[Harp-L] Ultrasound cleaner

[Steve Baker <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I bought one just to try it out but wasn't convinced. When I nuked  
the reed plates in plain warm water nothing much happened and when I  
tried a commercial cleaning solution the offsets & tuning were  
affected and I had to do a lot of work to get them back in working  
order. Maybe there are more suitable cleaning agents but for my needs  
this method is not really necessary.

I've gone back to just soaking the plates in diluted vinegar or lemon  
juice (don't soak too long or your rivets may rust!), alcohol or EM  
(effective micro-organisms, my preferred cleanser, which does a good  
job if you soak the plates for a couple of hours or overnight). Then  
I brush them off with a soft toothbrush and rinse under the tap. I  
have numerous Hohner MBDL reed plates which I've been using on stage  
regularly for over a year now and have refurbished like this several  
times, with the occasional spot of retuning when needed. They still  
play great and the ultrasound unit is gathering dust in the shed,

Steve Baker
www.stevebaker.de
www.bluesculture.com