Other than recycling the staple, can any of the reed makers here tell me what, if anything, can be done with a splintered reed? While at a session and warming up, I noticed that it sounded like the reed was loose so took the cap off to check. You guessed it. On replacing the cap I just barely caught the corner of the reed, and that is all it took for the cane to splinter right at the edge down to the bridle. I have ordered a new reed, and next will be the jump into reedmaking myself by ordering the materials. Meanwhile, again, I am wondering what about the splintered reed?
Ailin
Depends how bad it is I have saved a reed before which was well splintered by rubbing some pva glue (not much) over the split wi ma finger then let it dry if( need be very very slightly sand it) but ye shouldnae be putting hardly any on at all.Nail varnish can work as well as long as ye keep it thin and ye seal the reed to make it airtight it is worth a go. 
Slán Go Foill
Uilliam
Keep the broken reed and use the measurements to help you get started when you begin building your own reeds (this pre-supposes that you were satisfied with this reed).
djm
I’d suggest trying super-glue first - I’ve seen split reeds repaired with superglue which lasted for years afterwards. Again, use as little as possible - perhaps using a bit of wire or the sharp end of a pin to apply a tiny drop to the split. Then gently (and quickly!) push the split sides together and hold for a few seconds.
As Liam says, you might need to very slightly sand the reed afterwards, especially if any glue has gotten onto the broad/flat part of the blades.
Good luck,
Bill
I suggest sliding a piece of paper between the reed blades before using super glue. The paper will absorb any of the glue that may leak through to the inside. (Don’t leave it in place too long or you may never get it out.)
Definately use a pin to apply!
I have done this with a couple of reeds and they played fine afterwards.
Good luck!
If the fixes don’t work, do keep the staple and model your own on that, as well as the other dimensions for the cane element. Keep notes on where the binding went to, and as much other information on the construction of the reed; i.e tone chamber present or not, shape of the cane beneath the shoulder, thickness of the edges, and length of scrape -how far in the staple was inserted etc.
Pwt
Thanks for the suggestions all. I will try the glue this weekend and post how it turns out. What have I got to lose?
Ailin
… a tiny bit of glue?
On a side note, I have noticed that reeds repaired with super glue or krazy glue sometimes tend to aquire a sort of harsh squeak, even if sanded slightly afterwards. Does anyone know if this is because too much glue has been used, or it’s gotten onto the flat of the blade, or what the cause may be?
I think there may be problems if you try to fix the blades ‘in situ’ as once there is a crack, the whole curvature of the blade can alter. I reckon untying the blades and glueing it while there is no tension will probably see better results.
I’ve used this ultra thin stuff called Zap CA before and it runs into minute cracks nicely, but it’s deadly if you get it on your clothes (I managed to set my trousers a-smouldering and ended up with a nasty chemical burn blister on my leg.)
Seisflutes, if your reeds squeak after gluing you’ve probably got the cane saturated and it’s a bit stiff, probably not much you can do.
Okay, the glue work has been done, and the reed is back together. The good news is that the reed is not only back in one piece but is still capable of sound. The bad news is that so far it is not very good sound. There is some glue that got on to the flat part of the reed between the edge and the “v”. Next step is to very lightly sand the glue off. So far the patient is still alive!
I have never had any success at reviving a cracked reed. As Eugene Lambe suggested, “never get emotionally involved with a piece of Arundo Donax”.
Save the staple and learn how to make reeds (I hate blowing in new reeds).