Re: [Harp-L] gross topic?

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Cold germs die by themselves if left to dry.

I would NOT boil any harmonica. Plastic combs will warp from the heat. Even all-metal harmonicas could suffer damage, and why go to such extremes?

Here's what I would do:

1) take a screwdriver and disassembled the harp. Keep the screws and nuts in a small container - jar lid, etc. to keep them from getting lost.

2) Take a dry toothbrush and brush off any loose gunk from the comb - especially around the mouth of each hole. Do the same around the front edge of each reedplate.

3) Dunk the comb in warm water with some dish detergent and just leave it for awhile. Later you can scrub it with a toothbrush as needed.

4) Clean the reedplates. You could soak them in the soapy water for awhile, or spray them with a liquid cleaner like Kaboom (as Jason Ricci demonstrated in a recent YouTube Video, which I suggest you check out). Then take a moist toohbrush and scrub then from side to side, not along the length of the reed, to avoid getting the toothbrush bristles snagged in the reed slots. If the reedplates are caked with a lot of corrosion or immovable junk, you might try using metal cleaner, but avoid anything corrosive or toxic, and rinse extremely well afterward.

5) Thoroughly rinse reedplates and comb after clelaning.

6) Reassemble the harp. Take care when attacheing the reedplates that the front of each reedplate lies up with the front of the comb and the reeds are dentered over their channels. When you tighen the screws, start from the middle of the harp and work out ward.

Special notes about tightening screws:

1) In factory assembly the screws may cut their own thread in the lower reedplate. Often the job is not completed and as a result the reedplate is not tryuly snug. You may find yourself finishing the job of thread cutting, which requires a bit of elbow grease. The benefit is that the harp will be more airtight than it was out fo the box.

2) Warning: Despite what I wrote above, don't over-tigthen the screws. Findish cutting the thred, then loosen all the screws a little. Re-check alignment of reedplates to comb, then tighen again, starting in the middle and working outward. Tighten only until the screw is snug and the screwsriver iresists your fingertips. If the screws are too itght, they will press the reedplate down and make it buckul up away from the comb in neighboring areas, introducing leaks. 

Winslow Yerxa

Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5

--- On Thu, 7/2/09, Grant Walters <grant@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

From: Grant Walters <grant@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] gross topic?
To: Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thursday, July 2, 2009, 10:58 AM



I'm fairly new to this site but wonder about this "Used harp" topic:

I have a large bag of used harps (some more than others , special 20's, and others)

How would one recondition (sterilize) these for use by my friends. (close friends)
who want to learn in a way that would not pass on my various nasal infections etc.
I've made cool wind chimes out of them and retuned some but mostly I've just kept them for parts.
Christmas ornament is good reuse  too.

Would heating them (boil) to a certain level not change the tuning, etc. or is alcohol or dry heat an option.
Wtih the price of harps these days Maybe this is worth doing for the new player to get a set.
I have heard of the old "soak them in Jack Daniel's".
These guys always seem to have out of tune harps.

When I lived in tropical environs I found germs  to be  reinfecting me in my "set' of harps".
I decided to use a wood box with air flow in that environment. (Hilo)
I never share my harps ( or wife) and keep my mouth clean.

How does one make used  harps sterile without ruining them.  This is not an OCD case.
I don't want to give my student  friend any disease besides the boogie disease.

As far as the race issue...Race is not a topic I wish to discuss.  I love and embrace all music and races (I'm heinz 57).
However,...i would not let my daughter date a harmonica player.
Just kidding.

Grant




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