Re: [Harp-L] breaking - in, looking for a metallurgist

[Vern <jevern@xxxxxxx>]

"Coaxing" is possible in only iron and mild steel, not in high-carbon or stainless steel.  Besides that, breaking-in doesn't meet the procedural requirements of coaxing.  Coaxing requires a long period of cycling at low stress followed by successive long periods of gradually increasing stress.  For two reasons, coaxing does not occur in the "breaking-in" of SS harmonica reeds.  We currently have no evidence that breaking-in extends the life of reeds.  

Hohner and Sissy Jones claim that it does but have not revealed the basis for their claims.

Vern  



On May 27, 2010, at 12:43 PM, captron100@xxxxxxx wrote:

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>   Patrick wrote: 
> You don't need a metallurgist to establish whether or not breaking in a harmonica has a perceptible effect....snip....which of the harmonicas (the "broken in" harps or the stock harps) sounds better?
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>  This reminds me that we are questioning three aspects of breaking in -- does breaking in supposedly make a harp sound better, play better, or last longer?  So far the evidence indicated by science seems to indicate that breaking in a brass reed harp is a myth.   
>  But still unanswered is whether breaking in could benefit a harp with reeds that are made of ferrous metal, such as the Sydel 1847 with it's stainless steel reeds.  
> ron
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