Re: [Harp-L] Comb material

[Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx>]

On Sep 16, 2008, at 6:02 PM, Tom Halchak wrote:

> On the subject of comb material - I am curious about the pros and  
> cons of
> making combs out of different types of wood.  We all know that the  
> wood
> combs on Marine Bands swell up when they get wet and become  
> uncomfortable to
> play, so we migrate to the plastic combs of the Special 20's or the  
> Golden
> Melodies.  But what about other types of wood like oak or mahogany  
> or ebony
> or maple or elm or others?  Has anybody ever experimented with  
> using these
> or other types of wood?

Sure. Most wood is fine as long as you seal it with a mixture of 50%  
Vicks Vapo Rub and 50% mineral oil (melted in a double boiler).

> I know that Seydel has a harmonica the appears to
> be made entirely of wood, but I haven't pulled the trigger and  
> purchased
> one.  I have also looked at the brass combs made by Chris Reynolds at
> builderofstuff.com.  His workmanship is impressive but still I  
> wonder about
> a more economical option.

I have a custom-48 that has a porous bronze comb. It looks like brass  
and was cut from a sector of armature bearing kicked out of the mud  
at the abandoned Westinghouse factory in Pittsburgh. It was milled by  
the late Leo Friedman (Harmonica Rascals) and I stuck used hardbopper  
plates on it. It was economical.  lol

> I have a friend that owns a woodworking shop with
> some very high end computerized (we are talking $200,000 pieces of
> equipment) milling equipment.  I've seen these things in action and  
> they are
> amazing - totally computerized, very precise.  He also happens to  
> be a harp
> player and an inventor who hold a few patents.  I'm sure I could  
> get him to
> make some combs for me.  If anybody has some suggestions or  
> comments I'd
> like to hear them.

Then you are in an enviable position.

>   If I can identify an ideal material and can get this set up

Things to consider (since the machinery is only WOODworking machinery  
and not METAL working machinery.
1..... Linen Micarta  (MY personal favorite)
2..... Living Nylon  (used for cutting boards)
3..... Sirocco  (a type of plastic/celulose similar to bakelyte but  
not as brittle)

> I would probably be willing to send some combs out to those of you who
> are interested so you can have an opportunity to try them.  No  
> promises, but
> I am thinking that once the computer program is set up the cost of  
> material
> won't be much - it's a little piece of wood!  If I can make it  
> happen, and
> it doesn't cost me too much I would be happy to send out some  
> samples for
> field testing.  I would love to hear from you.

One of the things that irks me is when harmonicas go up in price and  
one of the reasons used is the cost of METALS. How ridiculous. Even  
if a comb was made of solid SILVER, the price hikes can't be  
justified. There is only ONE way to justify hikes...and that's LABOR  
and shipping. And (right now) only Germany & Japan have high labor  
costs.

smo-joe
> Tom H
>
> Clearwater, FL
>
>
>
>
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