[Harp-L] Painting the wooden comb..

[Zvi Aranoff <zaranoff@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi.

I sanded my Marine Band. The sharp edges of the reed plate was  
hurting my lips and the comb was a bit bumpy and not perfectly  
straight. I sanded both and now they're smooth as a baby and the harp  
plays great.

Now. however, the wood is exposed and I'm concerned it might expand  
with continuous usage. Also, the wood doesn't look good. It got a bit  
black from the sanding. It's just an aesthetic thing but I want it to  
look good, preferably black like the rest of the comb.

I went to several hardware stores and all they had was polyurethane,  
shellac,  or paint, all of which is unhealthy to put into the mouth..  
The only safe thing I was able to find was an oil that's used to  
finish butcher blocks, but that won't make the wood look nicer and  
the oil eventually comes off and you have to keep applying it once in  
awhile.

I found a water based paint that has a risk level #1 on the label (0  
being the lowest, 5 the highest). I searched Google and couldn't find  
what does that mean. Is it safe to put in the mouth?

Does anyone here know what can I use to finish the sanded area? What  
kind of paint does Honer use? Should I use that?

I'd appreciate any advice.

TIA!

Zvi