Re: [Harp-L] Re: Bell Metal Reeds

[Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Nov 19, 2011, at 10:33 AM, Loren Bookbinder wrote:

> LOL, good stuff there Joe!
> 
> And for the record, let me state that English really is my native language, although clearly my proof reading skills suck as evidenced by "I am have to disagree with Joe", seriously, I let that slip by?!?  
> 
> Regarding the rest, I will clarify: I actually meant that the term "Bell Metal" itself, not Hohner's application of the the term, was not a marketing ploy.

Yes, I knew that  :)

> I have no knowledge of what metals Hohner has used over the years, nor do I claim knowledge of their marketing strategies.

Oh jeez, I don't either. I was just offering up a humorous scenario lol
> 
> As for the rest, I won't debate what alloys were used when and where and for which instruments. Some formal training as a jeweler and bladesmith, plus having read a bit about the history of cymbal/gong making over the years, leads me to believe the metalsmiths in those fields, and others,  were able to maintain pretty consistent control of alloys over many hundreds of years,

Wasn't debating at all. Not at all. I do agree on this point. I would hope that these folks kept the 'special' metals segregated to some extent in order to propagate the quality of the breed. 

> but I have no knowledge of what happened with regards to harmonica makers. And, I suspect there could be plenty of debate on what "consistent" might actually mean with regard to alloys over the years, lol.

Yes, and this was why I was snickering as I was writing. (I have some somewhat jaded views on things). My experience was: a.. I had an uncle whom left me a lot of engineering books left over from Carnegie Tech. b.. while in the navy as a salvage diver, I did cutting, torching, welding, and had to know a few characteristics on the stuff I was working on. c.. Our son was an engineer and we would talk about technical stuff. d.. As an electrician I did maint. work on the ovens at 3 Pittsburgh foundries and ate lunch with the guys. I asked a lot of questions. 
> 
> Hardly matters in the end, but it's an interesting topic.
> 
'I' had fun..... smo-joe