Re: [Harp-L] note refusing to sound after cover plates are attached

[David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

You can get by with very few screws as long as there is no reedplate warpage and nobody ever overtightens one or more of the screws, because it is all about FLAT not tight at the reedplate/comb joint. When I played MS, it was a couple of years, the former was a big problem. You can get by with fewer screws also on a thicker reedplate. If I think the best design would be a piece of metal strip about as thick as the reedplate that would distribute the force from the screw heads evenly, thus ensuring flatness. Or, they could just use nails and get the same result. ;). 
Dave
_____________________________
Dave Payne Sr. 
Elk River Harmonicas
www.elkriverharmonicas.com 


----- Original Message ----
From: "captron100@xxxxxxx" <captron100@xxxxxxx>
To: Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 2:25:21 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] note refusing to sound after cover plates are attached

? The problem is fixed.? It
turned out that the reed was refusing to sound when pressure was
applied to either side of the rivet.? It was
caused by my over-embossing the opposite end of the reed slot, at the
very tip.? I don't know whether this is a good thing to do, but i have
been embossing even the end of the slot in an effort to reduce all tolerances.? I haven't much experience with tip scooping, which seems to do the opposite of embossing the end of the slot - in other words, the removal of metal at the end of the reedslot seems like it would create MORE space between the end of the reed and the end of the slot; whereas embossing creates LESS space between the two.? Thoughts?

? I was pleasantly surprised to hear John Walden's favorable comments regarding MS harps, tho disappointed that noone else has yet to corroborate his assertions that the MS harps play with more volume and power.? Judging by what I have seen, this should be the opposite, tho I know Hohner has improved quality after the re-tooling a few years ago.


? It's evidently true what Tim said about the number of screws not being the whole story re air tightness.? Btw, the MS
Meisterclass that started this thread has 5 screws, plus the cover
screws.? I am now working on a friend's wood combed MS Blues harp.? It has only TWO screws holding the reedplates together, besides the coverplate screws.? It's wood has deep grains going
across the tops and bottoms of the wooden tines.? It looks to me that
air will be able to leak under the reedplates from one chamber to the
next.? yuk.? I'll have to gasket this one with Micropore.? Fwiw, the code on
the blow plate reads: 1-216-1011018/1? G-DUR? HOHNER 27/03? L9/KA2.?
Can anyone verify - was this plate mfg'd on the 27th day of 2003?? If
so, that's pretty recent.
? So I am also surprised with John's comment about the MS wood being superior to the handmade harps wood.? John, how is it superior?
ron


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