[Harp-L] Harp-L Digest, Vol 198, Issue 3

[Hank Black]

  Subject  Clogged harps.

I wash out my Chromatics too (plastic combs only, of course).  It helps when the windsavers start dragging.  I use warm water and dishwashing soap.  I run them under lots of water with gentle to moderate, not hard, water pressure at the kitchen tap.  Then I immediately tap out the bulk of the water, and blow big chords in and out to get it down further.  Then I set in front of a fan, set on high for quick drying.  I change the angle of the harp after ten minutes.  About fifteen minutes of fan dries it up.  Test it, with some big chords at first, to see if it is dry.  I have been doing this, with excellent results, for years.  No corrosion problems. Use lots of warm water, and get it out fast.
I don't use a hair dryer on the chromatics, because the plastic windsavers will curl from too much heat the instant you overdo it.  Then you would have a bigger problem... If necessary you could use a hair dryer, but you would have to be very careful and attentive.  Don't get too close, and constantly check that the reed plates don't feel hot.
But on unvalved diatonics, you can use a hair dryer too.

Low action,sometimes abetted by insensitive technique, is probably the main thing, in the case of your Lee Oskars.  Then washing wont fix it, but raising the action of the offending reeds, will.  This even goes fro chromatics, as well.