Tips for keeping reeds up in cold weather

Brian Lee · Post by **Brian Lee** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 11:31 am

Whatever you're doing, try NOT to subject the reed to wild swings in humidity or teperature. I've noticed that many a reed will play along just fine if you give it time to acclamate properly to it's new environment. But if you are humidifying, then playing with dry air, then mouth blowing, then using a wet bag under your bellows arm, I would think you're heading the right way for some major warpage of the cane at the least, and quite possibly cracks as well.

Just make yourself a winter or lower humidity reed.

brianc · Post by **brianc** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 3:12 pm

Brian Lee wrote:Whatever you're doing, try NOT to subject the reed to wild swings in humidity or teperature.

And there you have it. It's the 'back & forth' of humidity/dryness/humidity/dryness that will wreak havoc on a reed, and more than likely on the wood, too. And what do you suppose is occuring when you use a 'snake' or sponge, or whatever in your pipe cases? 65% in the case for a day, then 3 or 4 hours in 15% humidity in order to play for a while... then back to the 65% case, then out for some practice for an hour at 15 or 20%, then back in the case..... that's what I'd call 'wild swings' in humidity.

An earlier post talked about Ivan Goff using a damp washcloth near his bellows... but you can bet that as a visiting piper, Ivan doesn't do that on a regular basis.

Brian McNamara visited Denver a few years' back, in the autumn, and it had been very dry. He used a steam humidifier blowing on his pipes just to get himself through the performance. He sure doesn't subject his pipes to such wild methods on a normal basis, however. (And for the record, he vowed never to play in Colorado again. Liam O'Flynn said the same thing - "It's too dry!")

djm · Post by **djm** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 3:27 pm

Yes, I have a video of Christy O Leary playing in Utah or Colorado with a humidifier parked under his drones on stage. Not something you'd want to do too often.

The church where a lot of the Chris Langan classes are held is heated with old time steam radiators, and it is absolutely bone dry in there. I have winter reeds, and they play fine until I hit that church once a year. That's why I'm holding off on the "face cloth in the baggy" trick. My set plays fine at home, and I have no humidifier going - definitely a one-time trick at best.

djm

David Lim · Post by **David Lim** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 3:28 pm

Hi,

I once heard a story from a folk club organiser who had booked Joe McKenna.

Joe came round to his house before the gig to settle his pipes in, but they were suffering from dry air.

Joe asked if the guy had a shower. When the reply was yes, Joe turned on the shower and after 10 mins playing in the shower room the pipes were sorted.

I was at the gig and they held up throughout.

This should possibly be only tried in extreme circumstances

David

eric_smith · Post by **eric_smith** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 3:40 pm

brianc wrote: 65% in the case for a day, then 3 or 4 hours in 15% humidity in order to play for a while... then back to the 65% case, then out for some practice for an hour at 15 or 20%, then back in the case..... that's what I'd call 'wild swings' in humidity.

I think the idea is to avoid the 15 or 20% using the rag-by-the-bellows trick. Actually it sounds pretty reasonable to me to use this dual method (snake in the case, rag by the bellows), especially if you use a humdifier at home in the room where the pipes live. That way, the pipes/reed are never subjected to big dips in the humidity.

Throw a hygrometer into the mix and you'll have a reasonable chance against the harsh climate changes that are common across much of the US.

brianc · Post by **brianc** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 4:14 pm

eric_smith wrote: I think the idea is to avoid the 15 or 20% using the rag-by-the-bellows trick. Actually it sounds pretty reasonable to me to use this dual method (snake in the case, rag by the bellows), especially if you use a humdifier at home in the room where the pipes live. That way, the pipes/reed are never subjected to big dips in the humidity.

Throw a hygrometer into the mix and you'll have a reasonable chance against the harsh climate changes that are common across much of the US.

But unless you're a travelling pro, most of your playing is probably going to be done in pretty much the same place - at home, maybe at the local for a session, or perhaps at the odd wedding or party or such.

Why would you bother keeping all that humidity around when the easiest and most practical thing to do is ACCLIMATE your pipes to where they will most often be?

Brian Lee · Post by **Brian Lee** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 6:32 pm

I'm with Brian on this one. Do what you can to acclimate your reed(s) to play where you'll be most often. And LEARN HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN! I can't begin to express how much srtress it relieves to know you've got several spares to fall back on that didn't cost you an arm and a leg to get. They may not be perfect, but if 9 of our absolute beginner pipers here could manage to bash out working reeds within one or two trys, it's worth a shot huh? And each one you make brings you that much closer to the "perfect" reed everytime.

As for the hygrometer thing, they're a lot like radar detectors. Unless you spend a lot of money, most of the readings you get will be pretty off, if not outright wrong altogether. And, also much like the detector beeping as the officer is giving you a ticket, the hygrometer isn't likely to tell you what you need to do in time to really save the playability of a given reed - only that it just went south on you....assuming you get an accurate model with a lightning fast response time. (the old analog dials are pretty useless)

brianc · Post by **brianc** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 10:31 pm

The only place a hygrometer belongs is in a cigar humidor!

joey_schu · Post by **joey_schu** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 7:40 am

But is moisture really the answer in COLD dry weather? I mean, it was below freezing out there sometimes, and I'm afraid that letting moisture seep into the wood like that...well those minute amounts would freeze in no time, expand, and CRRRRRRAAAAACK, right?

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 7:56 am

joey_schu wrote:But is moisture really the answer in COLD dry weather? I mean, it was below freezing out there sometimes, and I'm afraid that letting moisture seep into the wood like that...well those minute amounts would freeze in no time, expand, and CRRRRRRAAAAACK, right?

Where are the pipes being stored? Certainly not in the cargo hold of a jet aircraft, attics or basements. Keep them in living quarters away from radiators, furnaces or dry heat sources.

magroibin · Post by **magroibin** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 9:16 am

Two words: Neatsfoot Oil !

There used to be a good article by MacHarg on this but the link is dead. Anybody have that reference?

There are pros and cons to using oils but for here in the Great White North this method has worked well for me.

Cons:
Makes the reed a bit sticky so fluff can accumulate inside.
(This requires a re-dunking to clear any gunk.)
You don't want any to get on the winding or it can stay oily.
Some say it dulls the tone (but I have not found this).

Pros:
Keeps a reed playing in the dead of winter.
Keeps a reed playing in the dead of winter.
Keeps a reed playing in the dead of winter.

Paul

brianc · Post by **brianc** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 10:22 am

Paul,

If memory serves me correctly (and it rarely does these days)... wasn't the neatsfoot treatment part of making a "dry-weather" reed? Or a 'universal' reed?

And Joey, you're worried about your reeds FREEZING? Great googley-moogley, son! WHERE are you storing your pipes?

tansy · Post by **tansy** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 3:05 pm

i try not to mess with the reed. three days a week i am on a sailboat where the humidity is 95% most mornings droping to 50% by 2 PM. then at home which is around 40% in the winter, 70% in the summer. this is a steady change it goes through every week. the reed is 3 years old and needs only slight seasonal tweeks, maybe its age, but i think that some- how all the changes have made it steady.
humidity seems to be higher on th floor than up high, so keep yer pipes low. just some ramblin' observations

the pipes always sound best on the boat!
merry christmass to all of you pipers
tansy

Joseph E. Smith · Post by **Joseph E. Smith** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 3:26 pm

tansy wrote:...the pipes always sound best on the boat!
merry christmass to all of you pipers
tansy

That would be a most excellent thing to experience, IMHO.

joey_schu · Post by **joey_schu** » Tue Dec 21, 2004 9:57 pm

No no, guys, I'm not talking about STORING my pipes in cold weather...heavens, they sleep right next to my bed every night.

What I'm talking about it gigging outside on a winter night. I play outdoors on weekend evenings around here, and lately it's been getting cold enough that my electronics (laptop for recording live, then play-back so I can add a harmony part...live layering) froze in all senses of the word last weekend. So anyways, it's been below freezing out when I play. If it's cold enough to freeze my equipment in two hours... I'm just imagining whipping out a set of pipes that've been stored in a warm humidified environment and playing 'em for a few hours in <30 degree (F) weather... YIKES.

I like the idea of a cold weather reed. I'd thought of that before, but haven't had the pause to give up my chanter for a few weeks...

Looks like I'll have to keep fine-tuning my keyboard to match my pipes as they go flat in the cold...