Re: [Harp-L] polishing reeds

Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx> · Sun, 28 Sep 2008 01:39:56 -0400

The wands are nice, but you can make them yourself. All you need are  
popsicle sticks. They can be used but those will be stained. I put  
them in the microwave with bleach. Besides they're my wife's, so if I  
was going to catch anything, I would have already done so in the last  
42 years.
You can also buy them new at Walmart, Michaels, JBM bargain barrel,  
the 99cent store..you get the picture. Then a pack of emory boards.  
You cut them 1/8" or so wide with Fiskers and using contact cement,  
afix them to the EDGES of the sticks. The boards have 2 different  
grits on their 2 sides. And, they come in several grits package to  
package.
You can also make wands with different emory paper, garnet paper,  
etc. You can also dip sticks in glue and then in fine grit. I happen  
to take regular beach sand, sift it through a ultra fine carburator  
screen.
I applaud your recent endeavor to write your book 'Harmonica for  
Dummies'. I (myself) had contemplated such a book many years ago, but  
both Blackie and Doug Tate had beat me to it. This was the same  
excuse Jerry (Murad) used. Luckily YOU have a recognizable name, and  
it should do well.
It amuses me every time I hear about people buying these exotic  
harmonica repair tool sets. I suppose my many years of working with  
my hands, having amassed a plethora of stuff, and coming up with my  
own methods has me jaded.
As for tuning, maybe it's permissible at a factory or by a customizer  
who is doing a lot of reeds, where time is of the essence, and time  
actually IS money, but otherwise there is NO reason for a singular  
person to ever use a file or machine to tune. If a person doesn't  
have 4 minutes, then it's like that old phrase "If you ain't got no  
MoJo Nixon, your music store could use some fixin".
smo-joe
On Sep 27, 2008, at 10:11 PM, Winslow Yerxa wrote:
A simple sanding detailer - a plastic tensioned wand with a band of  
fine sandpaper around it - will both tune and polish in a single  
action. Not mirror-smooth, mind you, but frankly I doubt that such  
a smooth surface offers any benefit in terms of reed longevity.
Sanding detailers can be had in sets of four (different colors with  
different grits of sandpaper) for under $20. No electrical power  
requirements, can be carried anywhere you can carry a pencil (and  
that probably includes commercial airplane flights, as a sanding  
detailer has no hard or sharp edges).
Winslow
Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5

--- On Sat, 9/27/08, Vern Smith <jevern@xxxxxxx> wrote:
From: Vern Smith <jevern@xxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Re: [Harp-L] polishing reeds
To: glenlabb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Date: Saturday, September 27, 2008, 11:22 AM
----- Original Message -----
From: <glenlabb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2008 9:17 AM
Subject: Re: Re: [Harp-L] polishing reeds
John Kerkhoven wrote:

What do you use to do the polishing? You don't

want to be

de-tuning the reed at the same time.

Oh, but you'll be SERIOUSLY detuning the reed.

Just be prepared to

retune afterwards.
-tim
 But, won't you have to scratch the reed to

re-tune, then polish out the

new scratches, re-tune, re-polish, re-tune, etc, etc?

Where does it all

end.  With a weaker reed????  Or ... can you polish

the end of the reed or

the near the revet (or weld) to re-tune the reed after

the initial

polishing.  Just wondering.

I think that your concerns are well founded,  IF it
ain't broke, don't fix
it.
I would not polish a reed unless it needs tuning.  The
tuning scratches made
by the factory are usually at a small angle with respect to
the reed axis.
These scratches affect stress concentration in proportion
to the sine of the
angle.   A scratch at 90 deg with respect to the reed axis
is the worst
case.  A scratch at 45 deg is 70% as bad, at 30 deg is 50%
as bad, at 15 deg
is 25% as bad and a scratch parallel to the reed axis would
not introduce
any stress concentration at all.
Years ago, Mike Easton introduced me to a tuning tool that

leaves a shiny,

polished surface.  It is a little wheel of fine abrasive in

a rubber matrix

called a "Shofu Brownie"  They are used to polish

metal dental appliances

such as crowns and bridges.  See

https://www.net32.com/ec/brownie-prepolish-hp-wh6-square-edge- 
wheel-d-41004
They have 3/32" shanks and fit nicely in the little
motorized spindles used
to shape fingernails.  A Dremel spindle is, IMO, overkill
for tuning.
I prefer a Microlux spindle like MicroMark

http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp? 
MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=15230

It is about $115 including the DC power supply to make it

go and shipping..
I have a little nail file spindle powered by a single AA
cell from Walmart
for about $15.  It works OK in a traveling repair kit. With
some patience,
it will get the job done and there is little danger that
you will injure a
reed.  However, it lacks torque and stalls easily.  You
pays your money and
you takes your choice.   ;o)
Vern
Visit my harmonica website www.Hands-Free-Chromatic.7p.com

Glenn
-------------- Original message from "Tim

Moyer"

<wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>: --------------
John Kerkhoven wrote:

What do you use to do the polishing? You

don't want to be

de-tuning the reed at the same time.

Oh, but you'll be SERIOUSLY detuning the reed.

Just be prepared to

retune afterwards.
-tim

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_______________________________________________
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_______________________________________________
Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l

_______________________________________________
Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
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