How do keep cane tubes “fresh”? How to do some refresment if canetubes are too dry and hard?
I like to store them in plastic ‘zip-lock’ bags within plastic tubs.
I find this method maintains the cane’s humidity, as well as protecting it from the extremes of Central Florida climate changes.
djm
…well, it does… 
During the winter, humidity can and does jump around a bit, though it mostly stays at levels conducive to good reed behavior. The summer is a different matter, where it goes from good reed humidity to a level that is sometimes too humid for the reeds… that coupled with temps in the mid to upper nineties.
Of course, none of this is as truamatic as the the climatic gymnastics y’all experience up there in the Great White North. 
Just kiddin’, Joe. I leave my cane in open plastic bags. This exposes them to the continual changes in humidity and temperature to ensure the cane continues to age. Like wood, I expect my cane to continue to get better and better the older it gets, and this includes aging through exposure, rather than trying to hide them away.
djm
Down here, one has to think about mold. But, I agree with your practice of keeping it exposed.
I once visited Peter Hunter and noticed he had a large number of cane tubes hanging outside in the rain etc.
He told me that the cane was a bit hard for reeds and he was weathering it to make it softer.
David
I don’t know that the plastic bins will do much good against the hurricanes which stop by from time to time…but at least when the wind blows your hermetically sealed cane all the way to Georgia, I can still use it as it will be in water proof zip-locks! 
I keep mine in either zip-locks or some of it in a cardboard box (as it was shipped from France).
-gary
You may want to store it in something other than cardboard Gary, as the chemicals used to produce cardboard can hurt your cane over time. Line the box with plastic, keeping the cane from coming in direct contact with it.
Thanks Joseph..I’ll have to stop by Wal-Mart and pick up some bins! -g
Good idea.
I just received 1 and 1/2 pounds of reed cane from Proboe Cane via the USPS about an hour ago. I ordered tubes in 23-24mm diameter. I haven’t had a chance to make a reed yet, but the thumb nail test suggests that they will work out nicely… that, and I split a tube to check out the ‘flesh’ as it were. I’m liking it so far.
Proboe stresses that this cane is harvested from wild breaks in the Var region of France, and as such, aren’t subject to questionable cultivation practices.
They also advertise having drone reed cane available for UPs as well, if I remember correctly @ 5 cents a piece, something I am sure a few of yoos guys out there may want to look into.
Here’s the url:
Check it out.
..
Good question Mr. B, I haven’t a clue how to do conversions… but I’ll guess 2 pence or there about…
I’ve kept my cane in the same cardboard box that Medir sent it to me in about ten years ago. It’s been stashed in various cupboards and whatnot, going through various extremes of humidity - 95% and over in the summer time, down to almost non-existent in the Winter - and still now produces fine reeds with no noticeable deterioration or hardening. I’ve hardly had to use much of it, so each time I need to make a new reed, I have to sit for a while trying to remember where the box of cane was last stored. When I do track it down, part of the process of tube selection involves carefully blowing the spider webs and dust out from inside. So I wouldn’t get too stressed out about cane storage.
Cheers,
DavidG
… I can just see you blowing the webs out of the tube…when a funnel web pops out and plants a big wet (and painful) kiss on your lips… actually, I guess that really wouldn’t be very funny.
If you’ve got any tubes that are on the narrow side…say 20mm or so, I’d be happy to take them off your hands. Either purchase or trade for larger tubes…my narrow bore chanter likes the narrower cane.
-gary
Good thing we ain’t got no Funnel Webs up this way, not like down in Sydney where they like to dwell in and around homes. But we do have lots and lots of Red Backs - they look like your Black Widows only they got a bright red patch on their backs. Pretty damn poisonous too, although they don’t kill humans to the same extent that funnel webs do.
Yup, I had a widow nesting in my porch over the summer, she ate a ton of bugs!
..
Hey Gary,
I’ll go through the lot and see if there are any with that diameter. If I find any, they’re yours and I’ll bring them up to Gainesville this weekend. No reimbursement is necessary, as you have shared a generous amount of cane with me.
All the best!