[Harp-L] Steve Baker Special 365 - work with nailed-on reedplates

[David Fertig <drfertig@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks Winslow!  Back before sp20s (in the 70's?), I used to go find a high school shop class with a jewelry section, and pretend to be a student, and use the tools to fix my marine bands, nails and all, wotta drag.  Can't pass for 16 anymore.  I might try to bolt the plates together, instead of screwing into the wood or trying to re-nail it. But I ain't no craftsman...

And indeed, Steve, the 365's are fine OTB, and it ain't that I'm picky, I just need the thing to be more tolerant of my terrible technique, to get the tone I like!

Dave "all thumbs, few fingers" Fertig


Forwarded Message: Re: [Harp-L] Steve Baker Special 365 - work with nailed-on reedplates Re: [Harp-L] Steve Baker Special 365 - work with nailed-on reedplates
        	Wednesday, November 18, 2009 9:31 AM
        	
            
            
            From: 
            "Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>
            	
            	
            	
        	To: 
        	harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
                Being able to easily disassemble and reassemble a harp is a big help if
you want to emboss, tune, or optimize gapping - all things that can
make a big difference in how well a harmonica plays.

I
convert my 364 and 365 harps to screwed-together construction, and seal
the combs while I'm at it with spray acrylic. But it helps to own a
drill press, have the right screws, know the drill bit bit sizes, and
have the right threading taps.

The alternative is to pry the
reedplates off the comb and re-nail it later. To do this I use an
inexpensive kitchen knife with a blade about two inches wide and about
nine inches long. This gives it enough length to pry up the entire long
edge of a reedplate at once, and enough heft to do the job. Insert
along the back edge of the reedplate until the blade touches as many of
the screws as possible, then gently prey up. You can also assist the
process by prying up along the right and left sides.

Remove the
nails by hand or with an instrument. Place them on some sticky tape in
the same configuration as they came out of the harp so that you can put
the same nail back in the same hole - each nail can have subtle
variations in the angle between shaft and head and its head will fit
most flush with the reedplate if it is returned to its original hole.

Do
whatever you want to the comb (sanding flat, breaking sharp edges,
painting, sealing) and to the reedplates (breaking sharp edges,
embossing, gapping, tuning). While you work, test tuning and response
by clamping the harp together in a sandwich with comb, both reedplates,
and both covers. This does not give a perfect representation of a fully
assembled harp, but it's close enough in my experience.

Re-assembling
with nails is the part that I've never gotten very good at, and maybe
someone else can jump in and give good advice. The reedplate can be
placed on the comb and aligned, and the nails inserted. Then you need
to get the nails in tight. You can use pliers, or a nail punch. I would
imagine that the advice to tighten starting at the center and working
outward to the right and left edges may be good with nails as with
screws.

Winslow

Winslow Yerxa