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Píobaire, An, Volume 8, Issue 2, Page 11

Píobaire, An, Volume 8, Issue 2, Page 11
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periodical Publisher
Na Píobairí Uilleann
periodical Editor
Chairman, NPU
periodical Title
An Píobaire
volume Number
2
issue Content
Píobaire, An 8 2 11 20120411 11 store a perfectly uniform curve from extreme edge to edge. Usually much more of the inte- rior is also sanded on a set of successively nar- rower cylinders, each over short lengths of the blade farther inward, always to a perfect curve edge-to-edge. Each narrower cylinder is used on another approximately 10 mm length of the interior progressively closer to the staple. The zones overlap, working from lips toward the tails. This allows the upper half to 2/3 of the blade interior to be reworked, if needed. For my concert chanter reeds, my cylinder diameters are 130 mm, 105 mm, 90 mm, 73 mm, and 57 mm. These are meant for shaping reeds that are already sounding, already settled into a very shallow curve at the lips typical of a reed in service (even if new and awaiting final voicing), so the resurfacing cylinders must be quite large. I simply collected an as- sortment of round objects whose diameters matched the curvatures of my concert D blades at various positions at and below the lips. Every other size of double reed, such as nar- row bore reeds and different regulator reeds, would need its own set. The key then is to choose the widest cylinder, used at the most critical tip end, to be a very close match to the curve of the lips. If that cylinder has a shallower curve than the lips, as shown in the drawing, it won’t be able to sand into the central area of the lips, so it will leave a tighter curvature in the central area than at the sanded sides. That’s exactly the geometry of naturally warped edges, and so the perform- ance will remain dull in tone and resistant in response. Don’t try to sand blade tips into a different cur- vature. If the two blades have slightly differ- ent curvatures, use different tip-end cylinders matched for each. If a new reed hasn’t reached the desired playing elevation, give it more time to settle into the desired elevation before resur- facing the interior. Once you’ve chosen the right cylinder for the tip, there are 4 different sanding techniques needed. For the lips—if distortion is minor— hold the blade end interior flat against fine sandpaper on the widest cylinder with light pressure and move it in and out along the grain, working the outer 10 mm of the tip. The gen- tle pressure ensures that only areas protruding down beneath a smooth concave curve will be worn away. Sand just a few strokes, then study the curve carefully with harsh light and mag- nification. Watch for edges becoming too thin. Stop as soon as you are certain the surface is smooth and uniform all the way to each ab- solute edge, over at least the outer 5-6 mm from the edges all the way into the center. If you see that the sandpaper lost contact with the center closer to the tip, your first cylinder was too wide so you should use the next narrower one for the tip. If the initial distortion at the lips is large, the 2nd technique is to hold the blade flat, but move it back and forth in a sideways, cross- grain direction. Where there is a protrusion in the surface just inside one of the edges, that edge should be pushed back and forth over the edge of the sandpaper. This will preferentially sculpt away the bump without creating longi- tudinal grooves or cutting into some of the warped edge, as can happen with in-out mo-
issue Number
8
page Number
11
periodical Author
[Periodical]
issue Publication Date
2012-04-21T00:00:00
allowedRoles
anonymous,guest,friend,member

An Píobaire, Volume 8, Issue 2

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