Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2012-05-24 06:36
Hi Reed-makers out there:
I've read with interest many comments on tip-making, most recently the discussion about 'steps' or increments from the heart/blend.
I have ALWAYS been really good at 'carving' tips, EXCEPT when the cane won't cooperate. Softer, more fibrous cane tends to come off unevenly, causing much in the way of frustration. I end up with 'soft spots' where they shouldn't be (the center of the tip, or between the end and the blend) even though I 'follow through' with each stroke. I try different knives, different angles...
Is more frequent knife-sharpening the answer? a slant-wise (almost 90 degrees from the reed fibers) stroke? a new plaque?
If I work on different pieces of cane the same day, I find I'm having no trouble with the denser/harder stuff. But I'd like to 'master' working on softer cane.
Unless of course there are just plain 'duds' out there, and I should learn to pitch the reed in the rubbish bin at an earlier stage...
Thanks!
PS I know I SHOULD invest in a gouger and buy tube cane but up 'til now I've been an amateur/hobbyist/professional sub and have been fine with buying already shaped cane. And now I lack the resources to get a gouger, so for now, I want to use up the shaped cane I already have.
GoodWinds
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