RE: [Harp-L] Used Harps

["Eric Neumann" <eneumann@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Easy way to clean harmonicas: Put metal in a glass, put warm water to
cover, and add a denture cleaner tablet. The problem is that it tends to
tarnish the brass. But, if it's a chrom - you can count on not damaging
the valves and/or windsavers.

You can use newsprint to clean between the valves and windsavers.

Don't soak a wooden comb. I was personally thinking that a small dose of
denatured alcohol and a cotton swab could help remove the grundge
without a real chance of swelling the comb - but - and nice emory board
and a gentle touch might help. Some folks might find that they are
alergic to denatured alcohol - but if you basically strip your wooden
comb of grundge and go right down to the finish - you should look into
sealing it back up with (pharmaceutical) bees wax - or some other
NON-TOXIC wood sealer.

As for complex wooden combs found on older chroms, etc., if you HAVE to
soak them - and the swell - there may be a good chance you can save them
with the glucose applications. I read a while back that glucose replaces
the water or displaces it - anyway - that stuff is relatively cheap to
buy, and you can apply it to really beat up wooden combs to help restore
them (from being warped or swollen) - the severity of the damage
dictates how many applications you need to do.

All in all - just remember - I would not recommend boiling the reed
plates or combs - but some covers I am sure can be bioled for a short
period of supervised time. A passive way to sterilize may be iodine.
Homebrew folks sterilize their bottle with a 1/1000 mix or so - it's a
real small amount of iodine in the water - that should also kill
bacteria if you don't like bleach.

Mark Wilson said he used steam to clean his pieces he is offering for
sale - that is likely a good start. Especially, if the use of the harps
is very minimal. but, again - keep the moisture applied to wooden combs
to a minimum.

I have to agree though - using another players old harp is like using
someone else's toothbrush. I pity the fool that swipes one of mine - I
smoke, and drink beer at practice sessions - so it would be like a
mummies curse upon them. haha.

hope I have helped in a small way. A lot of this advise assumes you have
the fundemental mechanical skills to take apart and put back together
any type of harmonica.

-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Pierre
Sent: Friday, September 10, 2004 8:29 AM
To: Richard L Williger; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Used Harps



For diatonics I would take them apart and soak them overnight in a 1
part
solution of bleach and 10 part water. I do that for bike water bottles
and
it kills all bacteria and makes them taste like new again. My bottles
get
realy grungy as I often have Gatoraide in there festering for days or
even
weeks.

Of course this is not an autoclave, but people swim in pools and do not
get
sick.

For chromatics I do not know what you can do, I don't really know how to
care for those.

Pierre.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard L Williger" <rlwilliger@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, September 10, 2004 7:13 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] Used Harps


> There was a post on the last Harp-l digest concerning purchasing used
harps.
> I don't know, blowing someone else's harp has always seemed like using
their
> toothbrush.  Kind of icky.  Anyone with some true biology/medical
background
> have an opinion on that, like whether rubbing the cover lid with
alcohol
> really has an effect on any hidden bugs, or whatever?
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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