Reeds-Synthetics

Synthetic Drone REEDS

I make the body out of brass hobby tubing ( I get mine from a remote
control car and airplane shop). Use the size that will fit into your drone opening. I use a 1'' belt sander to
sand off one side of the tubing. The cut that is under the wrap is a curve 8- 10mm long when viewed
from the side (length not critical). When viewed from the top it is a V shape like the scrape on a chanter
reed. The length of the body could be shorter. I made them originally the approximate length of the cane
reeds and a comfortable length to hold on when sanding the body. If you need to make them shorter to fit
in your stock, you can. The "bed" of body (where the tongue is placed) must be very straight and even
with the other side or the reed will not be steady (I do the finish edge with a small flat file).

2. I plug the end with beeswax. The plug is about 2 mm long (if the plug is too long the reed will sound
with a "muddy" tone and not a clear note). The plug is flat on the inside and on the bed side. I just work the
wax at room temperature and keep compressing it until I have a nice solid plug in the end.

3. The tongue is styrene 0.8mm thick. I have tried thinner, but it was not stable. I tried thicker, but it was
too hard to vibrate. I have also used brass tongues but they are not as steady, they cut the O-rings, and
they are harder to work with (although the sound is like an organ, the styrene is "buzzier"). I cut the end
under the wrap into a "V" shaped point and place it inside of the "V" of the body ( the tongue stays flat
going into the "V" of the body). Trim the tongue for length and width ( if the tongue is wider than the body
or sticks out over the end, the reed will not be steady). Hold the tongue on the body and check the flatness
of the bed (tiny spaces will make reed unsteady).

4. Wrap tongue to body with Teflon tape (I prefer the thicker pink Teflon). At this point I put the reed into
the drone and mouth blow to see if the pitch is within a note or two of D (These can actually tune about
1/2 an octave either side of D). You just need some room for
adjustment with the bridle.

5. Wrap with thread (I use pre-waxed hemp from a bagpipe supply store). The Teflon will seal the reed so
you can wrap with anything you like. I use a file at this point to finish the edge of the tongue to about the
same radius as the body (you can see this in the end shots). Just make sure the tongue is not hanging over
the sides or the end.

6. Put on O-ring bridle (at least 2 or 3). I tried rubber bands but they flex too much and the reed will not
be steady.

7. You can see how much space I leave between the body and the tongue. It is just like a chanter reed, the
bigger the space, the harder the reed is to blow. If the tongue is curved upward along the length it will shut
off with very little pressure. If the tongue is curved upward for a short space just past the bridle and then
curved the other way so it goes more parallel with the bed, it won't shut off with increased pressure. Play
with it, the styrene is pretty tolerant of being reshaped as long as you don't put a crease in it. Tiny
adjustments of the tongue and bridle can make large differences. Since you are mouth blowing the reed,
you may need to occasionally put a piece of paper between the tongue and the body to soak up the extra
moisture ( a little moisture can cause weird sounds).

8. The reed at this point will use a lot of air. I restrict the opening of the reed with short pieces of tubing
inside of the end (you will get down to a certain size and the reed will no longer sound
because you will not be able to blow enough air through the reed). After I find the size I can reduce the
opening to, I epoxy the pieces of tubing in place (the pieces go from the drone end to about the opening of
the bed).

9. If the reeds are not solid in their tone and tuning (they should get louder with increased pressure, but
not go up or down in pitch), check the tongue for overhang and the flatness of the bed. If you can't stop
the reed by touching the end of the drone, check the flatness of
the bed. With my drones, the reeds mouth blow about a half step flatter than they blow with the bag in the
stock.

I'm going to try using cane tongues to see if they are buzzier, but I haven't had time yet.

Good luck,
John Arnold
Still practicing!!

by John Arnold, November, 2004

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