Re: [Harp-L] Re: New wind saver valve leather

[Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Vern writes:

> Reports such as yours about the actual performance of a particular  
> type of windsaver are just as important as experiments with new  
> materials.

I should point out that I really had no involvement in this beyond  
the basics of using them for a eight years or so now (it was sometime  
around 2000).  This was Pat's first commercial usage of it, but I  
can't say at all how long he'd been using it on his own harps.  He is  
extremely cautious with customer's instruments, and so would only use  
this after being convinced it would hold up over a very long time, so  
we can assume quite some time before that was when he developed it.

> With a big community of chromatic players cooperating, we can  
> gradually develop the optimum (if not perfect) windsaver.

The optimum is a chromatic that doesn't need them.  You're Hands-Free- 
Chromatic comes as close to this as any instrument, but even there  
the lowest octave of a tenor (or a 64) gives problems.  The Tombo  
Ultimo type of chromatic also doesn't need valves, though here I have  
yet to try one in that pitch range.  These microfibre (or ultrasuede,  
not sure the actual material used myself) valves are quite effective  
throughout the rest of the range, and it also depends on the  
instrument.  I have these on the CB-tenor Siegfried Naruhn made for  
me and they are fine on all the reeds there (he used the reed-plates  
from a 64X)--so perhaps combinations of hole chamber size, reed-plate  
thickness and other issues may all come into play to effect the  
valves in that range.  On the 280 it is only an issue on the lowest  
two holes, and only if you do certain things at certain speeds.  And  
even then, not a major issue.

Smokey Joe writes:

> Right, only the long windsavers are touchy. Hohner used to make  
> 'vaulted' ones for the low octave. You 'could' try this (which I  
> suggested to Vern Smith).

I've used these and not particularly liked them.  I think I prefer  
the standard-style of Hohner valve to this.

> Very fine wire from the carriage cables in the tuner of a radio.  
> This cable is only about a milimeter and has several 'hair' sized  
> strands. Once unravelled, the individual wires will STILL have the  
> curls in them from the braiding, BUT this won't hurt the installation.


Thanks for the tip.  I have several potential materials in mind for  
light springs, but haven't really had enough of a desire to bother  
yet.  Which probably says a lot about the degree of the problem in  
and of itself.

PT Gazell wrote:

"I have conducted at least 6 seminars at various harmonica  
conventions on
this topic and the facts stated above were usually discussed. I  
suspect that
JR is referring to a conversation I had with someone at a convention  
which
eventually ended up on Harp-l."

No, I was referring to this post:

http://www.harp-l.com/pipermail/harp-l/2005-August/msg00812.html

Which dates the convention to sometime before August of 2005.  I  
haven't been to another since then.

It seems that there are a lot of varieties of similar material out  
there, so perhaps finding the right one is critical.  I've not tried  
what Pat gave me on standard Richter diatonics, but have tried it on  
XB-40s.  It worked fine, but because of the way the XB-40 is valved  
in the first place I'm not sure it's a significant improvement over  
the standard valves.






 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()  ()
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