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Comb Sanding and Sealing

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Sat, 02/27/2016 - 17:23
Andrew Lord
Andrew Lord's picture
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Joined: 05/17/2014

Hi Kinya

i am thinking about experimenting with sanding a draw plate and also the comb on a Seydel soloist pro. 

Thats a sealed wood comb.  So I will need to seal it again after sanding. I've seen a post where you recommended using this Varathane sealer :

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Varathane-11-25-oz-Clear-Satin-Water-Based-In...

 

Any any other tips or suggests you could share About the process? 

 

Andrew

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Sun, 02/28/2016 - 14:52
#1
Harp Tech Kinya...
Harp Tech Kinya Pollard's picture
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Joined: 02/07/2010
Hi Andrew I'm guessing the

Hi Andrew

I'm guessing the comb is clean and flat, so sanding and refinishing would be unnecessary (unless you need the practice).

As for the draw reed plate, applying even downward pressure during the sanding process will be the key to achieving a machinist-like finish (read: polish). Too much pressure over to one side can ruin the reed plate's ability to mate with the comb.

  1. I recommend taping the four edges of a sheet of wet/dry (black) 320grit sandpaper onto an absolutely flat surface (e.g. glass, acrylic, etc.).
  2. Apply about a teaspoon of water onto the sandpaper
  3. If your hands are not too big, secure all ten fingers onto the reed plate (yes, you will probably have to reset the reed gaps after the sanding process), then maneuver the reed plate across the sandpaper, into a figure 8 pattern for the initial sanding
  4. Rinse and dry the reed plate
  5. Examine the surface to check for high spots (identifiable by the original dull brass finish)
  6. Repeat
  7. Once the entire surface has the same über shiny finish, stop sanding
  8. Rinse the metal shavings and sandpaper residue off the reed plate
  9. VIOLA! The draw reed plate should be super FLAT.

Your Harpsmith, Kinya

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