[Harp-L] Re: Nails in Combs
Hi Winslow,
I´ve just counted the parts of a wooden-combed 270 with nailed
reedplates where the reed rivets, valves, screws and nails are all
single parts. Believe it or not, a 270 oldtimer consist of 175 parts
if the slide knob is considered a single part too.
Concerning the general rule that an object consisting of many
components has an equal error rate, the CX 12 is once again the
star of the 12-hole chromatics. It has 137 parts only.
That means that we have lots of threads to talk about for years
not included the repetitions.
What the hell has caused you to favor nailed reedplates though
they are generally considered dinosaurs. You wrote:
< The cheapeest of the cheap haprs made in China are held together with
< screws - usually far more screws than a Special 20.
< So it's not a cost issue with the Marine Band and nails. >
What? It´s just the contrary. The manufacturing of nails is by far
cheaper than to make screws, so, the MB nails are a cost issue,
of course
< Rick Epping has articulated the belief ............ that nails allow
< the reedplate to float above the comb in a sort of dynamic relationship
< that allows them to vibrate more freely and perhaps adapt to small
< changes in the size and shape of the wooden slab. >
Rick is doubtless an acknoledged harp technician but, hey, hey, his
insinuation that the nails favor a "dynamic relationship between
reedplates & comb" (hats off) seems to be, hmmmh, a kind of
hypothetic description of a situation which is desireable not at all.
The main sound giving components of a harp are the reeds and the
art and manner how they are fixed on the reedplates is crucial.
Whether they are decentralized or not properly rivetted or have
material flaws are enough sources to influence the sound.
With other words:
The reedplates and the comb should form a compact unit, i.e.
they shouldn´t have any dynamic interaction and to achieve this
aim a screw is by far better than a nail, as every carpenter do know.
Furthermore, there´s another reason to avoid the nailing of
reedplates on wooden combs. The most important spots of
leakage between comb & reedplates are the regions where
the chamber ribs touch the plates. Therefore and because of
the restricted fastening power of these tiny nails they have to
to be placed to the rib ends as close as possible and that´s
the problem.
I didn´t find no wooden 270 where at least one chamber rib was
damaged by the nail. When I started to customize harps my first
action was to replace all nails by screws, of course, after having
repaired all ribs which allowed a free air passage between
neighboured chambers thanks to the nails.
Keep on nailin´ (of windows against Hurricanes)
Siegfried
Thema: Re: [Harp-L] Nails in Combs
Datum: 26.02.2007 19:06:46 Westeuropäische Normalzeit
Von: winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx
An: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Internet-eMail: (Details)
The cheapeest of the cheap haprs made in China are held together with
screws - usually far more screws than a Special 20.
So it's not a cost issue with the Marine Band and nails.
Rick Epping has articulated the belief - and I apologize in advance if
this paraphrase from memory is a mischaracterization - that nails allow
the reedplate to float above the comb in a sort of dynamic relationship
that allows them to vibrate more freely and perhaps adapt to small
changes in the size and shape of the wooden slab.
The wooden-combed Echo series of tremolo harmonicas are also nailed
together as are the wood-combed Auto Valve and the standard version of
the 270 chromatic. All the 364 and 365 model I've bought in the last
year or so - including one SBS - have been nailed together as well.
Two thing I have found in favor of nails are:
--When you want to have points of fastening close to the covers, nails
can get much closer to the cover edges than screws due to their smaller
and flatter heads.
--As nails do not penetrate through to the other side of the comb, they
can be placed in a pattern that is optimal for fastening each
individual reedplate. To do this with screws you have to embed several
individual thread receivers in the comb in both sides, or use a
material hard enough that it can be threaded - procedures far more
complex and expensive than using nails.
Winslow
--- Ken Hildebrand <airmojoken@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I've bought a few 'custom' Marine Band harps over
> the past few years, that still have the nails holding
> the reedplates on (instead of screws).
>
> I was kind of disappointed to see this in a 'custom'
> harp, but the customizer must think that the nails
> are good enough, and/or if the reedplastes need to be
> removed, then it should be sent back to the customizer
> for service.
>
> In any case, I find it disappointing that some
> customizers still use nails or have reverted back to
> using nails (from using screws).
>
> Ken H in OH
>
> --- Garry Hodgson <garry@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > "Rich" <blues-harp@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> > > But on Hohner's web site, the photo of
> > > the "Classic" Marine Band clearly shows it nailed
> > together, since only the
> > > Marine Band *Deluxe*, according Hohner, is screwed
> > together.
> >
> > i find it odd that in this day and age they still
> > use nails for harps. i could see
> > it, perhaps, for cheapos. but not for the "standard
> > grade" $20-or-so harp that
> > a serioous player will use. it's not the 1950's
> > anymore.
> >
> > i'm curious whether it's an cost issue. special
> > 20's use screws, and cost about
> > the same as an MB. does a wood comb cost more, so
> > that cost is offset by using
> > cheaper fasteners? is it a marketing thing, to
> > appeal to traditionalists? or maybe
> > it has to do with keeping clear differences between
> > the MB and the MB deluxe.
> >
> > ----
> > Garry Hodgson, Senior Software Geek, AT&T CSO
> >
> > do for others with no desire of return.
> > we should all plant some trees
> > we will never sit under.
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
> > Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
> > http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l
> >
>
>
>
>
>
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