i ordered some butchers block oil from them over a week ago. never got my confirmation email. tried emailing them an calling them for a week. finally returned my call an told me they just sent me a tracking number. an asked when they shipped it out an they said today. im like wtf! so when i get home i check an there is no email, no tracking number. i tried calling them back an again there not picking up the phone. im about to cancel the payment through the credit card if it dosnt arrive real soon.
Before I found it I got frustrated and ordered some from Ron's Home and Hardware a few days ago. Not sure if I would recommend them or not yet. Here's Amazon's link
Wally, butchers block is used as a non toxic sealant for wood. For example, wooden bowls, cutting boards, wooden counter tops, & our choice of use harmonica combs :) .
Let me direct you to:
---------- ~Ryan Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
issac - I thought you needed the drying agents? I've got some 100% mineral oil, but have not used it because several on here say its a bad idea. Thoughts?
Phogi: The drying agents are potentially somewhat toxic, and they are not low VOC (in fact, they are VERY volitile, which is what makes them good drying agents). 100% mineral oil is non-toxic and very low VOC. This is why it is recomended for use on food preperation surfaces like wooden cutting boards, and why I use it for my harp combs. The other oil is better for things like furniture because it dries faster, and makes a shiny finish more easily, but I would not use it on my cutting boards or my harps because of the potential for inhaling/ingesting harmful vapors/compounds.
Jon: You have to soak the comb in the mineral oil for a long while. I do it for several days. I fill an old plastic marine band case up with mineral oil, and just stick the sanded and prepared comb in there. I close the lid, put it on a shelf, and forget about it for a few days. Doing this, I don't get ANY swelling. I'm not a very wet player though.
I have thought of trying a 50/50 beeswax/mineral oil mix. The butchers block dipping oil just sounded easier. I havent tried anything but am planning to in the next week. Preston, you find that just melted beeswax has been the best for you?
---------- ~Ryan Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
I use mixture of 100% mineral oil + beeswax. I put them on glass and then I put that glass on hot water. After few minutes the mixture is totally liquid and then I use artistic brush to paint the comb with that mixture.
I let it dry for a day or so and it is still little bit wet but I don't have patience to wait any longer.. ;)
I've never tried anything else than beeswax. It works so well sealing and dries so fast, I guess I've never been tempted to try mineral oil with a long drying period.
I switched from beeswax to mineral oil because I noticed that after time, the beeswax was starting to corrode the brass that it was in contact with. The comb didn't swell, so moisture was not getting into the wood, but I think what was happening was that the beeswax was TOO waterproof,and it trapped moisture against the reedplates for longer than normal. The mineral oil technique seals the wood well enough to keep it from swelling (especially if you let the wood soak up a lot of oil first), but is not totally waterPROOF. More like water resistant. It seems to let the moisture evaporate out of the harp better, and so far I have not experienced the corrosion yet. I've only been doing the oil thing for a few months yet, so time will tell, I guess. ---------- ------------------ The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
"No beeswax sealing fans in this thread?"- Preston
I had to read that three times before I realized you weren't talking about some exotic ceiling fixture, even although I should have been able to tell since they are spelled differently.
isaacullah, how many days do you leave the comb in the mineral oil before taking it out to dry? Could I have an approximate number please?
Sounds like there's no definite sure fire solution, perhaps I need to ebay a ton of harps and try all the ways mentioned, haha. Course, I have marine bands I use right now that are in need of modification and one Im ready to get into comb work on. So I'm trying to pick something for this weekend.
---------- ~Ryan Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
Ryan: Usually about three days, although I've done it as long as a week. I think that three days is about right though since the week long soak wasn't noticeably better than the three day ones. You might be able to go even shorter, but I have not tried that...
Can be bought on line and shipped anywhere. I happen to have Lee Valley close to my house. Easy to apply, two food safe ingredients so I feel it is safe as direct to mouth (some Butcher Block ingredients are toxic so they may be good on a butcher block or salad bowl but I'm concerned when used as direct to mouth)
Easy to apply, fast drying and no odor or taste.
I sand the comb flat, use a straight edge and .0001 feeler gauge to confirm no gap, but I do not remove the existing MB applied outer coating on the ends of the comb.
I apply with one of smallest foam brushes I can get, in light coats until the wood maintains the darker colour. I leave each coat for about one hour between applications. Recheck for swelling distortion with the straight edge and feeler gauge and correct and recoat as necessary and we're good to go.
Whole process is no more then overnight. No long soaking required.
