Harp as disease vector/ question

[Bill Long <LONGWJ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Harpers,

>From: Emma Lutman <emma@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> 
>I agree with Chris about not playing after eating.

I think this has more of an impact on the health of the harp than on your 
health.

>As for playing when you have a cold, I would presume you can't reinfect
>youself from your harp (for the same reason you can't from your handkerchief
>etc). The thing is, you are probably at your most infectious before you even
>realise you are sick. However, its still a good policy.

I don't think you pose much of a threat to yourself, but if you're sharing 
your harp with someone who has a cold (or if you have a cold) there's a 
possibility that the virus may survive in a warm, recently played harp.

I also play trumpet and had a nick on my mouthpiece.  I sanded the rim down 
and polished it smooth, but I had to go through the plating to finally work 
the nick out.  Underneath the plating the mouthpiece is made of brass.  
Another trumpet player told me this was not a good idea as there is some 
sort of disease you can pick up from the brass.  I never heard of anything 
like this before...any one out there in Harp land ever heard of this?  I 
have been playing on that mouthpiece for over a year like that and have had 
no problems so far (I'm knocking on my head).  I was just wondering that 
since the reeds and reed-plates of many harmonicas are made of brass if 
this presents some sort of hazard as the harps get old...although I've 
never had any problem with old harps (mine don't usually last that long 
anyway) nor have I heard of anyone else having any problems.

My question is this.  I am missing a screw set on one side of one of my 
Golden Melodies.  I thought they were held together by simple machine 
screws, one in the top plate, one in the bottom.  But is anything ever that 
simple?  Anyway they are a set with one screw having an internal thread and 
the other screw threading into it.  Is there a convenient place to get 
these sort of parts, preferrably in eastern U.S. or Canada?  I have looked 
back on some of the recent mail but didn't see any listing for parts 
suppliers.  I should probably go back to the store where I bought the harp 
and see if they can get the screw assembly for me, but I thought I might 
have better luck here.  Thanx for any help you can offer.

Billong  -->the answer is blowin' in the reeds