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Reedmaking 101
by SFC Chris Eberle

This is part one in a series of articles on basic reed making techniques for bassoon.  These procedures are, with a few variations, the same as taught to me by Louis Skinner in 1985.  Mr. Skinner called this particular reed model "Windsor Mill".  It is a good basic reed for any skill level of player from beginner to professional.  I have used this reed since college with no major changes.  The dimensions and shape have remained exactly the same.  I play on a Fox Model I (long bore) with a VCD #1 Heckel bocal.  I have also used this equipment since college.

Here are the tools you will need:

Items you can obtain at a hardware or art supply store:

Ruler calibrated in millimeters

Exacto knife (#11 blade)

Needle nose pliers

Nipper pliers

Sapphire dust file (Revlon works well)

Pipe cleaners or small spiral brush

Cotton string

600 and 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper

Duco cement

Vaseline

Sharp scissors

Items to get from a double reed supply house:

Reed Knife

Ebony plaque (metal plaques beat the heck out of your nice sharp knife)

Reamer

Forming mandrel

Holding mandrel

Nylon reed thread

Brass reed wire

reed.jpg (113472 bytes)
Reed nomenclature

The primary goal in reedmaking is consistency.   It is important to do each procedure identically on every stick of cane.  If every reed is the same in dimension and specification, you will only need slight variations in finishing techniques to produce a good reed.  The majority of the control in the finished product occurs in the preparation of the cane sticks before forming the blank.  Here are the steps to prepare a stick of gouged, profiled and shaped cane for soaking.  Remember that precision is very important.  Even a ½mm variance can make a difference later.

  1. Beginning with cane that is gouged only: soak for about 24 hours.  OR you can profile and shape dry cane if you have a straight shaper (I use a Fox #2).
  2. If you use a straight shaper, you can shape at this point.  If you use a folder, you will have to profile (and soak) first of course.  For better accuracy, change your Exacto knife blade after shaping 2 or 3 sticks of cane.  A sharp blade ensures a clean cut every time.
  3. Profile the stick(s).  Don’t set the profiler too thin.  While it’s nice to try and save time later by starting with a thin stick of cane, this can make it more difficult to form the blank accurately and consistently.  Remember that a reed doesn’t need to be a certain thickness to play well.  Rather, it needs to be well balanced and constructed.
  4. Tie or rubber band the cane to a dowel and allow to dry for at least 24 hours.  The dowel keeps the sticks from warping and ensures any variations in tube diameter are eliminated.  (obviously you can skip this step if you are working with dry cane)
  5. Measure off the locations for the collar, and the 2nd and 3rd wires.  The 3rd wire should be 7mm from the butt.  The 2nd wire should be 18mm from the butt.  The collar should be 30mm from the butt.  Mark in the center of the bark with a sharp tool such as the exacto knife or a scribe compass.
  6. On the inside of the stick, mark off the locations of the collar and the 2nd wire.  The area in between the marks is where you will be working in the next step.
  7. Measure the center and sides of the area with a dial indicator or caliper (calibrated to .01mm).
  8. Sand or scrape until the cane measures 1.1mm thick on the sides and 1.05mm thick in the center.  The thinner center helps with response and intonation in the high register.  When you are done scraping, sand lightly with 600 grit to smooth out the entire inside of the stick.
  9. Bevel the sides of the stick in the tube area.  The idea here is to provide a large sealing surface when the tube is formed.  Bevel with 400 grit sandpaper from the butt to just past the collar marking.  Be sure the bevel transitions smoothly to the blades.  Do not overdo this!  If you bevel too much you may have a gap where the tube ends and blade begins.
  10. Using the dowel and the exacto knife, cut a groove from left to right across the collar marking.  Don’t be afraid to make this a deep cut.  Rock the knife from left to right.  Be sure you’ve started with a sharp blade.
  11. Remove the excess bark from above the collar marking.  Do this with the exacto by cutting parallel to the blade into the beginning of the bark, stopping at the groove.  Tilt the knife upward to break off the excess bark.
  12. Use the nail file to smooth the area you’ve just cut off.  You want a smooth line from collar to center stick.  File carefully on the sides so you don’t create a knick.  Look at the stick in the light to be sure there isn’t too much cane still at the back of the blades.  The collar should now be sharply defined.
  13. Still on the dowel, use 400 grit sandpaper to sand the entire blade surface a little.  The goal here is to remove a bit more material and save finishing work later.  Don’t overdo this!  If the cane is too thin, especially at the sides, the tip opening will not form properly.  Finish the blades with a few strokes of 600 grit to make them smooth.
  14. Cut 3 score lines from just below the collar to the butt on each side of the bark with the exacto knife.  Start them 3mm from the edge.  Be sure to cut all the way through at the very end (butt).
  15. Measure from collar to collar and find the exact center.  Make a mark here.  Score gently with the reed knife by rocking from left to right.  Bend the stick carefully until it starts to fold on the score line, then stop.  Do not fold the cane all the way over!
  16. You are now ready to soak.

You should soak the cane for at least 12 hours in water.  At first, the stick will float.  Make sure it is completely wet.  After a few hours, it should sink. Here are the steps to form a blank:

  1. Remove the stick from the water and fold it in half.  Line up the butt ends on your tabletop.  If the collars don’t line up perfectly, that’s OK.
  2. Wrap cotton string around the tube from collar to butt.  Wrap fairly tightly.  Put the cane/string back in the water.
  3. Grease your forming mandrel with a little Vaseline.  Cut 3 lengths of wire (about 3½ inches).
  4. Now for the moment of truth; insert the mandrel in the butt end of the reed.  Slowly work the mandrel in with small twisting motions in both directions.  Hold the reed by the tube sides but don’t squeeze.  Let the mandrel’s shape do the work.  Squeezing may cause the tube to split.  If a split does occur, it’s OK as long as it doesn’t go too far into the blades.  Usually, these splits are only surface cracks and will be scraped away in the finishing process.  Also, as you insert, be sure the reed remains straight from bottom to top.  Excess twisting of the mandrel will cause the whole reed to be twisted.  The seam between the two halves should be perfectly straight and the blades should meet at the edges, not overlap.
  5. When the mandrel has reached the predetermined point, unwrap the string to just past the 3rd wire mark.
  6. Put on the wire with 4 hand twists.  Using the needle nose pliers, pull the wire and twist counterclockwise.  Don’t overtighten!  You don’t want the wire to cut into the bark.  As you make more reeds, you will develop a feel for this.  Wire tension does make a difference in how the reed vibrates so it is important to be consistent.
  7. Unwrap more string and put on the 2nd wire with the knot opposite the 3rd wire.
  8. Remove the string completely.  Cut 4 lateral grooves on the top, bottom, left and right between the wires with the file.
  9. Mark the blades 38mm from the 2nd wire.  This will be the point to cut off the tip.
  10. Place the 1st wire 29mm down from the tip marking.  Make this wire a bit less tight than the other two.
  11. You’re done for now.  Let the reed dry out for at least 8 hours or until the wires are good and loose.

The final steps will prepare the reed for finishing and playing.

  1. Tighten the wires from the bottom up.  One twist for the 3rd and 2nd, 1½ for the 1st.
  2. Cut the excess wire off.  Leave about 4 twists on the 1st wire and 2 on the 2nd and 3rd.
  3. Fold the 1st wire down and the 3rd wire up.  Leave the 2nd wire alone for now.
  4. Begin wrapping the colored thread by trapping it under the 3rd wire knot.  Wrap 3 turns below the wire then 3 turns above.  Then, begin the turban by going top to bottom at a 45º angle.  When the 3rd wire is covered, finish wrapping by going straight across until you reach the 2nd wire.  Tie off the thread and fold the 2nd wire down to hold it in place.
  5. Finish off the turban by coating it with Duco cement.  This will need about 3 hours to dry hard.
  6. When the Duco is completely hard, remove the reed from the mandrel.
  7. Cut off the tip at the mark with a pair of sharp scissors.  Be careful to cut straight across so the tip isn’t crooked.  Snip off the corners just a bit to protect them from harm.
  8. Ream the tube up to the 2nd wire.  You might want to mark the reamer with tape (18mm) so you don’t go too far.

At this point, I usually soak the reed and crow it to see how it turned out.  I don’t recommend playing or working on it at this point.  The next day, ream the reed again, as the tube will have shrunk a bit.  It’s best now to put the reed away for a few weeks if possible.  I’ve found that working on a newly made reed is more difficult than working on one that has had some time to settle.  New reeds will change more as you work them.  The most frustrating thing is to work a reed until it plays well then have it turn to *&%$#@! the next day.  The operative word here is patience.  After a few weeks, work on the reed little by little.  I usually scrape a bit, play a bit then put it away.  I might spend 2 weeks tweaking a reed (a few minutes every other day) before it’s ready for prime time.  The slower you work, the longer the reed will last and the more consistent it will be.

 

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