[Harp-L] Little Teeny Screw Problem In LA

["sam Blancato" <samblancato@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Here's what you need:  Get 00-90 size brass or stainless steel flat-head
machine screws from SmallParts.com.  Get the 1/8" length.  Get 00-90 nuts
from same.  You will need a 00-90 Tap to tap the rivet hole to accept the
screw, and a countersink bit to countersink the hole for the flat head screw
and a nut driver to put the nut on (they're so small you'll go nuts trying
to put them on without the nut-driver) after you've fit the reed onto the
00-90 screw shaft.  You can get the 00-90 nut driver, tap, and a countersink
bit (just get a real small bit; it doesn't have to be 00-90 size) from
Micromark.  

I plan to do a series of re-tunings on a couple of 270 chromatic harmonicas
and this is the system I plan on using. I just bought all of the above
stuff.  To try out this system I replaced a cracked reed on a Seydel Soloist
Pro.  It worked perfectly; I mean perfectly.  I had to countersink the hole
using a regular drill bit, not having purchased a countersink bit.  Take my
advice - you need to get the countersink bit.  The angle is different - 82
degrees.  It works better.  

I learned about how to do this and about what sizes work best and all on
SlidMeister, a chromatic harmonica discussion site.  

Getting a 00-90 reaming bit would be a good idea too; I plan on adding this
to my tool collection. 

What you need to do is to run the screw into the emptied rivet hole from the
opposite side of the plate after you've taped out the hole with 00-90
threads and then countersunk that hole.  So, now you have a threaded post
sticking out on the reed side.  You can put a reed on and tighten it down
with the 00-90 nut.  The beauty part of this approach is that you now have a
permanent threaded post in place.  If your new reed goes you just pull it
out and put a new one in.  Now you're not "repairing" the reed; you're
replacing it. 

I looked into buying this whole set-up in metric sizes, having read up on it
on Harponline.com 

http://www.harponline.de/index.php?lang_id=en_GB&js=false&page=index&PHPSESS

They have a workshop series on this subject with very good photos.  Seydel
has a system too.  I decided to go with the English sized system because I
could buy everything in the U.S. (we still make stuff here; we're not a
banana republic - yet) and get it faster and with less shipping.  All told I
think everything set me back $65.  But now I can replace reeds all I want.
And you don't need to buy reeds if you have old harps around with the needed
pitched reed (and from the right model i.e. Hohner hand mades, or M.S.
series, or another Seydel - what ever harps you have a lot of). 

This worked out so well on my Bb Soloist Pro I could kick myself for not
getting this stuff years ago.  It took me less than an hour to do and I had
never done it before.

Sam Blancato, Pittsburgh