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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > Rust
Rust
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Barley Nectar
162 posts
Nov 05, 2013
7:17 AM
Hi all. One of the reasons I play LO's is due to the fine SS covers. Smoooth and fast. The Hohners use cheep ass steel covers with lousy chrome. I find that they rust up quickly. Besides the obvous wipeing dry and cleaning, is there any way to deter this rust. Coating, polish, rust preventive beer? Thanks...BN
harpwrench
714 posts
Nov 05, 2013
7:44 AM
How old are your Hohners? They rusted in the past but they've addressed that, maybe 4-5 years ago. A lot thicker too.
Barley Nectar
163 posts
Nov 05, 2013
8:06 AM
Well Mr Wrench, you make a good point. I stoped buying Hohners about 20 yrs ago. I did just pick up a MBD and a XO. I have not played these much and just assumed they would rust up also.

Point of intrest: I like the LO's better so far. The Hohners are tempremental...BN
HawkeyeKane
2139 posts
Nov 05, 2013
8:09 AM
I've found that my SP20 coverplates do indeed rust on the undersides. Not a lot....just little traces here and there. I just try to give all my harps a thorough cleaning once every couple months. Completely disassemble them, run all the pieces through a solution of hot water and vinegar in my ultrasonic cleaner, remove any rust or corrosion with a soft bristle toothbrush, and make sure they're thoroughly dried before I reassemble them.
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Hawkeye Kane
Slimharp
29 posts
Nov 05, 2013
8:12 AM
Not making a joke here, it may also have to do with the acidity in your saliva. My Sp. 20's get a little discolored but do not rust. Another thing I do. After playing, I wipe off and the harps get put in a grid ( 6 wide 4 deep ) in my harp case. They are in loose fitting slots end down. I leave the case open when I get home. This allows light and air into the case. I seems the harps last longer when the moisture is dried out rather than being put up moist in a dark closed box. Maybe it's my imagination but its got to be more sanitary.
nacoran
7307 posts
Nov 05, 2013
9:18 AM
I haven't seen any rust on any of the harps I bought new, but I have seen some on some vintage harps I got on eBay.

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harpwrench
715 posts
Nov 05, 2013
9:48 AM
Chemistry is definitely a factor with what I'd call a small percentage of players. I believe the Hohner covers are stainless now but there's different grades of that too. The prior generation was some sort of chrome plated steel and rusted, before that was nickel plating which irritates the lips of some (me included), Brad told me I was one of the lucky 5%.
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barbequebob
2375 posts
Nov 05, 2013
9:50 AM
Since Hohner went to stainless steel covers, I've yet to hear of any rust problems, and the last time they had them was when the covers were made out of nickel plated hardened steel, which hasn't been used in over a decade.

One should periodically clean them out because it all begins when you allow a build up of dried on saliva and dead skin and if you tend to play with an extremely wet mouth (and most players who typically use too much breath force often have this problem), it exacerbates the problem tenfold and besides rusting problems, you have chunks of this stuff that can build up and cut the crap out of your lips and tongue.
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Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
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Barley Nectar
164 posts
Nov 05, 2013
3:49 PM
Well I just did a magnet test on 7 harps.

Harp: Magnet:

MBD, Stuck
XO, Stuck
Herring Blues, No Stick
Gretsch Varsity MIG, Stuck
Hohner American Ace, No Stick
Sp 20, Stuck well
Old HMB 1896, Stuck well

It apears that the Hering Blues and American Ace Sino are the only Non-ferious covers. The Hering also appears to be the heaviest gauge...BN

Hmm, I made this like a chart but the site compresses it...

Last Edited by Barley Nectar on Nov 05, 2013 3:51 PM
nacoran
7309 posts
Nov 05, 2013
8:05 PM
Barley, interesting... now I know which covers can be held on with a magnet. Still toying with my magnetic comb inserts. :)

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Nate
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