This particular blog is for those who make, or are starting to make oboe reeds. Remember, the most important thing about making an oboe reed is having a sharp knife. Second most important thing is, having a sharp knife! I jest a little bit, this could be one of the most important things you can hear in your quest to make oboe reeds.
I have noticed that many beginning and even Advanced oboe Reed makers, and I suppose bassoon reed makers Falls in that category also, have great problems with sharpening their knives. There are many products you can buy to try to help you sharpen your knife. Some are gimmicks, others are tried-and-true methods. I will not go into any of those at all. I had someone visit me that had a very good system to sharpen knives for reed making. But, as he saw me sharpening my knives, he stated that I did not need his product. I take that as a point of pride!
So many of you do not have a system of sharpening your knife. Perhaps you just recall things you heard in your youth about sharpening and what to sharpen with. Perhaps that’s best way to go about it and if you will look on my website, you find some explanation of knife sharpening. There are many other fine websites that have similar tips to learn to sharpen your knife. But one thing that we have to avoid, and is the whole reason for this particular blog is that: We tend to use too much pressure on our Reed knife to sharpen it. There is something called a burr, that is important on oboe reed knives. It is that part of the knife that helps you take cane out of your oboe Reed. And, it is very important. The thing is, the size of the Burr on your knife is probably registered in microns. That means that it is a very, very small little thing that when your oboe Reed knife is sharpened properly, you can see through a magnifying glass. That burr is easily bent away if you use too much pressure. A good rule of thumb is that when you sharpen your knife, you only use the weight of the knife to achieve the Burr. That is not much pressure and not much weight.
It goes without saying that you need to have consistent angles on your oboe Reed knife to sharpen it. This is not a Boy Scout pocket knife, but a very fine Precision piece of equipment that must be dealt with properly. We don’t whittle with it! So next time you sharpen your oboe reed knife, this into account – – that you need to be very careful on how much force you put down on the blade as you are sharpening it. If it is done properly, you can literally see the Burr in a magnifying glass.
If you need any help, take a look at my website about knife sharpening. There is a free video there that you are welcome to see at any time or, give me a call and perhaps I can help you.
Have a great day and play pretty!
Kerry