Recessed Combs for MB plates or........
Hi Kinya,
Hope you’ve been having a good holiday season.
I have a bit of an unusual problem: Awhile ago I bought a leather harp case that was tanned/treated improperly and the chemicals used to treat the leather leached into 6 or 7 of my harps. The effect this had was that I couldn’t play the harps at all without my tongue and lips immediately experiencing a pretty severe burning sensation. Obviously No Bueno. I tried multiple times clean the harps using a variety of methods, to no avail.
Now normally I’d just eat the cost of buying new harps and move on, however these are Joe Spiers Stage 2 custom harps, so quite an investment, not to mention killer harps. I tried replacing the combs and cover plates, but still contact with just the affected reed plates results in unacceptable levels of burning lips and tongue lasts long after I stop playing. Just not a workable situation.
The only real solution I could think of at this point would be to mount these Marine Band plates on some sort of recessed comb, like a special 20, but of course MB plates don’t fit on those. So finally my main question for you: Are there any recessed combs you know of that will work with MB plates?
Question 2: If not, any other suggestions?
Thanks in advance,
Loren
Thanks Kinya. Based on your reply I think I probably didn’t do the best job of communicating in my original post, so I’ll clarify some things:
The Harmonica case that caused this problem was mass produced, overseas no doubt, so I have no way of finding out what chemicals were used and are causing the problem, hence no way to neutralize them.
The first thing I tried was ultrasonic heated cleaning, with Eurosonic. This included all parts, including the combs, which were corian. I repeated this process 3-4 times, to no avail. I also tried cleaning the covers and combs with a (spare) tooth brush and toothpaste, which also didn’t work.
I have already replaced the covers and original Marine Band style combs on these harps. Unfortunately contact with the exposed reedplates, due to the Marine Band design, is still causing unacceptable levels of irritation.
My thought was that the best solution would be a recessed comb like the that on the special 20 or Rocket, where the reed plates are fully isolated from your tongue and lips. But Marine Band reed plates are too long to fit onto special 20 or Rocket combs, and the mounting hole placement/patterns are different. In theory, I could make the MB plates fit one of those SP20 or Rocket combs by cutting the plates down with a jewelers saw and then potentially drilling all new holes in the plates and comb but......
I was hoping that maybe you had experimented somewhere along the way with trying to Marine Band plates on recessed style combs and possibly found a better fit than the SP20 and Rocket combs provide for MB plates, which is no fit at all, lol.
Loren
Oops. Don’t see a delete option for duplicate posts.
Hi Loren, it appears that Occam's Razor does not apply to your situation, "the problem-solving principle that the simplest solution tends to be the correct ..."
Your solution requiring precision cutting 1/16" off each end of the reed plate, and drilling is a labor (and mental) intensive exercise. I know this to be true, because I have done this process numerous times.
Keep in mind that even with recessed combs, there will be lip contact with the reed plates--specifically left of #1 hole, and right of #10 hole.
To totally avoid contact with the reed plates, you will need to fit a full coverage (not tab type) cover plates.With a little modification, the Suzuki Promaster cover plates fit well over the Hohner Special 20 comb. Astute readers, would notice that the Promaster cover plates are non-vented and not quite as tall as the SP20 cover plates. The voicing will, therefore, be more muted than the stock SP20. To create an acoustic voicing, vent holes will have to be drilled near the cover plate bolts.
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Thanks for the additional info Kinya, much appreciated.
Good to know the Promaster Cover Playes can be made to fit.
Will let you know how it all turns out, if I decide to tackle the project.
Thanks again,
Loren
One last thing Loren. Has anyone else been in contact with these (tainted) harmonicas?
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
No Kinya, I’m the only one who has had contact with these harps since they were affected.
While it is possible that I am “allergic“ to the offending chemical contaminant(s), in which case some other folks might not have a reaction, it is also possible that anyone would be affected the way I am, or possibly even worse - Anaphylaxis anyone? That being the case, I would not put anyone else at risk by letting them play the harps. At least not without signing a waiver first, lol.
Why do you ask?
Mainly curiousity--I find your case interesting.
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Yes, it’s certainly an unusual scenario, and one I wouldn’t have imagined.
The idea just hit me to try soaking the reed plates in denatured alcohol, which I already have on hand. I probably also have acetone around, but I’m a little less motivated to try that. Regardless, time to breakout the safety goggles and chemical vapor filtering mask, no idea how what’s contaminated the plates will react with solvents.......
Good to hear from you Loren--and Yikes! This is the first of this type of issue I have heard about.
My first reaction would be to identify the active ingredient that caused the caustic reaction on your biology--then look for a treatment that would neutralize it ...
I think I like your comb replacement strategy; but would first recommend bathing your reed and cover plates, with a cap full of EuroSonic (www.micromark.com/Utrasonic-Cleaning-Solution-Concentrate) in an ultrasonic cleaner for 3 to 5 minutes, then thoroughly rinse and dry the metal parts. Next, lay your reed plates and cover plates against your skin (mouth), then check for any adverse reaction. If the results are satisfactory, replace the comb and cover plates.
There are no shortage of excellent custom comb builders out there in cyber space; for example,
Let us know how this worked (or not worked) for you.
Your Harpsmith, Kinya