Subject: [Harp-L] Re: Cleaning Chromatics

EGS1217@xxxxxxx · Sun, 10 Feb 2008 10:55:33 EST

Hi Marvin:

There are as many ways to clean a chromatic as there are people who play  
them :)

This has been an ongoing topic of conversation on Slidemeister as well  (home 
of chromatic players). So you might want to search the archives there as  
well). 

For me, if I'm cleaning my own, bought new and only played by me  
chroms...(depending on the materiels- e.g. - my latest axes of choice are  CX-12's which 
are probably the easiest chromatics to clean) - the comb and reed  plates pop 
out of the outer shell (as well as the single piece making up the  slide) - in 
about 30 seconds (look ma, no tools) ;)  - and the shell can  then be cleaned 
with hot soapy water under running water in the sink...I use a  toothbrush 
kept just for that purpose to clean the flip side (inside) of  the mouthpiece.  
Usually just a quick wipe down of the single slide part  suffices. It all pops 
back into place 1,2,3.  Rarely do I find valve issues  with these 
harmonicas..but mine are all new.

As for all the rest of my Hohners/Seydels/Herings - old and new....I clean  
them by: disassembling carefully -  my worktable all set up in advance with  
lint free cloths, a good padded work surface, dishes to place all small  screws 
into (far enough away so I won't knock anything over, having been  there, done 
that); a good strong Halogen light overhead (or, alternatively a  forehead 
strapped halogen light)...set of long needlenosed tweezers, 91%  Isopropyl 
Alcohol, aforesaid toothbrush, non-shedding pipe cleaners, toothpicks  and various 
other tools since I usually take the opportunity to check the  gapping as I 
clean. 

My one 'extra' is MAAS polish( got my last tube at my local  Walgreen's).

 I use it on all surfaces except wood (and windsavers)...following up  with 
the alcohol to remove any residue or taste.  I clean into the  mouthpieces with 
the toothbrush or pipe cleaners dipped into the alcohol.   A tiny speck of 
the polish goes a very long way, but will remove tarnish from  brass, 
silverplate, chrome, other metals, plexiglas, plastic, and can be buffed  to a soft, 
high sheen, leaving the item protected from future effects of  dampness and 
looking brand new. 

I do the flip side of the cover plates especially...since some of my  EBay 
bought chroms have come in with rust/tarnish spots. The MAAS polish  has removed 
most of those with minimal scrubbing or scraping... 

I'll use it very carefully around the reeds but not on them. If,  
however..you're removing and replacing the windsavers then you can use it a bit  more 
extensively.  To clarify...I'm describing an amount about the size of  a baby's 
fingernail....

Everything gets wiped down with a soft, lint-free white cloth (clean torn  up 
old white t-shirt)...both before and after reassembly.

If a windsaver looks at all 'suspect' on a used chrom...I'll definitely  
gently clean with the alcohol..but prefer to replace with Bill Romel's  self-stick 
thermophore windsavers.  Even the bumpers get a good  cleaning..but don't 
lose them (they're invisible when dropped), I keep small  dishes on my worktable 
to hold all the small parts.If the bumpers are  disintegrating or tearing - 
they can be replaced via separate types of plastic  tubing.  SmoJoe won the 
'inventiveness' prize here, I believe, by  suggesting oxygen tank tubing...the 
smaller size...cut up as replacements for  chromatic bumpers.

Each separate part of the mouthpiece slide is cleaned, front and back. I've  
never 'deburred' or machine/hand polished a slide assembly, but that aspect of 
 chromatic work has been discussed at length by the chromatic pros  on 
Slidemeister. Be careful not to bend or 'straighten out' the curve  already in your 
mouthpiece parts. I usually clean each part in the palm of  my left hand with 
a toothbrush dipped in the alcohol (from a clean dixie  cup)...in a circular 
motion,both front and back, using no force at all so as not  to disturb the 
natural curve of the mouthpiece assembly. 

I've never used any lubricating material on my slide assemblies..don't  
believe in it, since I think that any oily substance or vaseline would  simply 
attract more dirt, which would then in turn cause more sticking problems  (your 
mileage may vary): Even water dripped down the slide assembly keeps  it too wet 
for me, and encourages rust (imho)...and on a CX-12 would be  useless due to 
the construction of the harmonica (the actual harmonica is set  back far enough 
from the outer mouthpiece holes, water would simply drip back  out of them, 
or puddle behind...so why bother?

 My bought new chromatics have never had problems along those  lines..only 
the 'pre-owned' (EBay bought) chroms, I've had to disassemble to  remove gunk 
from the assemblies.  If one doesn't overtighten the screws  when you 
reassemble...you're unlikely to have real problems.  As long as  all of the 'crud' is 
gone and the button moves freely;  the screws  tightened just enough, it should 
work properly.

If all of those steps are followed and there still is a 'jam'...it's most  
likely a badly bent mouthpiece assembly...someone may have tried to straighten  
out the curve..

Some tips I've learned from the pros: Once disassembled..don't leave a  
wood-bodied chromatic without replacing the reed plates and cover plates,  because 
after a day the nails won't align with the nail holes due  to any slight 
swelling of the comb (this is the reason most  chromatic players have at least one 
older chromatic in pieces somewhere in or  around their workbench).   :) In my 
case I have a couple...but they  cost me little, and were good learning 
tools,and I can use them for parts.

While the mouthpiece is off, then it's time to look inside with a good  light 
and use the tweezers if you see even the tiniest hair or thread...(you'd  be 
surprised what can find its way into a harmonica...I have several cats and a  
long-haired white dog, so trust me, I know <G>)  Many guys who have  
moustaches find they lose moustache hairs which can end up in their harmonicas  and 
play havoc with a reed. Fishing it out carefully with a tweezer, can  make all 
the difference, but try not to misalign a reed doing so...

Do tighten the screws at each end of the mouthpiece equally and  
simultaneously..and never, NEVER overtighten...and when one has reached maximum  
tightness...come back one turn of the screwdriver.

Allot plenty of time. Take a deep breath.  Put on some soothing music  <G> 
Spread plastic or a brightly colored cloth on the floor under your  chair.  
You'll be glad you took the precaution if you drop small  parts.  

If you're allergic to, can't have, or simply don't like the taste of the  
alcohol...wipe the harmonica down for its last wipe with a liquid mouthwash you  
like diluted with water.

If you have cats/dogs/children..and don't have a separate room or area  where 
you can keep your harps...you will be cleaning them a lot more, and  finding 
the occasional cat/dog hair/fuzz-  child's crumbs in your harmonica  - the set 
of long nosed jewelry tweezers I bought were found at Michael's Craft  
stores, for less than $5.

A magnifying glass can help too...as well as a long, flexible tiny maglight  
(Jimmy Gordon has one I want)...to insert into the mouthpiece to look for dirt 
 inside the harp or proper reed alignment. But that's for another 
topic....(and  if you find a source, let me know :)

(Rupert Oysler's videos/DVD's are the perfect teaching tool to have on  hand).

I've added one new product to my arsenal.  Clorox' Anywhere Hard  Surface 
spray.  I take a small travel sized container with me for  phones, door handles, 
etc in Hotels...and now I use it to clean and  disinfect all surfaces of used 
chromatic boxes ...and I'll now spray  down the exterior of the chromatic 
itself before I begin working on  it.  It's the only product deemed safe to use 
around food surfaces,  children and pets, as well as ANY hard surface.  I find 
it cumbersome  to work wearing rubber gloves, so using this product makes 
things easier,  keeps it simple (I've worked on and cleaned up some absolutely 
filthy  harmonicas...makes you wonder just what some people are thinking when they 
sell  them that way - when just removing the worst of the crud would make a 
huge  difference).

I'm much less stringent about my own harmonicas, of course..the extreme  
precautions I use only with the 'unknowns'.

Of course...you may not think this is the 'best' way to clean a  
chromatic..but it's worked for me :)

Elizabeth

"Message: 11
Date: Sat, 09 Feb 2008 10:56:50 -0500
From: "MARVIN  Fleischman" <m0flei01@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Re: Cleaning  Chromatics
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Message-ID:  <47AD86F1.C762.003F.0@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain;  charset=US-ASCII

What is (are) the best way(s) to clean  chromatics?
Marvin Fleischman"

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