Re: [Harp-L] Is Kaboom still safe?

[Eric Miller <miller.eric.t@xxxxxxxxx>]

It's crazy how conventions form.

I'm a relatively new harp player, and when I wanted to learn how to clean
my instrument...I did what anybody would do:  googled it, saw Jasons'
video, and bought some purple kaboom.

I will say that the rinse + alchohol afterwards will probably get rid of
any kaboom residue when done properly.  I do the rinse like a 2nd cleaning.


On Wed, Aug 28, 2013 at 9:53 AM, Joe Spiers <harpwrench@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> The whole Kaboom fad started when JR posted the mongoose method for
> cleaning your harps video, after I told him I used it on his harps. There
> are a few things about his situation at that time that most won't have to
> deal with, requiring an aggressive solution (pun intended).
>
> First off he played a LOT, every hole every harp 300+ gigs a year I
> believe. Can we guess how many packs of smokes and cans of Red Bull that
> is? Those who saw him live know what I'm saying.
>
> So he had a couple dozen of my customs plus a few from others and himself,
> that would quickly turn into a nasty green disaster from all the chemistry
> going on. He needed a quick thorough way to maintain all those instruments
> while on the road, because cleaning them with other strategies wasn't
> getting the green out and was so time consuming that he was dangerously
> sleep deprived. Bring on more Red Bull and nicotine!
>
> Kaboom dissolves the green yuck in about 30 seconds, back it up with some
> toothpaste to remove any chemical taste and move on.
>
> I don't suggest nor use this sort of thing (or denture tablets either),
> but it was necessary evil. You need to remember I'd also be the one getting
> a box of blown harps every few weeks, full of green yuck and needing
> repaired/overnighted to the next stop on the road!
>
> Moral of the story is try to play with a clean mouth if you can. I have
> harps in the hands of gigging/touring pros who are nearly as active but
> their harps are unusually clean at service time. When quizzed about it they
> told me they always brush their teeth before a gig and only drink water!
>
> This isn't a slam on JR- he's one of my favorite humans...it's just rock n
> roll!
>
> Joe
> http://www.spiersharmonicas.com
>
> On Aug 28, 2013, at 7:42 AM, Mike Wilbur <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > Buck my humble opinion is that although Kaboom and other strong caustic
> cleaners make
> > Brass and copper " shiny " ....that it is not necessary to maintain
> Harps...we just want them clean.
> > Simple Green may be an option.
> > I use dish washing liquid ( Dawn ) because it's used to clean up Oil
> Spill animal and birds with
> > Less harm to the animals  than many other detergents.
> > I also hear good things about fizzy denture tablets....that sounds like
> a good bet also.
> >
> > I would prefer to stay away from strong solvents....again JMHO
> >
> >
> > Mike Wilbur
> >
> >
> >
> > On Aug 28, 2013, at 3:58 AM, Buck Worley <boogalloo@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> >> I see that like so many other cleaning agents Kaboom now has Oxi Clean
> and I noticed that on the back of the bottle it says do not use on brass.
> What is the recommendation for cleaner these days?Buck Worley
> >
>
>