Subject: [Harp-L] Slide lubricant (was Koch Chromatic)

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Chuck:
 
I'm SO with Gary on this. He's not the only customizer/harmonica  
repairperson to feel this way. It's a lousy job to work on other folks'  harmonicas, 
especially the really filthy ones. ANY lubricant automatically  attracts 
dust, dirt or worse. If you're not cleaning it out regularly yourself  and plan 
to send it to someone else to work on, then don't use anything which  could 
work its way into the reeds or windsavers because you just might find the  
repairperson returning it to you with a 'no thanks'. No harmonica  
repairperson gets rich doing what they do for a living. Trust  me.
 
 
 
When chromatic players talk about using anything other than water as a  
slide lubricant (technically you shouldn't need anything at all if it's kept  
scrupulously clean) they're talking about MINISCULE amounts of these  
substances..maybe something like astroglide (yes, sold just for this purpose),  but 
such a tiny dab you scarcely see it. What would work BETTER for the slide  
assembly is to first make sure all its parts are clean and straight  (with 
no debris impeding the assembly itself) and no build up of saliva salts or  
crud (sorry, have to call it what it is), then make sure the  mouthpiece 
isn't over-tightened onto the chromatic (a major cause  of slides hanging up: 
EVERY chromatic newbie overtightens. IF it still  isn't moving smoothly enough 
it might need deburring or gasketing. I suspect a  bent slide assembly by 
your mentioning the slide being off target. It was likely  dropped at some 
point. That's enough to crimp any one of the MP parts to hang up  the slide.
 
 
 
My windsavers have never 'clicked'. What they do when  they're beginning to 
stick together (the bane of chromatic players) is  'pop'. (If you're 
hearing a metallic click it's not the windsavers, but  something else). There are 
countless discussions on how to clean them --Dave  Payne's talked about this 
at length and has shown it in videos: a piece  of wet brown paper dabbed 
onto bar soap slid between the two layers of the  windsaver. Sissi Jones 
describes this as well. 
 
 
 
If you go to Hohner's website they have an excellent new series of videos  
hosted by Steve Baker showing step by step just how to maintain and solve a 
lot  of these chromatic problems. I posted a link to ALL of them within the 
last  couple of months. You can look in the harp-l archives if you prefer.
 
 
 
But Koch's aren't supposed to HAVE windsavers anyway. Now somebody could  
have so disliked the inherent airiness of your instrument and installed  
valves, but afaik they don't come with them stock. (Today one can valve just  
about any harmonica--or half-valve it - all for interesting tunings, so 
finding  valves is no indication of how the instrument came from the factory). I 
have a  Koch and it's in as pristine condition as when I first got it years 
ago. Tried  it once, hated it and put it away. It sucks air - literally. I 
guess it's a  decent enough instrument for those who live in frigid conditions 
and want to  play outdoors --but that old cartoon about the kid with his 
tongue frozen  to the telephone pole always flashes into my brain whenever I 
visualize trying  to play it in such adverse conditions. I'd rather wait to 
play until I'm in the  car with the heater on (as a passenger), and my 
CX-12's and me are sufficiently  warmed up. It's one reason why there's an 
on-going discussion of 'the best  portable heating method for chromatics' on the 
slidemeister website.
 
 
 
If you want a decent ten-hole chromatic (I still play mine though not  
often), you could get a Hohner 260. Someone's selling one on EBay new old stock  
beginning at $9.99 starting today.
 
 
 
Elizabeth
 
 
"Message: 11
Date: Wed, 23 May 2012 00:53:08 +0000
From:  gnarlyheman@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] Slide lubricant (was Koch  Chromatic)
To: "Chuck Linville" <linvillec@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc:  Harp-l _harp-l@xxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx) 


Reason I would not recommend using a lubricant on a slide is that I  work 
on other people's harmonicas and find that the lubricant works its way  
inside the harmonica. 
Since I don't make a lot of money from working on  other people's 
harmonicas I am reluctant to do the hard work of cleaning the  gunk out of their 
harmonicas. 
G
******
 
"Message: 4
Date: Tue, 22 May 2012 20:20:43 -0400 (EDT)
From: Chuck  Linville <linvillec@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Koch  Chromatic
To: Gary Lehmann <gnarlyheman@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc:  harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx

"
I never recommend putting lubricant on a slide. "  Really? That's 
interesting. May I ask why? (Gotcha on the embossing though!)  -chuck

----- Original Message -----
From: Gary Lehmann  <gnarlyheman@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Chuck Linville  <linvillec@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tue, 22 May  2012 16:42:55 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Koch Chromatic

I have  found that embossing the reedslots with help make a Koch more 
airtight. Also,  some Koch's don't have windsavers. And I never recommend putting 
lubricant on a  slide.Gary

On Tue, May 22, 2012 at 7:39 AM, Chuck Linville  <linvillec@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
wrote:


Hello all. I'm working on a Koch 10 hole chromatic. Any tips on  reducing 
leakage? I did find that the slider is off to the right just a tad and  needs 
to be tweaked in. I also hear a little "clicking" from what I presume are  
the windsavers on a couple of reeds. I'm not seeing any cracks in the comb, 
at  least from the outside. Anything else I should be looking for? How about 
the  slide itself? Are these generally lubricated with something? Thanks!  
-chuck