How do I make my harmonica work better?

[Arthur Pellerin <aepellerin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello Folks,

    I bought a set of cheap diatonics with plastic combs and learned how
to tune and gap a few reeds reasonably well. I made a diminished tuned
harp. Really cool sound!
    What else can I to do to enhance their performance besides gapping (
ie. some of the reeds are a tad short for the slot and sound airy no
matter what ). Also, exactly what is slot embossing and how do you do
this? What can I do to make the harp more airtight?
    Also, through trial and error, I found that ordinary brass stock is
not tempered for springiness and vibration.
Thank you for all your advice and instructions.

Yours Truly,
Brian Pellerin

P.S.   I found Pat Missin's Altered states to be very inspirational -
excellent work.