Re: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Re: New Kaboom/MAAS for stainless steel reeds?

[Jim Crutchfield <jdcrutch@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Well, I didn't mean to upset anybody.  The Materials Safety Data Sheet 
for Simichrome is on the web at 
http://www.gesswein.com/catalog/techinfo/msds/pdfs/Simichrome_Polish.pdf, and 
the MSDS for Maas is at 
https://www2.itap.purdue.edu/msds/docs/4402.pdf.  Both are classified as 
potential irritants, and medical attention is advised for ingestion of 
either.  Neither is classified as an inhalation hazard in "normal use", 
but I doubt "normal use" includes what harmonica players do.

Both contain hazardous ingredients:  Maas contains calcinated alumina, a 
hydrocarbon mixture, and triethanolamine;  Simichrome contains white 
spirit, kerosene, ammonium oleate, aluminum oxide, fatty acid 
diethanolamine, iron oxide, and glycine.

Neither seems to be very dangerous, and Maas may be slightly less 
dangerous than Simichrome.  I wouldn't want either one on anything I'm 
putting into my mouth and vigorously inhaling through, but that's just me.

While I'm at it, the MSDS for Bar Keeper's Friend is at 
http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/BKF_MSDS_01_09.pdf.  BKF contains oxalic 
acid, is harmful if swallowed, and may cause irritation to mucous 
membranes if inhaled.

To be honest, I almost never clean my harps beyond just knocking the 
spit out--only when I notice that one seems to have an obstruction or 
some groddoo making the reeds do funny, which is very seldom, and was 
even when I was gigging regularly with two bands.  When I do clean them, 
water or rubbing alcohol always seems to do the trick.  I never polish 
them.  It might make them a little more comfortable to play, but 
compared with possibly sucking fatty acid dethanolamine into my pipes, 
that doesn't seem like a big benefit.  Just my opinion.

Jim Crutchfield
Long Island City, NY


On 6/29/2010 7:54 PM, EGS1217@xxxxxxx wrote:
> Jim Crutchfield writes:
> "But on second thought, do we really want to use /any/ polish or
> heavy-duty cleanser on harmonica reeds? All that stuff is at least an
> irritant and maybe toxic; and it's bound to leave some residue for you
> to suck into your mouth. Over time I'd imagine you'd get a fairly
> appreciable dose in the mucous membranes. Isn't a good cleaning with
> alcohol enough?"
> At the risk of sounding endlessly repetitious...'All that stuff is' 
> NOT 'an irritant and maybe toxic'...that's the specific reason I DO 
> use MAAS ....and why Fjm himself (our listowner) mentioned what a 
> terrific product it was here long before Winslow brought up his use of it.
>  It was developed by an American housewife precisely to be 
> NON-irritating, FAR less toxic AND less 'heavy-duty' than other 
> silver/metal cleaners on the market, and has long been promoted for 
> polishing up other wind instruments (saxophones/trumpets to be 
> precise) due to her own problems with the metal cleaners on the market 
> at the time.
> I've gone into detail before and thought I made it clear here again 
> with my last post - After polishing with the MAAS I wipe down any 
> surface my mouth and hands are going to be touching when playing, with 
> 91% isopropyl alcohol. And then the harmonica is buffed again with a 
> dry cloth. If I don't have the rubbing alcohol handy I've substituted 
> Clorox' Anywhere hard surface spray instead (I dip a cloth into some 
> poured into a dish for that last wipe-down), which is safe to use on 
> home cutting boards, baby high chair surfaces and around our pets.
> So I do wish you would not scare people off until you do actual 
> research into this specific polish, Jim.  MAAS does not leave any 
> residue to be 'sucked into one's mouth'. And no, over time one does 
> not get a 'fairly appreciable dose in the mucous membranes'. I've been 
> using this product on my harmonicas for 5 years now, have extremely 
> sensitive skin, can't so much as eat an orange or a strawberry without 
> mouth irritation and have had absolutely no problems whatsoever with 
> my harmonica polishing regimen. I'd never suggest use to other players 
> of anything I hadn't tried out myself and found to be an amazing 
> product with no harmful effects at all.
> Perhaps Simichrome  - the polish you suggested might cause such 
> irritation and problems, but MAAS does not, which is why it's THE 
> polish of choice. But just to be completely safe and sure, I've 
> long made a point of telling anyone who plans to use it that I 
> personally do an extra wipe down with the 91% alcohol afterwards 
> before playing any instrument.
> FTR, some people are allergic to or can't use alcohol for other 
> reasons (such as being recovering alcoholics) and don't wish to use it 
> in any form on their instruments and so cannot follow your advice 
> about 'a good cleaning with alcohol' being a sufficient cleanser.
> Out of all the metal polishes on the market MAAS is the one made for 
> jewelry and delicate antiques...which leaves brass reed plates and 
> silverplate mouthpieces as well as metal covers (including the 
> undersides) highly polished and spotless. Removes rust without major 
> scrubbing or use of tools which can harm the instrument and will stave 
> off future rust while leaving brass specifically with a very soft 
> feel... the precise reason I use it on my Super 64's and Seydel Deluxe 
> Chromatics. So I can have a much smoother surface on my chromatic 
> mouthpieces (making them far easier to play) without the worry of 
> ingesting anything remotely harmful.
> Specifically too, I keep reminding everyone here that just a 'tiny 
> dab' of the polish goes very far...one polishes it in and then buffs 
> it off. Michael had brought up Jason Ricci's method specifically - his 
> use of Kaboom, which formula has been recently changed.
> To me and quite a few other people I gather (since this is one of 
> several such ongoing discussions on Slidemeister), a beautifully 
> polished mouthpiece, cover plate and reed plates makes for a better 
> playing harmonica and leaves a silky smooth surface which permits the 
> chrom to go a lot longer between major cleaning sessions...allowing 
> for mere wipe-downs with a damp cloth after playing, and giving it 
> less of an attractant to dust. I covered this issue the first time I 
> ever mentioned trying out MAAS, since I'm pretty fanatical about not 
> ingesting or being exposed to any toxic chemicals.  I'm also 
> specifically talking about chromatics, not acrylic bodied diatonics, 
> which are far easier to clean than chromatics.
> Ymmv.
> Elizabeth