Scraping an oboe reed blank is a little like creating a shell for the reed to live in. It isn't really an oboe reed yet, but it has to be a good enough shell so that the reed can eventually take shape within it. It seems like a rather abstract idea now, so just remember... Your initial goal is to just get some cane off the reed.

All that hard shiny cane must go for the reed to vibrate. Although this part of oboe reed making is not very detailed, you will have to learn basic knife control to get the shiny cane off. Of course, practice makes perfect.

As your reed making skill improves, however, don't let yourself get bogged down with this step. I have seen may experienced reed making students take such care and time with this part