jim
1156 posts
Jan 18, 2012
7:10 AM
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I've just got a bunch of combs from Tom Halchak
http://www.bluemoonharmonicas.com/
Awesome quality. They may need some extra fine-sanding if you aim at overblow setup (the acrylic combs will then have matt finish which looks cool as well) - but that's no big deal.
It's a great quality product out of the box and has good potential.
Tom is a very friendly and stand-up guy. I highly recommend to try his harp gear.
Tom, how about stainless steel combs?
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nacoran
5120 posts
Jan 18, 2012
11:24 AM
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Perty! Oh uh. Now I've got GAS.
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Nate
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KC69
200 posts
Jan 18, 2012
10:15 PM
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I would like to change my stock Sp20 combs to the wood. Would Tom's custom wood replacement combs require a Grooved reed plate or is it a grooved cover plate. I confused on which it is. I was told that when I replaced my sp20 stock comb with a wood replacement comb, that I had created a "Tin Sandwich" and could have air leakage with out the grooved part. Any help out there.
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And I Thank You !!
KCz
Backwoodz
Bluz
Last Edited by on Jan 18, 2012 10:16 PM
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chadwalker
14 posts
Jan 18, 2012
10:23 PM
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I feel like I can answer this SP20 question, as I switched my stock comb to a Hetrick Dymondwood comb.. In order to achieve air-tightness, you will need to dremel a groove in each reed plate. You may also need to curve the coverplates a bit... Flat sanding is always helpful as well.
The outcome though is stunning.
Both in looks and playability.
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Chad Walker
Crescent City Harmonica Club
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KC69
201 posts
Jan 18, 2012
10:33 PM
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Thanks Chad. Are the openings in the comb the same size as the plastic stock sp20 or are they smaller like a marine band. also: Is the cover plate still recessed or does it become flush, such as a marine band or a Sydel 1847 ?
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And I Thank You !!
KCz
Backwoodz
Bluz
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jim
1162 posts
Jan 19, 2012
4:04 AM
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It will surely be sandwich-style like MB & 1847.
You can't make a recessed wooden comb.
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GMaj7
8 posts
Jan 19, 2012
4:37 AM
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Very much agreed on the quality of Blue Moon combs. I buy a bunch from Tom (Then again, he's nice to me..ha!) and I love them. Good work Tom they getting better each time.
Greg
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
Built like a Caddy .. & cost less then your wife's last hairdo!
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hvyj
2064 posts
Jan 19, 2012
1:44 PM
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The Blue Moon silver colored aluminum GM combs are EXCELLENT. Very impressive. Customer service is top notch, too.
I am extremely impressed with the Blue Moon silver aluminum combs.
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jaimekike
28 posts
Jan 20, 2012
4:12 PM
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The Marine Band red aluminum comb is just amazing. Great product and the service was great. All recommendations applied and now my red comb MB is my prefered harp.
Kudos Blue Moon
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florida-trader
84 posts
Jan 21, 2012
11:22 AM
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Thank you to all the positive comments. I sincerely appreciate them. I will be creating a post for the “For Sale” section this weekend, but this seems a good place to give you a preview of what I have been working on. There are a lot of guys out there making harmonica combs and it is probably safe to say that all of them make beautiful products. My business model might be a little different from some of the others. I outsource the laser cutting or the CNC milling of the combs. I produce batches of 100-200 combs at time in order to satisfy the minimum requirements of my vendors. That seems like a lot of combs, but when you consider that I make 6 different models out of 17 different comb materials, that means I often only have a handful of each comb at any given time. I generally have between 4 - 500 combs in stock at any given time. Why? Because I want to be able to ship products to my customers within a few days of receiving an order.
I have recently started making CNC Milled Corian Combs and have improved upon the design of my Aluminum Combs. Please see below.
A while back, I posted a question about Powder Coated Cover Plates. Enough people expressed an interest to lead me to believe that there is a market for them. Consequently, I began accumulating harmonicas in order to use the reed plates and cover plates. I am very excited to announce that I now offer you the ability to design your own harmonica. You can choose the model, key, five different cover plate colors and 17 different comb materials to create a completely personalized harmonica. I have posted 150 pictures on PhotoBucket to illustrate what I am offering and am working on the shopping cart on my website to make it simple to place orders. Custom designed harps can be ordered as a do-it-yourself project or I will assemble your design for a small service charge.
You can go to PhotoBucket.com and search for “Powder Coated Cover Plates” or if you click on the picture below, you can scroll through the photo album. Thanks again for all your support. I am trying to have some fun and to offer something that is unique. I hope you like it.
As always, I stand behind everything I offer with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied with anything you get from me, I will happily refund not only your purchase price but also shipping charges. And……. Wait until you see what I am working on and will introduce next!
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GMaj7
11 posts
Jan 24, 2012
8:16 PM
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Hey,
Just got my hands on a couple of the Blue Moon Corian cut combs. Really nice.. I was very impressed. Very flat & smooth. The orange actually looks pretty nice and for an Aggie to say that ... its serious... As much as I like Blue Moon Corians, I am still a bigger fan of the aluminum, especially for the GM. The rounded times are nice. Noted that BM even added the rivet dimples for the draw plate
Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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rharley5652
614 posts
Jan 24, 2012
11:52 PM
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Tom,. is the best,. 100% !! Also Like His new name Blue Moon ,,. Keep up the great work Tom.
NOTE:click on one of Tom's pictures to view his High Quality work ><
@ Jim,.
"how about stainless steel combs?"
I believe stainless would weigh to much for harp & cost more for sure ??
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------------click Link Below -----------
Simply Unique Kustom Mic's By Rharley
Last Edited by on Jan 25, 2012 12:18 AM
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jim
1176 posts
Jan 25, 2012
2:06 AM
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steel is the only option for metal combs
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jim
1178 posts
Jan 25, 2012
10:53 AM
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Brass oxidizes, aluminum is electrolytic in harmonicas.
With stainless steel there should be no corrosion issues. In theory.
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chromaticblues
1149 posts
Jan 25, 2012
11:23 AM
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@KC69 You don't have to do anything to the reedplates!
You can do what Chadwalker said, but The covers bend very easily. Take on old harp and lay one of the covers on a flat surface with a light source behind it. OK you'll see the problem. Try bending the cover untill it sits flat all the way across. If that becomes the equivelant of sticking sharp objects in your eyes you can take scotch tape and put a piece across the inside of the cover with about 25% of the width hanging down along the front. Fold that piece a little and put the cover in place. You have to fart around getting in right and the draw reed doesn't leave you much room, but it's possible.
I haven't had to put tape on any SP 20's, but I have put it on Bushman's before.
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KeithE
198 posts
Jan 25, 2012
11:54 AM
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Regarding stainless steel combs - I see that orthodontists offer titanium braces and state several reasons why patients might want them. One of the reasons is that titanium is hypoallergenic. So it sounds like some people are allergic to stainless steel given the nickel. (I don't know if all stainless has nickel?) Maybe it's more of a factor in braces which are in your mouth 24/7?
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florida-trader
85 posts
Jan 25, 2012
12:42 PM
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This has become an interesting discussion. I am not a metallurgist but since I make metal combs I have done a little research. Making a comb is one thing. Making them so they are safe to put into your mouth for prolonged periods of time is another. Last summer when I announced in my newsletter that I would be making aluminum combs several of my subscribers pointed out the necessity of having the aluminum anodized. I did not completely understand what that was so I did some research and found that it is a process of immersing the aluminum in an electrolytic solution and passing a current through it. This causes a layer of aluminum oxide to build up in the surface of the metal which provides effective protection against corrosion.
Brass is a different story. I use a product that forms a tough, clear protective coating which provides protection against tarnish, corrosion and oxidation. The point is that the metal is treated and not left bare. I do have some CNC Milled Brass Marine Band DeLuxe combs in case anybody is interested. This same product will work on any kind of metal. The key is to insulate the metal from the moisture in the air or the moisture and/or acids in your mouth.
I can mill combs out of any metal you want. In fact, a couple of weeks ago when I picked up my last batch of combs, my CNC metal guys asked me when I was going to get some combs milled out of titanium. I joked that it would probably be cost prohibitive, but the bottom line is that if somebody wants a titanium comb, I will make it. All you have to do is ask.
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MP
1968 posts
Jan 25, 2012
1:12 PM
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trader,
i have a lot of MB 1896 coverplates that are rusty. they came from harps that were in a music store that was flooded. perhaps during katrina. it would be nice to be able to use them on some projects. anyway, after i clean the rust off the finish looks awful. the rust ate through the outer finish. but...i'll bet black or moon rock powder coating would do the trick.
is your powder coating price 39.95 per set of plates?
thanks, mark
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MP
doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
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florida-trader
86 posts
Jan 25, 2012
1:52 PM
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MP
You are very perceptive. The Blue and Red are both translucent so whatever you can see on the plates without powder coating you will see with the powder coating. The Black or the Moon Rock are opaque so it is a better option for covering up tarnish etc. I am offering the powder coated plates for $24.95 per set and if you want to trade in a set of your old plates I will credit you $6.00 per set. One set of trade-ins per set purchased.
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MP
1971 posts
Jan 25, 2012
3:32 PM
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cool, i may have to persue this. thanks for the prompt reply. i love the moon rock and moon stone coatings. the photos are gorgeous!
the coating idea is a good one for a favorite harp that may have a nice dymonwood or corian comb but the plates have the inevitable half moon tarnish that even NeverDull won't shine up.
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MP
doctor of semiotics and reed replacement.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
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Todd Parrott
875 posts
Mar 14, 2012
1:25 PM
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Just received a bunch of combs from Tom Halchak last week and they look great. Some are Golden Melodies, some are Special 20's, and I think there's even a Crossover comb in there. I've been too busy to assemble a harp on them yet, but I hope to do so in the next few days and post again. Tom's a really nice guy and it's great to have guys like him in the harp community. Lots of guys at the VA Harmonicafest last week seemed to have good things to say about his work as well.
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nacoran
5381 posts
Mar 14, 2012
9:16 PM
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There used to be a guy who made titanium combs. His site isn't around anymore. (There is also a guy who makes titanium reeds for some woodwind instruments... there are some reasons do to worry that titanium might make awesome harmonica reeds, although you'd have to compensate for it being so light.)
The problem with titanium, from what I've read, is that it is really hard to manufacture with. It's hard enough so that it will chew through most bits pretty quickly. The solution is to cut it with a laser, but it's melting point and it's burning point are relatively close, so when laser cutting, they usually put it in a nitrogen rich environment. At that point it starts getting expensive. :)
There are also some more exotic alloys- liquid metals and memory metals, that have some qualities that might make them interesting for reeds. Liquid metals are used in high end golf clubs. They store more kinetic energy than most metals, kind of like a rubber bouncy ball. Memory metals (nickel/titanium alloys) come in a couple varieties. One variety, can be bent into all sorts of crazy shapes, but when you warm it up it goes back to it's original shape. How cool would it be to be able to dip a harp with a bad reed into a cup of hot water and have it bend back to shape?
The last metal, and one that might actually be more practical as it's price comes down, is Alon. It's an aluminum ceramic that is being used to replace Lexan in bullet resistant glass. It can stop a round from a .50 caliber sniper riffle. Out of curiosity I priced some of it a year or two ago, but at the time it would have cost a couple hundred bucks for enough to make one comb. I imagine the price will continue to come down. (At US$10–$15 per square inch the cost is currently (2005) higher than that of other ballistic resistant window materials.-Wikipedia) It would be really cool if someone, a few years down the line, could turn it into cover plates.
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Nate
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unceded
3 posts
Mar 19, 2012
8:44 AM
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I like the powder coated cover idea. I seen Todd's in his video and thought that would be a nice touch. Hoping to place an order soon.
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Rhartt1234
46 posts
Apr 06, 2012
10:33 AM
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I too am a new Tom Halchak devotee.
I bought three of his combs a few months ago. The red one was so cool I couldn't wait to out it on. It feels good, plays great, and most importantly, looks cool. It still took me a while to find the time to get the other two assembled but here they are.
Now with Tom's powder coated goodies I've barely scratched the surface.
Last Edited by on Apr 06, 2012 10:33 AM
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sydeman
84 posts
Apr 06, 2012
3:37 PM
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@There used to be a guy who made titanium combs. His site isn't around anymore..
Just seen this AD a few days ago...
I am selling 7 of my LaVoie Titanium Combs from my private collection.
Anyhow, these LaVoie Titanium Combs are from the 1st, and 2nd runs from
1997, with the LaVoie logo on the back of the comb.
I played these combs when I had all 18 keys set up, but I have made some
changes in the Lower Octave harmonicas I play, and I am looking to sell
these for $125.00 each.
Call my Cell:802-236-5665
All the best!, and stay tuned!
Mark Lavoie
4849 Bristol Rd
Bristol, VT 05443
802-236-5665
Last Edited by on Apr 06, 2012 3:38 PM
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