Cleaning a Harmonica

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 09 Jun 10 - 12:44 PM

If you soak a wood-body harmonica, like a Hohner marine band or blues model, be prepared to have the wood swell permanently, which can make quite an impression on your lips and tongue.

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: Brian May
Date: 09 Jun 10 - 01:24 PM

One of my wood body Hohners is about 40 years old and has been treated as I said.

It's fine, the varnish came off about 25 years ago, but hasn't affected the sound.

However, we are talking about being in warm water for about 5-10 minutes before playing - they don't live there!

Just try it and see, gently tap it into a towel before playing.

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica..Stinky e-bay harp
From: GUEST,Rayzor
Date: 09 Jun 10 - 05:58 PM

The gentleman from Australia gave you a good product idea. It is for pet odors etc... There is a product that is an odor eliminator and cleaner for less than $6.50 listed on the net. Here is a link...

http://www.calibex.com/nilodor/zzcalibex2zB1z0--search-html

You may have to copy and paste it to your browser but it may be worth a look. The product is the "NILodor's Natural Touch Original Deodorizer All-Purpose Cleaner" and the link will take you to a full page. It's iin the 5th row down and center of that row.

Hope this helps get the stinkys gone. But if all else use the whiskey but just drink it.... You won't care about the stink...LOL

Rayzor

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: Jack Campin
Date: 09 Jun 10 - 06:10 PM

One method commonly used for destinking old books is to bury them in cat litter.

If my cats found their litter being used that way they'd probably beat it out of the house for fear of whatever kind of moggy it was that shat chrome-plated honking jobbies.

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: alex s
Date: 10 Jun 10 - 06:22 AM

A few years ago our bass player had an old harmonica which was out of tune, but he insisted on playing it. at an outdoor gig my mate Dave said "let me fix that for you" then threw it straight into the canal! It's still there, but it's very clean (I suppose).

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: GUEST,Jonny Sunshine
Date: 10 Jun 10 - 03:05 PM

I clean reedplates, mouthpieces and plastic combs using an old toothbrush and toothpaste where necessary- it's mildly abrasive and of course totally safe, not to mention fresh-tasting (though I avoid anything too minty).

Though I have a couple of Hohner chromonicas, I tend to steer clear of wooden-bodied harmonicas with nailed-on bits because they're just too tricky to maintain.

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: Jane Bird
Date: 10 Jun 10 - 05:58 PM

I seriously messed up a couple mouth organs by dropping them in my pint one evening. (One after the other! I ask you, what a twit!) They're still gunked up and unplayable, as nothing much has shifted them, so far. Thanks for the tooth brush and paste idea, Jon! I'll try that.

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Jun 10 - 08:13 PM

Toothbrush red alert! Brush only from the fixed end of the reeds to the free end. One stroke in the other direction and it's bye-bye harmonica. When you get home from playing your harmonicas, clean them and let them dry in the air overnight before putting them away. Plastic-combed, unvalved harps (Special 20s and the like) can be washed out in a stream of tepid water then shaken out. You can do this with the modern 10-hole harps with wood combs such as blues harps that have MS stamped on the covers, but be quick. Older, hand-made blues harps and Marine Bands should not be immersed in water at all. If you have an Echo harp and you want to destroy it in one fell swoop just wash it under the tap. Bye-bye Echo. Likewise with Hohner 270s and the other wood-combed chromatics. You really are best off not cleaning these as long as they are working well, but you can clean the mouthpiece and slide mechanism by holding the harp mouthpiece-down in a shallow container of hot water whilst working the slide. Don't turn the harp the right way up until you've shaken out the excess water, and then allow it to air-dry, mouthpiece down. If you have a valved harp with sticking valves you can nearly always alleviate the problem by warming the harp before playing it. Put it in a little bag for half an hour with one of those little gel hand-warmers or put it down the front of your trousers. The counsel of perfection is not to play harmonicas unless your mouth is very clean, without trace of food residues. I break this rule only with harmonicas that can be washed through, as above. I'm not going to play my chroms after eating chips, thanks. Even if you don't do any other cleaning, always clean the mouthpiece of every harp after every playing session. If you do these things you will rarely have to contemplate dismantling harmonicas for cleaning, and you won't keep getting cold sores or worse.

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: GUEST,Jonny Sunshine
Date: 11 Jun 10 - 06:37 PM

Good point about brush direction Steve. I don't often get the brush on the reedplates, but it comes in very handy for giving chromatic mouthpieces a good clean. Of course you have to watch out for the bristles coming off too.

Apparently the Seydel 1847 Silver is dishwasher safe (stainless steel reeds). Though as I don't have a dishwasher or enough money to think about spending £60+ on yet another harmonica I won't be putting that to the test any time soon.

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: GUEST,Rayzor North Carolina USA
Date: 09 Dec 10 - 05:57 PM

Wooden combs are very difficult to get smells out. Anything that will take the smell out will probably cause damage to the wood. You might try taking the harmonica apart(disassembling same) and burying it on just dry baking soda. After a while (check to the absence of smell) brush it off with an old shaving brush or and old tooth brush. Then use a spray bottle of 90% pure alcohol... Grain or ethanol and then dry the comb with a hair dryer to get the moisture out as quickly as possible. The reed plate can be soaked in a mixture of 1 tblsp of dish washing detergent like ajax or dawn (BTW the same product with a different scent and colorant) for a couple of days and then lay the plates down flat and softly brush any gook off of them, one side of each plate and then the other side of the same plate. When both plates are clean rince them in warm, not hot, water. Take a paper towel wrapping the plates and patting dry gently. (the proceedure for cleaning the reed plates is the same regardless of what the comb is made of.)Now simply reassemble the harp.

If the comb is plastic you can use any number of agents to clean it... Soaking in alcohol or detergent water and brushing it with the old tooth brush will clean it and a spray of alcohol will dissinfect the comb. Rinse with warm water and dry with a towel or paper towels. The final step is to reassemble. If the harp is old enough to have nails holding on the reed plates and cover plates you should probably get some screws for the reed plates (they are self tapping and you may need to drill the holes in the top plate before putting the screws down through the newly drilled out holes. The bottom will usually accept the self tapping brass reed plate screws.)The cover plates will need to be drilled to accept the cover bolts and nuts.

Using 90% or higher alcohol (some homemade alcohol products are higher in alcohol content) will kill germs and even virus' on both the cover plates and the reeds. Simply spray on and into the holes wipe the cover plates and tap out the holds to clear most of the alcohol. I spray my harps after playing them and wipe them down.. Keeps them looking new and clean...Alcohol has a small amount of fusol oil in it so it acts as a lube on the reeds as well.

Hope this helps..

Rayzor

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Dec 10 - 07:33 PM

The commonest cause of stinky wooden combs is smoking. If it's a mild, dry night you could consider leaving your harp out in the breeze, which will remove smoky odours. Or put it in your fan oven for an hour or two with just the defrost setting on. If you do the cleaning I suggested in my 10 June post you should rarely have to dismantle any harmonica for cleaning.

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Dec 10 - 08:09 PM

I can't emphasise enough how important it is not to soak Hohner Echo harmonicas. The wood is absorbent and the soaking will cause it to warp beyond recall. I wouldn't be saying this had I not had the experience.

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Dec 10 - 04:20 PM

I've been thinking of buying a Hohner Echo, Steve. Do the new ones still have wooden combs? This is one case where I'm tempted to think that plastic is better than wood.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Dec 10 - 08:29 AM

I haven't bought one for a while but I haven't heard that they've changed. It isn't just the wood combs, it's the fact that everything is nailed together, not screwed. All very endearing and old-fashioned - until you need to take it apart and reassemble! The wood combs have some very thin partition walls and are pretty delicate. The two other makes with good reputations are Tombo (possibly not available in the US?) and Suzuki. My only reason for going for the Echos is that they come in double-sided versions, and for Irish tunes I find the D/G one invaluable. Is plastic better than wood? Well, all the properly-conducted comparisons I've seen have revealed little, if any, difference in tone. And plastic is much easier to clean.

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: GUEST,Doug Laidlow
Date: 15 Dec 10 - 07:51 AM

I have around a dozen Hohner mouth organs and one harmonica in my box of tricks bought while doing National Service in Germnany 1953-55. They have not been used since then.
Would they be worth cleaning or should I now ditch them?

Subject: RE: Cleaning a Harmonica
From: meself
Date: 15 Dec 10 - 08:34 AM

Naa, don't keep'm - here, give'm to me; I'll get rid of them for you.

Seriously, though - clean them up and give them a try.