Re: [Harp-L] cleaning custom harps

["Vern Smith" <jevern@xxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Meehan" <yeehaw@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, December 18, 2004 10:15 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] cleaning custom harps

> ................................................
> Someone said that they boiled a harp to steririze it. To that person I
> would say that it would have been easier to throw it in the trash because
> the heat has taken the temper out of the brass reeds.

Hold off on discarding that boiled harp!  There may be other good reasons
not to boil a harp, but removing the "temper" of the reeds is not one of
them.  Wooden combs might swell, warp and crack.  The adhesive holding
valves (if any) to the plate might let go.  Valves (if any) might curl.

It is true that high temperatures could anneal reeds.  However, water boils
at 100C.  The grain structure of cold-rolled brass is not affected at
temperatures below 200C.  It follows that boiling does not affect the metal
properties of reeds.

Vern

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