Re: Subject: [Harp-L] Cleaning the chromatic

["Blake Taylor" <taylorb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Elizabeth - 

I don't play chromatic but on two or three songs a gig (which is
probably too much for my audience, but...) I guess I'm not gentle on
them, as I have a pretty regular problem of "bending" my slide mechanism
so that it doesn't want to work properly. This has been a particular
problem with my Hering "Musselwhite special 48."  I'm a bit leery of
taking them apart, as I'm not confident that I'll be able to not do
something horrible and irreversible (I was raised by a pack of
academics).

Also, I havge a '60's vintage Hohner 64 that I inherited from my old
mentor and that I love The tone is warm, but a bit dull compared to the
Hering. Also, the top octave plays reluctantly (read - very quiet and
stiff).

Any suggestions for a mechanical klutz and someone who should probably
stick to diatonics before someone gets hurt?

 - Blake

>>> <EGS1217@xxxxxxx> 01/26/06 1:45 AM >>>
Gary Lehman writes:
"Hi all-
I just spoke with Hohner, they are sending back the CX-12 I  cleaned
with
hydrogen peroxide--predictably, they advised against that.   Curiously,
they
also advised against cleaning the harp with anything except  alcohol.
Rusting rivets were the reason--
I do seem to notice harps get  stuff on them--I can't always brush
before
every note--can I get some  different ideas of what everybody (well, not
EVrybody) does to clean their  instrument? I will go ahead and use
denture
cleaners if that's what it  takes--
Gary"
 
....Gary....we've covered this topic fairly extensively just
recently...a  
search of the archives - subject: cleaning harps  should give you all
the  posts 
about the issue and mine was one of them...so I won't bore the rest of
the  
list by reiterating everything, but the main thing I use is alcohol. I
used  to 
use  ethyl alcohol(70%) but switched to the 91% purer isopropyl  alcohol

because Jason Ricci mentioned using it and it's a far better  product. 
I use a 
clean "Reach" toothbrush reserved  just  for my harmonicas (chromatics
as well 
as diatonics).  Hold them upside  down - have the alcohol in a small
plastic 
cup into which I dip the  toothbrush and then scrub up into the
mouthpiece and 
all around (of course you  have to do it while depressing the slide as 
well..hard to do with one  hand).  The bristles are just long enough to
get rid of 
most foreign matter  without doing any damage to the reeds.  Anything
the 
toothbrush  doesn't remove, I'll work at with an orange stick (less
invasive than a  
screwdriver)....and besides I don't want to break my delicate
screwdrivers by  
using them as a scraping tool.  I then tap off briskly onto a  clean
cloth 
and wipe down thoroughly.  (This is only a rudimentary  cleaning, mind
you).  If 
there are any stuck reeds then the harmonica  needs to be opened
up....that's 
another post -- again, check the archives or  write to me offlist if
you'd 
like. The foregoing of course is a  basic cleaning for harps for which
I've been 
the sole player.  For the ones  I've bought used from EBay, my cleaning 
ritual is far more extensive.  Most  of my collection of older
chromatics are wood 
bodied...so I won't use water  that would swell the wood.  I live in a
humid 
environment...that is  problem enough.  For carrying a harp with me,
I'll bring 
 along individual packaged alcohol swabs and give a wipe down when 
needed.  
I also use Maas, a metal/glass/fiberglass polish on  every surface
except 
wood(even the brass around the reeds) of my harmonicas  -- but it's
time-consuming 
and intricate... however I don't mind and  have the time to put into it,

following up with an alcohol  wipe-down.  Then I consider them
"disinfected" and 
clean.  Lots  of people here don't do anything remotely this 
complicated...different strokes  for different folks  <G>   (I may be
wrong but think most  
people who use the denture tab style of cleaning do so for diatonics, 
not chroms).
 
Elizabeth 

_______________________________________________
Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l