I usually use a ten day cycle when breaking in reeds. I’ll open the entire box (or two) and soak them in a bowl of water for a minute. After that I take them out and lay them flat on a piece of plexiglass that I got from a hardware store. If I’m feeling up for it I will “seal” each reed by rubbing the vamp side of the reed, (mainly between the tip and heart) and test it every so often by blowing through the heel to see if any bubbles pop up on the vamp. If not, I’m finished, and if I still see bubbles I repeat the process until I don’t see any bubbles.
On the first day I will rotate through all reeds and play them for one minute. Each day, (for ten days) I will increase the time spent playing on each reed.
I store my reeds in an Earspasm humidor at home with a Boveda 58% inside. When I go out and about I select a few to bring with me in a heavy duty plastic bag and smaller Boveda 72% pack. I will eventually upgrade to one of Brad Behn’s small reed cases, but haven’t gotten there yet.
Hope this helps someome, and as always feel free to add any comments!
