What To Use To Blow Dust Off Reeds

[Susanne]

Stupid me never took the time to ask this at the squeeze-in, so now I'm asking here. I read that it is not good to blow dust off reeds with your mouth since it also makes moist come into the instrument. What should I use instead?

[Pete Dunk]

A fairly cheap footpump of the type used to inflate airbeds would do the trick, the smallest size of the adapter nozzles would give quite a powerful blast of air.

[d.elliott]

Ennistraveler,

 

Why do you want to blow dust off the reed, that happens, with a bl**dy good shake every time you play the note!?

 

Do you have a specific problem, or symptom you would like to share with us? You may even remain un-named and your privacy respected.

 

Do you have a general reed cleaning issue?

 

Dave E

[m3838]

The compressed air can with a plastic straw for nozzle?

[dpmccabe]

The compressed air can with a plastic straw for nozzle?

Be careful with that. If you don't hold the can exactly upright, it'll release a spray of frozen chemicals instead of a harmless gas. Reeds don't like being frozen.

[m3838]

The compressed air can with a plastic straw for nozzle?

Be careful with that. If you don't hold the can exactly upright, it'll release a spray of frozen chemicals instead of a harmless gas. Reeds don't like being frozen.

OK. I'll keep that in mind.

[Frank Edgley]

Dirt does accumulate on the reeds, but I'm not sure that you can blow off what accumulates, otherwise Dave's comment would apply. However, what is there can be wiped off. I once had a reed that appeared to be slightly out of tune. Just before I tuned it I noticed thet there was a greyish area near the base of the reed. It wiped off with tissue, and I used paper under the tongue to clean the other side. When I put it into the instrument, it was no longer out of tune.

[d.elliott]

Frank has stated what I was getting at.

 

If dirt can be blown off, it would not be there. It usually sticks as a result of oily and greasy deposits settling on the reed from other airbourne materials, tobacco smoke coal fires etc. It needs to be moved by wiping or similar.

 

Hence my question: 'Do you have a general reed cleaning issue?'

 

Now taking another, and probably contravertial tack.

 

I am getting increasingly concerned at some of the advice being given out on this forum; (like the use of compressed air and some of the other suggestions on other threads).

 

Good ideas are great, all ideas are welcome, and I don't want to discourage the enthusiastic creativity that clearly abounds. But if a suggestion is just that:- a suggestion, and it has not been tried and tested then this should be made clear by the writer. Less experienced people may take these ideas as gospel and put them into effect, and that worries me.

 

Dave

[David Barnert]

A fairly cheap footpump of the type used to inflate airbeds would do the trick, the smallest size of the adapter nozzles would give quite a powerful blast of air.

I couldn't help laughing when I read this.

 

Several years ago I was setting up my tent at Ashokan. I remember sitting on the tailgate of my station wagon blowing up my air mattress with my foot on a bellows and playing my concertina at the same time. It occurred to me that there must be some way to combine the two bellows actions so I could play for 15 minutes and my mattress would get blown up as a byproduct.