I used a big stainless pot with hot tap water to soak the reed in and help it flex. One of the articles I read said to do it for 30 minutes in 140 degree water. I did that the first time, but it was a pain to heat on the stove. I tried hot tap water (in the low 100's) the next time and let it go for about 15 minutes. I found the results about the same. I had read that you can mix glycerin in as well, but I didn't do that so I'm not sure to what degree that would help. I found it plenty flexible for what I was doing without it.