Harmonica Lewinskey
25 posts
Jul 16, 2015
9:51 PM
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A few days ago someone mentioned in the thread about Seydel harps that the antiqued brass plate covers that they make leave a weird taste in your mouth. Well after trying out the ones that I got, I have found this to be very true, and also very unsettling considering I have no idea what kind of chemical is being used to "antique" this brass (and you can tell it is some kind of chemical coating because on the bottom of the plates there are 2 circles of clean shiny brass where the plates are held and then sprayed/dipped).
Well anyway, i really didn't want to keep playing them like that, but I still like how they look, so heres what I figured out.
I used this thin silver flashing tape from the hardware store (near the insulation usually). It is super thin and made of some kind of aluminum or something, and comes with a paper backing so its pretty easy to cut to shape and then just peel and stick. It is also made for wrapping around insulation pipes and things so I assume it is made to be pretty durable.. Ill let you know how it holds up, I actually kinda like how it looks better with the tape anyway :)
-LeWin$key
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Last Edited by Harmonica Lewinskey on Jul 16, 2015 9:52 PM
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Thievin' Heathen
564 posts
Jul 16, 2015
10:00 PM
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I think I'm getting about 4 milli volts off my Suzuki Pro-Harps. Other than that, most of my harps taste like the #3 special from Long John Silvers.
Don't worry about it. If harmonicas were poisonous, we'd all be dead.
Last Edited by Thievin' Heathen on Jul 16, 2015 10:01 PM
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wolfkristiansen
369 posts
Jul 16, 2015
10:47 PM
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Q. What did the cannibal say when he ate the clown?
A. This tastes funny
Now, back to harmonica, sorry for hijacking your thread for a minute.
Cheers,
wolf kristiansen
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Harmonica Lewinskey
27 posts
Jul 16, 2015
11:02 PM
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Q. What did the harp player say when he played the antiqued brass cover plates?
A. I think I'm dying now.. Yep, definitely dead..
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STME58
1380 posts
Jul 16, 2015
11:03 PM
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400-800 millivolts it what you get with brass and aluminum from the galvanic table. I have had this happen with Suzuki Promasters also. It gives kind of a salty taste. If the anodize on the comb is intact this won't happen, the anodize coat does not conduct electricity. Replacing the comb with a well anodized one from Blue Moon solved the voltage problem as well as the leakage due to all the machining marks on the stock comb.
I sealed a Marine band comb in cooking oil heated in a fry pan once, that comb still has a slight corn chip like taste!
Last Edited by STME58 on Jul 16, 2015 11:04 PM
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nacoran
8587 posts
Jul 17, 2015
3:55 PM
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I'm sure California would have banned them by now if there was anything dangerous about them! :)
Aluminum combs taste a little funny too. There have been lots of discussions about the best way to seal wood combs. Don't use anything with lead in it. I assume most of the companies use approved food safe materials and processes. (I was the one who commented on the taste of the antiqued covers). Some older harps had covers that were plated instead of solid, and had nickel in them, which can, for some people, lead to nasty sores from an allergic reaction. I think all of them have phased that out now, and supposedly the old old MBs sounded so good because they used bell brass in them (which has some lead in them). Realistically though, that would probably only be a major issue if you were tinkering with them, filing reeds and not cleaning them off before playing them.
If you want to try something that tastes really awful, Hohner's Piedmont harmonicas have this gold paint that wears off after a couple days of playing. Until it does, it's the foulest taste imaginable. Since they are made in China that worries me more. China just doesn't have the health and safety regulation in place that Germany or Japan (or probably Brazil) has.
For what it's worth, I'm not sure if I got used to it or the taste wore off, or a combination of the two, but I barely notice it now.
If you want fancy looking covers you should try Tom over at Blue Moon Harmonicas. He's got powder coated covers that look awesome. (I've got them on a couple of my harps.)
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First Post- May 8, 2009
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SuperBee
2736 posts
Jul 17, 2015
6:08 PM
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Ah yeah filing reeds and not washing before playing....it's kinda impractical to have to wash the reeds every time you file. You have to sound the reed multiple times as you zero in on the pitch...with blow reeds seems no big deal but draw reeds...I'm sure I inhale brass. One of the reasons I like the MasterHarp tuning table if I'm doing a lot of harps.
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