Re: [Harp-L] leather windsavers

[Rick Dempster <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I wonder whether leather valves were dropped because plastic was better, or as with a lot of technological 'advances', plastic was cheaper.
RD

>>> David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 15/06/2012 6:58 >>>
I'm really liking these leather windsavers that's on that U.S.S.R.-occupied Rauner. They are just strips of leather, no metal strip - they've been in that harmonica since the late 1940s and work fine. I did rub a little bit of mink oil into them to moisturize the leather some. They have a really nice feel, there's a little bit of extra compression I can feel when I play it and even though they are a bit curled, they play very, very quietly. The only negative thing I've noticed - and its not really that negative - is that one of the windsavers inside has curled quite a bit and is a little slow closing the reedslot on the blow reed, so there is this sudden snap of compression that I can feel, but it doesn't effect anything else. They are extremely quiet.
Usually when I get an old chromatic in, I wind up replacing several windsavers, if I don't wind up replacing them all. This is the first 65-year-old chromatic I've picked up and said "these vales are perfect!"
I'm wondering if anybody out there uses leather windsavers and is familiar with maintaining them and has any neat little tricks involving leather windsavers. This Rauner is going to be my main C chromatic, so I'm pretty interested. I also wonder if there's any interest in them. Somebody in West Virginia might start making them as a niche offering and offering them for sale, lol. 

David Payne
www.elkriverharmonicas.com 


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