Author: jhoyla
Date: 2010-03-03 09:49
In my opinion, adding wire to an unwired, dying reed almost never works. If you are going to wire your reed you should do so at the beginning, and balance accordingly.
IF you are so hopelessly in love with the reed that you don't mind destroying the tube, you can try the pliers trick, which I think comes from Evelyn Rothwell's reed-making guide...
1. Soak your reed well.
2. Insert your mandrel into the tube to the end, then pull it back about 4 mm.
3. With a pair of snipe-nosed pliers, position them on the thread as if you are about to squeeze the reed closed (yes!), but leave 3-4 mm of thread showing between the pliers and the cane.
4. Squeeze gently but firmly, and watch the reed opening as you squeeze. Rotate 180 degrees every so often, to even out the pressure.
What happens is this; you are actually deforming the tube slightly, behind the top of the tube. However, you are NOT deforming the actual top. This changes the angle of the blades a tiny fraction, enough to add a bit of spring to the reed.
Do this a tiny bit at a time - you can easily make the blades stand apart, after which the reed is toast. Oh - and when it does die, throw the tube away. You won't see any difference to the tube, but trust me - it is deformed, and will never make a reed that seals again.
So, in spite of the beautiful Taps rendition, reports of your reed's demise may be premature ...
J.
|
|
The Oboe BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
