reedblade corners

[uilleannfinlander]

When its necessary to cut off reedblade corners, what are the main effects? ( it's shorten abit the width of reedhead)

[reedman]

I can't for the feck of it! work it out either what there is to be achieved by
clipping off the corners of the lips of a reed, I see it more on narrow bore chanter reeds, than concert ones, its got to weaken the mouth of the reed under pressure, when clipping a reed your taking away the part of the reed that helps to support the aperture of the reed, but I'm sure someone will hit us with an outstanding "mathematical Superfluous explanation that takes over and around and beyond the laws of Physics, :roll: yes! I want to know what I been missing out on, by not clipping the corners of my reeds, or maybe its a mark to prove one's skill of how good a reedmaker they are.

[Tony]

I think Alan Moller makes comment about this in his reedmaking video. Something about it helping a reed hold notes in the second octave better??

[wolvy]

The last reed I have received from B. Kohler had the corners cut.

[djm]

Sorry. I have no logical explanation for why it works, but it can help stabilize a wonky reed. I've only ever done it on a WB-D reed, not a flat set reed.

djm

[goldy]

To clip or not to clip. That is the question.

Now I've got that cheesy rip-off out of the way - Some reeds can leak at the corners and clipping them eliminates this. It can also be a usefull solution if you sand into the corners too much when thinning the lips, thereby removing the leak you have created. The reason that I clip is to make the corners less susceptible to damage as I put the wind cap on (when I catch a rounded corner, I might get lucky and not end up splitting the edge off the reed as I have done in the past). As for other reasons, dunno.

[Brian Lee]

So to take this to the next level of insanity - should you cut the corners off with a sharp blade - giving you a nice crisp 45 degree angle on the corners, or is it just as effective to lightly sand and round over the edges???

[ausdag]

a decent pair of sharp scissors like sewing scissors does the trick. In fact, I never use a blade to trim the reed - always sharp scissors. Gives me a better cut and less likely to crush or completely stuff up the lips. I hold the reed head firmly between my thumb and index finger as close to the edge of the reed head without actually being in the way of the scissors.

Cheers,

DavidG

[Uilliam]

It can sharpen the reed.
Uilliam

[djm]

Brian, the amount you clip off is extremely small, like half a mm, so worrying about a crisp angle is not all that necessary.

I'm not sure I understand the references in this and other threads about scissors not crushing the reed vs a razor on a cutting block. Scissors work by squeezing the material between two blades. I have not seen any scissors sharper than a razor blade.

djm

[patsky]

The main reason that the old reed makers clipped the corners was to remedy the fact that they had sanded the corners to thin or sometimes completely through.

[Lorenzo]

Just to elaberate on what Pat and Goldy are saying, clipping the corners is not just an artistic design as in take it or leave it--it's to improve the function of certain reeds that the maker has determined needs it. Keep in mind that maintaining the thickness of the cane (at the lips) all the way across is a touchy and critical thing for an excellent reed. I stand the entire reed on end an look at it under an old microscope as I'm shaving/sanding and reaching the limit. If you go too thin (anywhere along the edge of the lips) the reed begins to sound unstable. The corners and center are the easiest to get too thin, esp on one side. So chopping the corners increases the thickness again and maintains a uniform thickness/stability across the mouth.

Other reeds may have been sanded so that the inside edges of the slips are flat, esp at the lips. Looking at the aperture of this kind of reed, there is not a uniform arc from side to side. The edges get flat against each other too early at the edges. Not good. Clipping the corners might elevate this flat area back to normal.

When you get down to the limit, and are still sanding the entire width of the reed against a flat surface, it's unlikely that you can hold the reed in such a way that even pressure is applied all the way across. So, one side gets thinner (sometimes). If you clip one side, you clip the other to match. If the other is too thick, it gives you a second chance...you thin it down.

That's why different tools, and styles of reed making, are interesting. Sometime a good reed can be a stroke of luck. But if a pro maker has learned all the tricks, then he/she knows how to avoid the problem and can make a good reed just about every time.

It's not good to get the rest of the reed right but not understand the critical last step--getting the lips perfect.

Some reed makers don't sand the lips on a flat surface and take the chance of getting them uneven. They use a fine fine tool and apply it to only the area of the lips that needs thinned (not the entire edge) to make sure the thickness uniform.

As far as clipping the corners to avoid spitting the cane while inserting it in the reed cap, that doesn't seem neccessary. Aren't there other ways to insure the reed is centered and has clearance?