You can ascertain the sharpness of a knife blade, or more specifically, where the blade is sharp using a simple technique. To do this hold the knife in one hand and very lightly brush the blade upward on your thumbnail (see photo below). Do not “dig in” or torque your wrist.

If you do it right you will feel the blade gently tug or scrape upwards on your nail. If it does, it is sharp. If it feels slicker and does more of a slide, it is dull. Try it across the width of the blade and see how the sharpness varies. It may be dull near the tip and sharp closer to the middle and other end; probably because it doesn’t get used as much there. The sharpness can and usually does vary across the blade edge.

With this technique, the mystery of blade sharpness is suddenly revealed. You can use this to examine any blade and test its sharpness – kitchen blade, Bowie knife, whatever. They all reveal their sharpness and where they are sharp. Try it.

This is important. You want to gently scrape cane off, and you don’t want your blade to dig into your reed and create a divot or indentation. You need a sharp blade. Learn how to sharpen your blade or bring it to a pro. Don’t use one of those kitchen knife sharpening gadgets, like the ones on can openers, or you may ruin your blade.

You can sometimes pick up scrap acrylic that you can use for working on reeds at craft shops. That is where I got my first one – there was a craft shop on the walk between the Eastman University Avenue dorms and the school downtown, and I still use it. They last forever and they keep your knife from being damaged because the material is softer than glass, for example, so don’t use a glass plaque. You can also sand on it.

While you will notice that the acrylic surface gets marred from sanding and using a knife, you will likely never see any acrylic debris – I never have – plus it is plastic and inert. Also, if you hold your reed in the same place on the plaque, it will create an outline over time which tells you where to place the reed.

Sandpaper is an important part of your reed adjustment arsenal. This is a starter set of four pieces: one piece of 220 very fine grit, two pieces of 400 super fine grit – one for general use and the other reserved for use on the tip only – and one piece of 600 ultra fine grit. These are all “wet-dry” sandpaper and are identified by their black color. You want wet-dry or waterproof grit sandpaper for two very good reasons: 1) Your reeds are wet or damp when you work on them, and you need grit that is appropriate to that wet environment. 2) The wet-dry paper doesn’t crumble or shed grit like regular sandpaper does.

This kit contains everything needed to start making and adjusting clarinet reeds. It includes the book How to Work on Clarinet Reeds, a reed knife, sandpaper and an acrylic plaque for working on reeds.

This kit is only available through bassclarinet.net at an extremely low price.

Drapkin details his step-by-step approach to creating the perfect reeds for his clarinet. The conversational text is amplified by photos that put you right in his workshop. All reed players should take the time to learn how to craft their own reeds. “Most clarinet players are slaves to whatever comes in the box, not realizing that just a few minutes of touch ups can make all of the difference,” says Drapkin, as he begins his process of creating the perfect reed. He discusses reed knives, various sandpapers, and how to “finish” a reed. When all is done, he even provides a troubleshooting guide for less-than-perfect reeds. This handy tome will bring you a skill that will last a lifetime.