Re: [Harp-L] reed plate thickness

["steve@xxxxxxxxxxxx" <swebb@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

You like nailed harps better than ones with screws? Maybe there is some merit to the torque argument, but the ultimate convenience of screws is so much better, in my opinion. How many times can you take a harp apart with nails before it starts to become a problem getting the cover plates back in place and tight? Or am I missing something here?
Steve Webb in M inn.
where I just give up on a D Big River that was the worst out of the box harp I've ever seen.

---- "Dave Payne wrote: 
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> From: Winslow Yerxa winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx
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> >The shortened reed life associated with thicker reedplates is due to the wider swing of the reed to pass through the reedplate to the other >size while vibrating. Wider swing bigger (louder) vibration and also more stress, hence shorter reed life. A brass comb would not have this >effect because it does not thicken the slot.
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> I forgot to mention this, I figured out a way around this... You file the parasitic plate (term from radio, a p... antenna is the one that is just there to help.. in this case the plate with no reeds) slots open wide at the free end of the reed. Thus, when the reed leaves the slot, it goes into a really big slot, so it doesn't swing as far through. 
> Now Joe Spiers has outthunk me on this one... I did check the archives to make sure he's posted it before and I saw that he has, so it's public information, I presume... I've seen his where he takes a strip of reedplate, the outside edge and it runs along the plate on the side and along the bottom. Its a double plate, but there is no double plate on the reeds. I've played it, it works. I thinkÂa lot ofÂimprovement a true double plate might have over this great idea Joe had would be that the plate also covers the top of the comb teeth. 
> If you think about it, and I have, what happens when you tighten bolts willy nilly on say the headÂof a Chrysler 440 engine. You're gonna get antifreeze spewing out fromÂwhere the head and engine block meet. Same thingÂwith harps. Any way you can distribute the torque more evenly will produce results. This is why I like nails, more even torque than screws. Someday, I willÂexperiment with a torque screwdriver and I might finally be able to get my screwed harps tight as my nailed ones.
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> Â_________________________________
> Dave Payne Sr. 
> Elk River Harmonicas
> www.elkriverharmonicas.com
> 
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