Chromatic Harmonica Daily Cleaning Tips
I have some basic guidelines about what not to do when cleaning a Harmonica that has wood parts.
I use a jewelry Ultrasonic machine for my Diatonic harmonicas, but do not do so with my Super Chromatic 270 Deluxe.
I wipe it off and use Mi T Mist to sanitize it.
What should I do after playing to give it a little cleaning and then having it set up to dry.
I am unclear how to use water and toweling.
Thank you so much in advance
Will
Thank you so much, Winslow. You are always precise and detailed, just how I want to play and keep my Harmonica in good shape.
I will do this tonight.
Will
Winslow, was just looking thru the forum,looking for more about slides, getting stuck after they dry out.. You told me to use a spray bottle which I did not do.. I was not sure, getting the wood more wet was a good idea"in my mind"..
I read this posting and now have a better feeling and more knowledge on this issue.Thanks to you and Will "above" for having this discussion. I do however have a question.. When I disasemble to clean my slide parts, I use a q tip, tooth brush and warm soapy water, then rinse very well with warm water, then dry the slides with a paper towel.. I get it very clean.. There is however a little discoloring on some of the plates, would tooth paste help this?
Thank you and all at Blues Harp.
I'd avoid using Q-tips and paper towels as they can leave behind fibers that could get inside the harmonica. Better to use a lint-free cloth or a toothbrush.
Discoloration by itself is a cosmetic issue. If it's a matter of a buildup that could compromise mating of parts, then you could use a metal polish such as MAAS Metal Polish, which will remove a lot of grubbiness and tarnish without aggressively abrading the metal surfaces. You can follow this up with an alcohol bath/rub to remove any residue.
Avoid acidic substances such as vinegar, which can remove the nickel plating of the mouthpiece and slide parts.
Will -
You're right to be cautious about getting water on the unsealed pearwood of a 270 comb. Sealing the comb is high on my list of desired mods, right after tapping out nails for screws (not needed on the Deluxe) and flat sanding the comb surfaces.
But if you're not sealing the comb, you can keep the slide mechanism clean by pouring some warm water into a pan just to the depth of the slide, placing the mouthpiece holes down in the water and jiggling the slide in and out.
Then, lift the harmonica out of the water with holes still facing down, and tap the holes several times on a towel, then wipe it off.
You can also use a toothbrush to flick bits of dried saliva out of the mouthpiece holes; it tends to accumulate around the edges of the holes and can fall into the harmonica and potentially get wedged between the edge of a reed and its slot.
You can do a more thorough cleaning by disassembling the mouthpiece assembly and scrubbing the parts with toothpaste or something else mildly abrasive and non-toxic - if you wouldn't normally put something in your mouth, don't use it to clean your harmonica. Just getting the thing apart and then reassembled - with the right screw tightness - is time consuming, though.
One tip to keep your slide from gumming up while you play is to get a small spray bottle (the really tiny, fits-in-a-purse-or-pocket size), fill it with water, and use it to lightly spray a fine mist on the mouthpiece and into the holes from a few inches away. (The objective is to moisten the slide parts, not to squirt water any farther into the harmonica.) Do this before you play and periodically as you play, as saliva can get thick and sticky as it dries.
To dry out a moist chromatic, start by tapping it out, first with the slide in the out position, then with the button pressed in. Then, press the slide halfway in so that both the upper and lower holes are open, and insert a toothpick into one of the holes to keep all the holes halfway open, and leave the harmonica holes-up to dry for awhile.