a reed out of the
> box, 2) force myself to play it for 10 minutes to get a sense
> of whether breaking in will help it, 3) decide whether it goes
> into my rotation 4) stop when I have four reeds in my
> "REEDGUARD". When I need more reeds in rotation, I repeat this
> with the same box...when I open a new box the leftover reeds
> get a final once over and at this time I attempt to 'fix'
> them...they have been tested 2-3 times over 4-6 weeks at this
> point. It is much more time efficient, and I think I get the
> same result without spending two hours of up-front work.
>
> I do this for SATB saxophone plus Soprano and Bass clarinet.
>
> As a final note...tea oil works well for the grease too and is
> also a powerful antiseptic. You can buy it at any pharmacy or
> apothecary.
>
>
> Post Edited (2017-05-08 06:09)
Did the same thing, but I found that too much cane was taken off, especially at the heart. What would end up happening is the reed would lose it's core and resilience. Eventually opted not to do it.
I'll have to try the rosemary oil. I know that Lansinoh is used too, however I think it maybe a little too thick to use. Has anyone else used Lansinoh too?
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Author: SimpleSystemFan
Date: 2017-05-15 03:48
I have not tried oiling reeds, though have given up on the massage bit. However, to oil my simple system wooden flute bores, and the clarinets, I use almond oil with quite a lot of Tea tree oil mixed in. It seems to prevent the almond oil from going rancid over time, and also has a disinfectant effect for the bore. Useful when much dribbling has happened.
Good rotation system. Elegant. Yosef.
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Author: jthole
Date: 2017-05-23 22:48
I have tried a drop of tea tree oil on the backside of a Vandoren V12 reed. So far, my impression is that I wasted a great reed. The response has become sluggish (which I hoped would improve after a few days, but no luck so far), and it leaves an unpleasant taste in the mouth.
Maybe tea tree oil is too thin, so that it penetrates the reed too much, or it just isn't for me. But I decided not to continue the experiment.
Post Edited (2017-05-23 22:53)
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Author: shmuelyosef
Date: 2017-05-24 05:35
You might be using too much tea oil. I put a tiny drop on my finger and coat my index finger and thumb. Then I I pick up the reed and starting on the back bottom, work my way up to the tip.
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Author: jthole
Date: 2017-05-24 12:25
shmuelyosef wrote:
> You might be using too much tea oil. I put a tiny drop on my
> finger and coat my index finger and thumb. Then I I pick up the
> reed and starting on the back bottom, work my way up to the
> tip.
Thanks ... I have put a drop directly on the reed, rubbed it in lightly, and wiped off the excess after ten minutes. Your method will undoubtedly deliver a thinner coating of oil.
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