Bluzeman
38 posts
Aug 01, 2009
2:51 PM
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Hey all.
I am cleaning up some new (old) harps I got off of ebay and on 3 there is some mildew on the woods combs. I have the metal parts in our ultra sonic bath at work right this very minute and I am doing some fine sanding on the combs... BUT... how do I get the mildew out of the wood?
I have the thread posted Here. Thanks for any tips!
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Bluzeman
YouTube:
Bluzeman420
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oldwailer
841 posts
Aug 02, 2009
11:17 AM
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I think Dave from elkriverharmonicas has a vid up on YT about how to clean a used harp--if I remember right--you just clean up the wood as best you can--then dry it thoroughly, Then sand and finish it with 3 or 4 coats of salad bowl finish. The salad bowl finish takes a good day to dry, so it takes about a week to do a good job on one. Be sure to sand it good and flat between coats--but don't remove all the finish.
I don't think this removes the mildew--but it seals it up away form you and kills it.
I have done this and it works great--all smell and residue and flavors are removed--and the comb looks really shiny and cool. . .
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oldwailer
843 posts
Aug 02, 2009
12:31 PM
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This thing about "food safe" finishes has come up before--I think the thing is that pretty much any finish would be "food safe" after it is well cured--but, following that thinking, I tried a couple of combs with a spray-on polyurathane stuff. It was great--it dried really fast and went on very nicely. Problem is, the harp continued to taste like old furniture even after well-cured.
The butcher block or salad bowl stuff is mostly just linseed oil, I think--it takes a lot longer to dry--but it doesn't have the rank flavor. To me--going with the salad bowl stuff is much better, since it makes a comb that's fun to play. . .
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isaacullah
292 posts
Aug 02, 2009
1:00 PM
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I just did a 1930's Marine Band comb with butcher-block oil. I got mine from IKEA (I use it on my butcher block counter tops). It worked really great!
First I sanded the thing flat with 300 grit sand paper I'd attached to a flat piece of wood with spray adhesive. Then I buffed it with a 600 grit sanding sponge, and smoothed the tines over with the sponge too. I then filled an old harp box (plastic box the harp came in) with butcher block oil, and let the comb soak in it for 3 days. Then I took it out and let it dry on a cloth for an hour. In the mean time, I used salt and vinegar to clean and shine up the brass reedplates, and did some gapping and mild embossing. Reassembled it (used the toothpick trick in the nail holes) and it plays like a dream! When I first got it, the comb was all warped, rough on the tongue, the holes uneven, and it tasted like dirt. Now it's perfectly air tight, perfectly even, super smooth on the tongue, and DOES NOT SWELL! Also, the butcher block oil doesn't leave any kind of taste or smell behind at all. The wood is just "slicker" and it now repels moisture.
This harp belonged to my wife's grandfather who brought it to America when he emigrated from Italy. It's pretty cool to now be able to actually play it!
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
Last Edited by on Aug 02, 2009 1:01 PM
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jonsparrow
717 posts
Aug 02, 2009
1:17 PM
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so instead of doing the 3 or 4 coats thing you just soaked it for 3 days? an thats it? an it only took an hour to dry i thought it days a day? also how come soaking the comb dont make it swell?
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isaacullah
293 posts
Aug 02, 2009
2:14 PM
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butchers block oil is not like the salad bowl sealant. It doesn't dry on the surface and create a hard shell like the sealant does. It works by soaking in and penetrating the wood. Once it's in there, it can't be displaced by water (oil and water aren't dissolvable in eachother), so the comb is now water-proof. The comb didn't swell at all, that I noticed. I suppose if you want to be absolutely certain, you could sand it again after it has soaked in the oil...
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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isaacullah
294 posts
Aug 02, 2009
2:22 PM
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Oh. Butcher-block oil is almost pure mineral oil (with a small amount of "driers" added that evaporate off completely within hours). I think you can get other wood oils that are mainly linseed oil and that may have some citrus oils mixed into them. The one I saw at home depot that was like that had a health warning on it (do not ingest, try not to inhale). The butcher's block oil I use doesn't have such warnings...
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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jonsparrow
718 posts
Aug 02, 2009
2:34 PM
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can you use just mineral oil? cause i know i have that some where an it was used on our cutting board. or should i not risk it an just get butcher-block oil cause its allready proven to work?
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isaacullah
295 posts
Aug 02, 2009
2:58 PM
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Yeah, the stuff you use on your cutting boards is the same stuff I'm talking about. tomato tomahto...
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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Bluzeman
44 posts
Aug 02, 2009
4:33 PM
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FANTASTIC! You guys rock. Thanks for all the awesome tips, and it sounds like several of us got some good ideas :).
I have plenty of time and I REALLY want the G harp to come out well ... I'll pick up some butcher's block out this week and get started sealing the new(old) comb. I've got some "before" pictures of all these new harps and as I progress through it all I'll be posting them up in my other thread.
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Bluzeman
YouTube:
Bluzeman420
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jonsparrow
720 posts
Aug 02, 2009
5:02 PM
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when sanding the comb do you sand just the top an bottom or every side/between the fingers etc...
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isaacullah
296 posts
Aug 02, 2009
6:08 PM
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I just sand the top and bottom, where the comb meets the reedplates. I then DELICATELY go over the part of the comb tines that you touch with your tongue when TBing. Be careful, you can easily snap of a tine if you do this too hard...
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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Bluzeman
46 posts
Aug 03, 2009
8:37 AM
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@ Blocker... EXACTLY why I posted this thread. Some mildews are deadly.
Or even worse...
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Bluzeman
YouTube:
Bluzeman420
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jonsparrow
724 posts
Aug 03, 2009
8:52 AM
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lol whats worse then deadly?
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Bluzeman
47 posts
Aug 03, 2009
10:21 AM
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You could catch gonosyphiherpelitis...
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Bluzeman
YouTube:
Bluzeman420
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