[Harp-L] opening up covers on Lee Oskar harmonicas?

[David Brown]

I used to open up cover plates, but I stopped for a reason I cant remember.
I guess it just didn't seem to make that much of a difference to me.
 However, when I do/did open-up cover plates, I have a hand tool commonly
used by sheet metal workers. It is the size of a pair of pliers, but the
jaws are wider (3"-4") and I ground their width down to fit a harp cover
perfectly. I grab the lip of the cover with the pliers, bend it slightly
under itself, and fold the lip the rest of the way (until it is flush to
the underside of the cover) with my hands. It takes about ten seconds per
cover plate.



On Thu, Oct 12, 2017 at 2:53 PM, Richard Hunter <rhunter377 at xxxxx>
wrote:

> William Lifford wrote:
> <Normally, I like to open up the coverplates of my harmonicas.   I do it
> <with a pair of pliers, and to be honest, when I am done it looks like I
> gave it to a bunch of monkeys <at the zoo and let them do it.  There are
> plier marks everywhere and they look like crud.
> <
> I< have seen some of you (online, etc.) with opened coverplates that look
> professionally done, <without the covers showing any tool scuffs or dents.
>
> Mine don't look great--the edges are slightly irregular, as opposed to
> being a completely smooth curve--but you can reduce or eliminate the scuff
> marks by putting something soft between the jaws of the pliers and the
> cover plates.  You don't need the pliers in direct contact with the cover
> plate to get the lip to bend inward, which is how I "open up" the covers.
> (I've never actually thought about bending them outward.  Hmmm.)  Also
> avoid putting more pressure on the pliers than you need. Wider pliers are
> good, needle nose pliers are not.
>
> After I put the covers back on the plate, I may flare the back edge of the
> plates up and back a little, taking care to avoid distorting the cover
> plates where they lay on the harp.  That flaring helps to keep a grip on
> the harp too.
>
> Bending the lip inward also adds some rigidity to the edge of the cover
> plate, which in general is good if you like crush-proof harps.
>
> Regards, Richard Hunter
>
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