Re: [Harp-L] Maxwell street + Is that street harp manufacture? WAS: TwoGreat You Tube Videos

["Vern Smith" <jevern@xxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Kerkhoven" <solo_danswer@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2008 10:13 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] Maxwell street + Is that street harp 
manufacture? WAS: TwoGreat You Tube Videos


> Thanks to James for those video tips.
>
> Big Walter Horton:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgxGDxZYfG4&feature=related
>
> And the Robert Nighthawk Maxwell Street I found here:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oypAbJj-fEs
>
> This got me looking into Maxwell Street. And I found this:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sydLGxkm0Qw&feature=related
>
> Now can anyone tell me what's going on at 2:52 - 2:55? 
> This looks like
> street harmnonica manfucaturing. It looks like the guy is 
> cutting metal, and
> those things scattered before him look like harmonica 
> reeds. May be
> something completely different going on. David Payne? Any 
> of the other harp
> techs care to venture a guess?

They look much too wide to be harmonica reeds.  IF they were 
blanks for harmonica reeds, they have many more opoerations 
with much more precise tools before they would ever function 
in a harmonica.  The economic payoff for making a harmonica 
reed by hand ...even if it saves a diatonic 
harmonica...doesn't justify the labor required.

I would guess that they had a more immediate use requiring 
much less subsequent fabrication than harmonica 
reeds.....such as measuring spoons,  scale weights, burglary 
tools, weapons, jewelry, shorts for electric meters, etc.

Vern