Bluzdude46
79 posts
Jul 25, 2009
4:39 PM
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Ok my first MB breakdown, emboss, gap and reassemble is a success. the D Harp is tighter, real responsive and no extra parts or drama. I ain't afraid of no nails!!!
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nacoran
127 posts
Jul 25, 2009
6:24 PM
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooo!!!!
Us plastic comb guys need to stay together whether we have hair left or not.
Wait, you probably mean the comb on your harmonica. Never mind. I'll go back to combing my armpit hair now.
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Bluzdude46
80 posts
Jul 25, 2009
6:46 PM
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Nacoran if'n yer comb has nails in it, wood OR plastic, I think I may know what caused that baldness
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snakes
311 posts
Jul 25, 2009
9:57 PM
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Well I considered myself a plastic comb guy until I tried the Suzuki Firebreath. What an awesome harp. Have three keys now.
nacoran - as long as you are just combing it may be okay, but stay away from the cornrows in that area. Nuthin' but problems there..
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Randy G. Blues
53 posts
Jul 25, 2009
10:12 PM
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I never owned a wood-comb harmonica until I got an 1847. I did buy one 1847 Silver (plastic) comb to try, but preferred the wood, so went with that, and now have 6 of them ($$ ouch, but glad I did). The big difference, as counter intuitive as it may be, the wood comb has thinner dividers and the wood is contoured in two planes at each opening whereas the plastic is just square cut and the edges rounded a bit. You would think the opposite would be the case.
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Kingley
284 posts
Jul 26, 2009
1:47 AM
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Welcome to the dark side! :)
Now just melt all that plastic down and get em all changed to wood. You know it makes sense! lol
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Bluzdude46
82 posts
Jul 26, 2009
2:57 AM
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I have 2 1847's and one of the 1847 silver, here is the thing I prefer Brass reeds the stainless steel reeds are not nearly as loud and are warmer. I was going to try the Solist Pro but I can't get Dave at Elk River to return my emails, he may be out of town.
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
114 posts
Jul 26, 2009
11:36 AM
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The force is strong with this one.
I was out of town, went to the WV state harmonica championship in Huntington. I think I wrote you back earlier today, if I didn't, give me a kick in the rear.
You can round those edges by the way on the Silver with some sandpaper. Bonus is, you don't have to seal it when you're done and the Silver was actually designed to be a wood comb. You may notice the plastic is not perfectly smooth, the plastic is a bit foamy, an attempt to synthetically duplicate the density of wood.
Randy, the wood combs and the plastic combs are interchangeable on the original silver and the 1847 classic.
Dave
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Bluzdude46
83 posts
Jul 26, 2009
11:32 PM
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How bout rounding the edges on Marine bands? any warnings from experience?
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Philosofy
248 posts
Jul 27, 2009
7:08 PM
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I had an idea, and posted in in a machinist forum with no luck: I'll let you guys take a look:
Hello everyone.
I'm a woodworker and a harmonica player, and I'd like to do a project using brass or stainless steel, and I have some ideas to bounce off you fine folks, and some questions I need answered.
Most harmonica combs are wood, plastic, or in some cases, aluminum. One of my favorite makes of harmonica has an aluminum comb, the the aluminum, with the brass reed plate and steel cover sets up a galvanic cell that, coupled with my acidic saliva, makes the harmonica taste very tinny when I play. Wood swells too much when I soak my harmonica in mouthwash after a gig in a smoke filled room. Several people have made brass harmonica combs, and I'd like to try as well.
Here's a picture of a harmonica comb:
[img]http://www.middlebury.net/interesting/maple-comb.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.harmonicasessions.com/jun08/Brass-Comb.jpg[/img]
The openings between the teeth are about 7 mm, or 1/4". They need to be precise for the reeds to vibrate.
I have a complete woodworking shop, and here is my idea to duplicate the aluminum comb I want in brass (or stainless.)
First, I would use my table saw to cut a piece of brass to the outside dimension of the comb. I know you can cut brass with a carbide tipped blade, but I'm pretty sure you can't cut stainless that way. If I went the stainless route, I'd have to have a machine shop do that for me.
I would then use double sided tape to fix the original onto the brass plate. Then I could use the original as a template. First, I would drill the holes for the screws that hold the reed plates and covers.
Next, I would go to the drill press. I would need a metalworking bit that is small enought to fit between the teeth of the comb. I would clamp a piece of wood to the drill press table, and drill a hole the same diameter as the metal working bit in the wood. Then I would take the drill bit, put it in the hole it just drilled, and attach it, leaving about 1/8" above the wood table. That would act as a template pin.
Next step is to put the metal working bit in the chuck, adjust the speed, and lower the bit so it would take just a little bit off the brass. The brass and aluminum would be put on the table, template down, and I would use the template against the pin to cut the teeth of the comb. When I get a little more than halfway through the brass, I can remove the aluminum template, and just flip the brass over and use it as its own template. After the initial machining, I would file then sand the edges, and flatten the surfaces on some sandpaper adhered to plate glass.
My questions are:
1. Can a woodworking router bit be used? Should I spend money on a metal working bit? Where can I get such a bit, and what are they called. I would assume I need a bit that can plunge cut as well as cut like a traditional router bit.
2. What kind of bit would I need if I tried stainless steel?
3. What speed should I run the drill press at?
4. Will I need any kind of lubricant/metalworking fluid?
5. Any other advice?
I hope I explained what I'm trying to do. Thanks for your help.
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
117 posts
Jul 27, 2009
8:42 PM
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Bluzdude, the only warning about rounding the corners is pearwood is not pretty. There's a reason it's painted. You can color it with a magic marker or thin down some paint and cover with lacquer. It's just not pretty.
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Bluzdude46
99 posts
Jul 29, 2009
6:25 AM
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Sorry Dave, I've seen pics of your harps and the rounded corners and they are cool. what I meant was to round the front edges of the reed slots, more like the 1847 so that running your tongue against them isn't quite as rough.
I used mineral oil and beeswax to seal the MB combs and the pearwood came out a little darker and not bad looking. But I know you're into the American Chestnut wood grain thingie, Frustrated Furniture maker are ya?
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apskarp
22 posts
Jul 31, 2009
4:15 AM
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About sealing the combs. As I live in Finland I have different kind of brands on the shelfs of the shops.
With what should I seal the MB combs? I have some oil that is designed to be used in outdoor teak furniture. Then I've also got some oil for the kitchen oak worktops. I've got also parafine that is used to maintain the breadboard.. Would those be ok or are there some better oils perhaps to be used?
What do you say?
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tookatooka
332 posts
Jul 31, 2009
5:39 AM
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Do you think Olive Oil would be any good?
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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MrVerylongusername
440 posts
Jul 31, 2009
5:52 AM
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No - food oils go rancid. Yuck!
BTW for the benefit of Brits, Mineral Oil is what our American friends call Liquid Paraffin.
Last Edited by on Jul 31, 2009 5:55 AM
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tookatooka
333 posts
Jul 31, 2009
6:29 AM
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Thanks for that MrVlun. I think I can get that from Boots. It has medical properties I think, I'll look it up later. Yeah! we brits do need a bit of hand holding from time to time but just to say please don't dunk your combs into a gallon of Esso Blue.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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MrVerylongusername
441 posts
Jul 31, 2009
6:50 AM
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LOL! Could make for a Jimi Hendrix style moment!
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tookatooka
336 posts
Jul 31, 2009
6:56 AM
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Liquid Paraffin is used to ease constipation. Could be a bit of a problem if the comb causes an urge halfway through a set.
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When I'm not blowing, I'm drawing.
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MrVerylongusername
442 posts
Jul 31, 2009
7:08 AM
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It'd get things moving alright! (but I think you need to swallow a spoonful or so - don't worry!)
@Bluzedude
Last time I sealed a comb I dipped it in hot beeswax.
I might try a beeswax/mineral oil mix if I ever get another Marine Band. Does the beeswax just dissolve in the oil or is heat needed?
Last Edited by on Jul 31, 2009 7:08 AM
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apskarp
23 posts
Aug 01, 2009
8:54 AM
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Thanks, actually the thing for the breadboard is liquid paraffin so that's what I'll try. I have also little bag of beeswax balls for the didgeridoo mouthpiece so I'm all set up.. :)
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apskarp
24 posts
Aug 02, 2009
11:44 PM
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So, I did yesterday my first comb sealing (+reed work) for Hohner Blues Harp. I embodded and adjusted the reeds, flat sanded the comb and then sealed it with liquid paraffine+beeswax.
To get the beeswax melt I put it in a little glass jar with paraffine oil and put that jar in hot water for few minutes. Then I used artists brush to seal the comb. I let the oil mixture to dry out and then flat sanded a bit more. Then assembled It seemed to work pretty well! Harmonica feels pretty good now :)
Only thing is that perhaps next time I'll let it dry few hours instead of 15 minutes before assembly and flat sanding. On the other hand, perhaps it is even more airtight when it is assembled before it dries?
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apskarp
25 posts
Aug 04, 2009
1:41 AM
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Some update on this now that I've had more time to test the harp. It feels more responsive, but the most surprise for me was the easiness of 6OB, I can get it now really easily. And now I'm able to get also 5OB which I haven't got before. I'm not getting 5OB so easiley yet, but the 6OB I can now really use in the melody as it comes so easily. And it doesn't have to unnecessary ringing tones with it but it's stable and clear.
Only thing is that sometimes the 6OB seems to jam somehow so that it sort of like plinks repeatedly and tries to sound but can't. Then when I draw the hole it usually sounds again. Do you have any info how to fix this? Perhaps try to widen the gap between the plate and reed to prevent the jamming?
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Bluzdude46
106 posts
Aug 04, 2009
9:27 AM
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In my experience, widening the gap has led me to lose the ob, it quite possibley is me tho'. I would try for a few days to see if you can change it with technique on how you are doing it instead of adjusting the harp. Of course I don't know how long you've been doing ob's
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Bluzdude46
107 posts
Aug 04, 2009
9:27 AM
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In my experience, widening the gap has led me to lose the ob, it quite possibley is me tho'. I would try for a few days to see if you can change it with technique on how you are doing it instead of adjusting the harp. Of course I don't know how long you've been doing ob's
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apskarp
27 posts
Aug 04, 2009
10:40 PM
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Well, actually I've honed my teqhnique with that harp now and it doesn't jam very often anymore. Still it's interesting that it even can jam like that.. I think that in OB the drawreed actually comes more inside the comb and thus it has different realation to the reedplate.
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