Re: [Harp-L] leather windsavers

[Rick Epping <rickepping@xxxxxxxxx>]

Here's a video I posted a while back showing a method used by accordion
technicians to tension and set leather accordion valves:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFrUKEeQ1UU

Normally, when a valve is old and curled the technician will replace it
with a new one.  New leather harmonica valves are not available as far as I
know, so I adapted the tensioning technique to uncurl the old valve and
reduce excessive stiffness before tensioning it - all shown in the video.

Oil is never applied to accordion valves as it can make them too soft and
can also attract dust - I wouldn't recommend using it on harmonica valves
either.

Shellac is the cement used to set leather valves onto the reedplate.  All
other types of cement clog the leather's nap and prevent it from being
removed and properly reset later on.  Once shellac is thoroughly dry, it
will turn to powder when scraped off the leather, leaving the nap unharmed.

One other tip regarding leather valves: an old Hohner instruction sheet
recommended that after playing, the harmonica should be left standing with
the mouthpiece pointing up, so that the leather valves will dry flat
against the reedplate.  If left on its side, half the valves will dry while
hanging down off the reedplate.

Best regards,
Rick

> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 9
> Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2012 13:58:05 -0700 (PDT)
> From: David Payne <dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [Harp-L] leather windsavers
> To: Harp L Harp L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Message-ID:
>        <1339707485.25418.YahooMailNeo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
>
> 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
>
>