Re: Overbends

[wmharps@xxxxxxxxx]

wrote:
> Tim wrote today :-
> >I started setting my harps up for overbends.<
> Question ! --- How do you do that Tim ?! bg Please & thanks.

It's not hard, but it takes a few tools and a lot of patience.  

First I polish the reeds to remove the scratch marks, which also serves to 
flatten them slightly.  I do this by sliding a thin metal shim between the reed 
and the plate and polishing with a small kevlar bristled hobby brush.  I got 
this one from Ben Bouman in the Netherlands, I have no idea where to get one in 
the states, I haven't looked.  You could acomplish the same thing with some 
fine emory paper (800 grit or so).  After polishing the reeds I narrow the reed 
slots by pressing a small socket along the length of the slot, and also across 
the tip.  There are also other tools with which you can do this, I find the 
socket works well for me.  Narrowing the reed slots in this way also serves to 
press the reed down into the slot.  The next step is the most annoying, and 
that is making sure the reed swings freely in the narrowed slot.  This can 
involve turning the reed slightly, or in some cases deburring the slot and/or 
the reed.  I plink the reed to make sure it is clear of hitting the sides or 
tip.  I then do a prelimiary gapping, just so each reed will sound, then tune 
the reeds, which have generally dropped in pitch from the prior process.  After 
tuning comes final gapping, in which I set the gaps VERY low, lowest on 1-4-5-6-
7-9, slightly lower on the lower draws (1-4-5-6) and upper blows (7-9) than 
lower blows and upper draws.  Gapping generally takes an "adjust-test-repeat" 
cycle through a few iterations.  

That's about it.