[Harp-L] Tuning Annoyances

[Paul Bowering <paul_bowering@xxxxxxxxx>]

I've bought the files, feeler gauges and even a
virtual strobe tuner (great product by the way);
ruined a couple harps and am now pretty decent at
tuning my own harps. 

A problem remains. I stay up late and risk my wife's
wrath for the satisfaction of those smooth chords and
non-beating octaves. Until the next morning when all
those reed have drifted and I have to retune all over
again. I'm not working on failed reeds so what do you
other tinkeres do about the following:

1) Assembled reed plates - is it best to tune the harp
with plates attached to comb. While I can tune the
blow notes with attached plate it is more difficult.
Do loose plates greatly affect the final result?

2) Cover plates - do they alter the pitch? 

3) Predictability - do the above two items behave in a
consistent fashion? In other words if covers drop the
pitch by 7 cents on one harp will it do the same on
the next? If so I could tune with these offsets taken
into account. (This doesn't have to be exact; I could
live with a couple cents difference and it would still
be better that not knowing at all).

4) Valves - I've taken to half-valved diatonics. If I
add them after tuning they could have significant
impact. I haven't done enough of them to say for sure
but there's the potential. If I add them before the
tuning process then they get in the way and I pretty
much need to tune with unattached reed plates; a
tuning Catch-22.

5) How long after tuning before a reed settles in?

Any tips or suggestions appreciated,

Paul

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