apskarp
339 posts
Sep 29, 2010
3:27 AM
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Would you happen to know good online store (in Europe) to purchase bolts & nuts for harp customization. The reeds especially. You can get those from the harponline, but the price is ridiculous especially with the postages.
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HarmonicaMick
158 posts
Sep 29, 2010
5:55 AM
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Before I read your post, I was going to say harponline. Purely for cosmetic purposes, I bought a whole bunch of MB Dlx screws to replace those horrid ones on my Spl 20s (The ones they fit fade to dark grey. Brass coated stainless steel?)
Anyway, you're right, they are not cheap.
I think that isaacullah knows a fair bit about this sort of thing. Failing that, maybe e-mail some of the customisers out there.
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arzajac
357 posts
Sep 29, 2010
6:22 AM
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I buy my nuts and bolts and other tools (taps, bits) from this place:
http://www.microfasteners.com/catalog/index.cfm
They are in the US. Shipping to Canada is $7. I can't tell you what the shipping would be to Europe, but you can phone them - they are very nice.
Their prices on M2 screws and the like are very reasonable if you browse their catalog. I find the pan-head Phillips the cheapest and the easiest to work with. 10 mm is perfect for all-around use. For reeds, I don't know. M1.6?
http://www.microfasteners.com/catalog/products/METMSPPS.cfm
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jim
364 posts
Sep 29, 2010
7:28 AM
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Seydel sells them.
Shipping is supposed to be free unless you buy a kilo of them....
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www.truechromatic.com
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mercedesrules
25 posts
Sep 29, 2010
10:14 AM
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.....At the microfasteners site, what would harmonica-type nuts and bolts be called? I mean the ones that hold the covers on and where the "nut" is merely a female bolt on the other side.
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barbequebob
1264 posts
Sep 29, 2010
10:18 AM
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Each manufacturer uses different nuts and bolts and there is none made specifically for harmonicas. For example, the Hohner MS series uses bolts that requires the use of a Pozidriv #1 screwdriver, Seydel uses bolts that require the use of a Pozidriv #0 screwdriver. LO's requires a Phillips #1 but the actual screw sizes you will need to consult the manufacturer just to make sure some are not spefically designed for their products only. Some Hohner chromatics use 0-80 and 0-72 screws.
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mercedesrules
26 posts
Sep 29, 2010
10:22 AM
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.....Thanks, Bob. BTW, my dad was from Framingham.
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arzajac
358 posts
Sep 29, 2010
10:28 AM
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EDIT: I am talking about the screws you drill yourself, to replace nails on Marine Bands...
Mercedesrules:
Machine screw, Size M2 (M2 x.4) , 10mm in length.
The Nuts are M2 (M2x.4)
I use these screws for everything - the reedplates and the coverplates. I find 10mm the perfect length. Anything less (like 3/8 of an inch) is usually just too short to fasten the coverplate and anything longer sticks out the bottom of the nut and looks awful - not to mention being uncomfortable to hold.
If you want to use the reedplate screws as posts, you can get 12 mm M2 screws. For me, they just barely touch the roof of the coverplate.
You can also use M1.6 screws, but small means more expensive. I think the nuts are twice the price as M2 nuts. They sell an M2 tap for $9.50. I bought a #52 and a #46 drill bit (they special ordered them since they are not on their pricelist - same price as the other drill bits, just took two days longer for them to ship). But I found that using a standard drill bit set I got at the hardware store, the 1/16th drill bit is perfect for drilling the hole which I then tap with the M2 tap. The next size drill bit is perfect for the clearance hole for the M2. If you want a little more wiggle room to adjust your comb and reedplate, you can go up yet another step (from 5/64 to 3/32) and that works well, too.
So, I think some M2 x 10mm, M2 x 12mm, M2 nuts and a M2 tap is all I really would ever need.
While we are on the topic, I have a big bag of 2-56 bolts and nuts (a few pounds) that I bought in bulk. They are 3/8 of an inch, so not good for the coverplates, but fine for reedplates. I can sell them cheap.
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Last Edited by on Sep 29, 2010 10:29 AM
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joshnat
67 posts
Sep 29, 2010
12:09 PM
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Great advice, arzajac. A couple of questions: did the M2 tap come with a handle or anything, or did you already have that? Do you need a die for the tap?
Also, the drill bits you ordered, #46 & #52: do you use them for different holes (reedplate vs. cover plate) and how did you settle on those sizes?
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apskarp
340 posts
Sep 29, 2010
12:38 PM
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The bolts that harponline sells for the reeds are M1.4 x 4.3. So they are really small and hard to get from anywhere in this town I live in. They sell M2 x 10 bolts for the reedplates.
I'm planning on making few powerbender harps for myself and I was think it would be easier to switch some of the reeds instead of just filing them.
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oldwailer
1358 posts
Sep 29, 2010
12:42 PM
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The cheapest 2-56 screws and nuts I have found were on Amazon--at about $8/100. I get the 1/2" phillips drive and use them for both plates and covers. You have to grind a little off them for the covers--but they stick through the plates just right on a Marine Band to support the covers. They are available in both brass and stainless--I like the brass ones for plates.
I just re-cycle the rivets for reeds--so I don't know about the size for reed screws or nuts.
I have made one PB by tuning only--and one switching the reeds. For about ten minutes of reed switching, the job of tuning is reduced by a lot--it's the way I will do the rest of my mine.
One tip on this--don't try to just re-tune a really cheap harp for practice--there isn't enough brass there to work with in the first place--I tuned one higher end reed out of existence on an old Blues Band. . .
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Last Edited by on Sep 29, 2010 12:51 PM
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arzajac
359 posts
Sep 29, 2010
1:31 PM
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Joshnat:
A tap usually does not come with a handle. I bought that. But I have three taps of various sizes. I shoved one of them into an old plastic knob along with a wall anchor and use that instead of a handle. It works fine for tapping brass. It's lighter and less cumbersome. I also have a screwdriver handle that could accommodate the tap.
I found out the hard way that a metal handle makes tapping a hole properly difficult. I found that the only way I can do it straight is to hold the reedplate up so that it is parallel with the ceilling. After about one full rotation, I can reposition my hand without messing up the thread I have just started. The tap and handle just dangles straight down. If I were to hold it sideways, the tap flips down and comes out of the hole, taking the thread I just made with it. Same thing if I tap downwards, with the reedplate facing the floor.
A die is for creating a thread on a metal rod. The screws are already threaded, so you don't need a die.
I found that #52 and #46 drill bits were what you needed for M2 screws. I found it on an online chart, I think. But since I am only tapping brass, and the 1/16 bit is very very close to the #52 bit (It's a little smaller so maybe I am putting a tiny bit more wear and tear on my tap? These taps can work on harder metals than brass, so I am not really worried.), I wouldn't spend any more money on buying another #52 bit.
The #46 bit is for clearance. Again, if you're like me, my holes are not perfectly centered. By making the clearance hole a little bigger, you can correct for this.
I drill the three nail holes on the draw plate (the holes are positioned differently on really old harps). I use the 1/16 bit. These are the holes I tap. I then place the reedplate face-to-face and draw a circle through the holes I just made and tapped where the blow reedplate's holes need to go. I drill that with either the 5/64 or 3/32 bit. So long as the screw's head will cover the hole, the size doesn't matter.
I drill the comb in the same place as the nail holes on the draw plate (the three holes in the middle). Again, I use the big bit for more clearance.
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isaacullah
1176 posts
Sep 29, 2010
1:53 PM
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OldWailer: Can you remember the name of the Amazon vender? I buy mine locally (at radio shack), but they are slotted. I would like to replace them with phillips or hex drive heads. The price for your Amazon source seems very goo too!
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Philosofy
793 posts
Feb 04, 2017
7:54 PM
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Here's a bump to an old thread. Has anyone found a good online source for the sex bolts for converting a Marine Band from nails to bolts and nuts? Also, what size bolt and nut do you use? I'm specifically looking for sex bolts and nuts: where the nut is as long as a screw, and you can't tell from looking at the harp which side is the nut and which is the screw.
And, just to be complete, what length nut and bolt are used for full size covers like a Suzuki Promaster or Golden Melody?
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Killa_Hertz
2183 posts
Feb 04, 2017
9:08 PM
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I haven't been able to find sexbolts that small. I buy mine from Rockin Rons. He has very reasonable prices.
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Rontana
366 posts
Feb 05, 2017
6:12 AM
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You might also try this place
http://www.fastener-express.com/
I've purchased from them and both the price and delivery time were excellent. I got M2 x .4mm Hex Nuts for $3.12 + shipping. The M2 x .4 x 10mm Pan Phillips Machine Screws (50) cost $2.83
No idea what shipping would be outside the states, and I bought these specifically to convert MBs to screws (tap I got from Andrew)
(edited: Just noticed this was a 2010 thread, so was answering the original question. Maybe it will be of some use regardless)
Last Edited by Rontana on Feb 05, 2017 6:17 AM
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Mer2112
2 posts
Feb 05, 2017
6:26 AM
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McMaster-Carr is another great place for fasteners. Very fast shipping too.
https://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-rounded-head-screws/=1680nl3
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