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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Tweaks you do on your harps ...
Tweaks you do on your harps ...
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S-harp
39 posts
May 27, 2012
2:18 AM
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The mystery of customizing is not really a mystery anymore ... in theory. But the mystery still remains in the skill of the craftsmen, beyond theory... the touch, eye and ear you get after doing your thousands of hours.
That left aside... I'm courius what improvements you do on your harps ... and why?
What operations do you find more challenging?
Which mods do you find worth it, or not?
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The tone, the tone ... and the Tone ...
Last Edited by on May 27, 2012 2:21 AM
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lumpy wafflesquirt
574 posts
May 27, 2012
4:28 AM
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I take them out of the box :^)
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"Come on Brackett let's get changed"
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laurent2015
227 posts
May 27, 2012
6:30 AM
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My next tweaking on 3 classic MB
1° Replacing 22 nails by some nuts and bolts
2° Sand down the wooden combs
3° Varnish them, because they are not, except on the back, and on the front end of the teeth: I won't describe the shape they get when damp!
Last Edited by on May 27, 2012 7:13 AM
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FMWoodeye
348 posts
May 27, 2012
6:35 AM
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I guess I'm in the Lumpy camp. I buy good quality harps, Special 20s for practice and Crossovers as my "good" harps. I clean them as needed and may correct a gap if necessary. When a reed goes bad, I label the harp, i.e., "flat 4 draw" or whatever and place it in box. When I have a few, I'll send them to MP for repair.
I have in the past re-tuned a few reeds but have gotten past that stage. Someday I'll try a nice custom harp, but I'm afraid it might be like IV drugs and make it difficult to go back to stock.
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tookatooka
2955 posts
May 27, 2012
6:50 AM
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Special 20's. I may check the gapping if required but I do open the backs up. Tried amateur embossing but found the time and plinking effort didn't make a great deal of difference. Probably me though.
Suzuki's I don't do anything. They're normally great OOTB and time is too precious to waste fiddling, when really I should be practicing. I think I'm in the Adam Gussow camp where, if a harp is not quite right you just have to up your game.
Pleased to say, I stopped looking for the philosophers stone a while back and just make do with whatever is available but usually Sp20's or Suzuki BluesMasters/HarpMasters.
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rogonzab
56 posts
May 27, 2012
7:24 AM
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Gapping.
5 minute of gaping. Then wait a couples of hours for the reed to settle (using this time to put some micropore will help to) and then correct the gaping.
Whit this method I found that you can get a very responsive harp and do every OB and OD except for the 1 blow OB.
Now I am practicing tuning the harps. I have already do one "pre war tuning" on a cheap harp, and the other day I bought another crappy harp to keep on practicing.
A harp in tune sounds so sweet and balance that it is worth the effort.
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laurent2015
229 posts
May 27, 2012
7:35 AM
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Yeah Tooka, I own them as well.
My previous post means: legendary Marine Band Classic
don't make me dream!
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groyster1
1887 posts
May 27, 2012
8:38 AM
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@Tooka
I think Sp20s are extremely reliable and airtight OOTB....I have reedplates for them to replace as needed...but have only replaced one
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tookatooka
2956 posts
May 27, 2012
9:37 AM
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@groyster! You are right. I've found them to be very reliable after using them for the past couple of years haven't had to change a reedplate yet. I found the Suzukis were OK too but I did have to change plates early on but I expect it was because I was a novice and put the reeds under extreme pressure whilst learning to bend and overblow etc. Both are good and I would recommend them to anyone starting out.
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harmonicanick
1616 posts
May 27, 2012
10:28 AM
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I give my GM's to Henry
http://www.henryslim.co.uk/harmonica
and he sorts them out for a modest fee:) I don't know what he does, but they are great after he has worked on them.
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goodharpmike
5 posts
May 27, 2012
11:52 AM
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While many folks are pretty open about their customization techniques nowadays, the fact that S-harp touches upon is that there's still a lot of time spent developing and perfecting the techniques so that they yield actual results.
I've only been playing harp about 5 years, and was opening up my harps and tinkering from the very get-go. Say what you will about tinkering (the pro's didnt do it; it's time better spent practicing; etc.) Yeah, I might be a better player if I practiced playing instead of customizing, but the way I look at it, I find it just as enjoyable and rewarding as playing, which should ultimately be the point of anything we do, whether it be simple hobby or serious occupation.
That said, my favorite things to do to an out of the box harp are a simple full-slot embossing and re-gapping. Gapping alone is the single most important and effective skill of customizing and it's ironically the simplest. I think everyone should learn it to suit their playing style. It yields the most results and makes the most difference in playability.
BTW, Woodeye: I can attest to the "IV drug" scenario. I have gotten used to playing a harp that is setup properly instead of trying to break in an OOTB harp, and now I get too frustrated with stock harps to even give them a chance. Once you go custom you will never go back, indeed. The tradeoff is that your playing technique will improve more readily if you have a quality harp to execute it. Learning on sharp vs dull tools.
Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Mike, from VA. I'm fairly new here. It's nice to meet everybody. I hope you all don't mind a newb to the forum offering his insight right off the bat.
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Jim Rumbaugh
723 posts
May 27, 2012
12:06 PM
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I have sp20, bluesmaster, and Delta Frost
1) gap
2) emboss with a penny until it starts to hang, then go down the sides with a .0015 feeler gauge until it opens up again.
3) tweek the tuning sometimes (as they age), 1,2,3,4 just, 5-10 equal temperment.
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theharmonicaclub.com (of Huntington, WV)
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nacoran
5734 posts
May 27, 2012
1:01 PM
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I just gap most of mine. I've tried embossing. I've opened up some backs. I've tried drilling new holes in cover plates (with a drill, broke the bit! Haven't been back over near the shop that sells the tiny bits.) Wiggled the cover plates to adjust the front lip. Fixed bent cover plates. Fixed jammed and misaligned reeds. Swapped parts.
Mostly though, just gapping.
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Nate
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laurent2015
231 posts
May 27, 2012
6:51 PM
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Except for the coverplates screws or nuts, did someone
ever think about another method to attach the reedplates to the comb else than using nuts and bolts?
I think I'll try another system that will consist in
a strong pinching-tightening stuff or maybe a wooden piece with a hollowed-out groove in it, which comb and reedplates will be carefully slotted in, by sliding up to down, possibly using a little hammer.
I yet experienced the "pinch-tighten" system and holding the whole stuff without any screw and coverplates (only fingers) I succeeded in performing two overblows: that's supposed to be the result of a rather good sealing system I believe...
Last Edited by on May 27, 2012 7:38 PM
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nacoran
5741 posts
May 27, 2012
9:15 PM
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Laurent, just by dumb luck! (And probably not in a useful way.) I was experimenting with another question of harp physics. (It's in one of the other recent threads.) I was trying to figure out if extending the chamberization (is that a word?) of the reed slot up above the reed plate. First I tried making some tabbed pieces of paper that slotted into the reed slots on either side of the slot I was trying to isolate, but that didn't work that well. Then I moved on to clay. I made little clay dividers and put them on either side of the slot, running from the reed plate all the way up to the cover. It changed the pitch a little bit, I think. Not much. It did however, manage to hold the cover on snuggly! (Of course a little bit of it smooshed out and I got clay in my mouth, which is not even as good as the worst item on the dollar menu.) Something like Blue Tack might hold them on better.
Now, related to that, there are at least two other systems I know of for attaching covers. Turbolids snap onto your harp. I've heard people recommend having at least on Turbolid, even if you don't use it on your playing harp, because you can snap them on and off quickly while you are tinkering and doing reed work. The Hohner Puck also works differently than other covers. The Puck's covers slide on from the end. They lock into little groves on the front and back of the reed plates. I'd imagine that they probably have the tightest seal along the front edge of any harmonica made. They are, however, open on the end and they vent on the top instead of the back. That's just a matter design though. It's such a tiny harp that they needed to make more vents I'd guess. A manufacturer could design a harp that slid together like that, and move the put partial seals on the end and move the top vents more to the back.
Both my Seydel and my L.O.s covers are bent down in the middle. It kind of makes them like a spring that pushes down in the center. When you have the screws in they make a very good seal, and of course for years harps were held together with nails (or technically tension pins I think) that do a very good job of creating a seal, but are a pain to deal with if you want to tinker inside.
There are also harps that use gaskets around the edge of the harp to make a tighter seal. I think Turboharp may do something like this on a couple models (or maybe they just are adding a layer to make their reed plates thicker.) Kinya Pollard has an article about using medical tape layered over the top of your reed plates (and carefully cut away from the reed slots with an Exacto to make a gasket like effect.) I don't have that link. It's over on MelBay.com but for some reason Mel Bay seems to have a terrible index of their articles.
The most standard approach though is just making sure everything is sanded very flat.
I don't have the metal working skills but I've often thought that it would be really cool to have a cover plate that was one piece. It would wrap around the front of the harp, with little holes punched to play through. I picture it looking sort of like a wide Airstream camper. You'd slide the harp in from the back, and little tabs in the hole slots would keep everything in place. I think round the front of the comb a little from top to bottom so it matched the curve of the cover plate, and then put a little gasket on the front. The only seams on the front would be the punched inward holes you play through. Being punched in they would be really smooth. It would be really air tight and really easy on the lips- in theory. It could slide on the same way a puck does, only front to back instead of end to end or just with pressure or with screws. I think they'd look pretty slick too.
No one does much with coverplates though. Aside from opening them up and maybe sanding/rounding them they aren't really many people doing much with them. (Turboharp of course is the exception.)
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Nate
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MN
140 posts
May 28, 2012
12:28 AM
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Over the years, I've done every sort of mod and upgrade. Now, though, I just buy good harps with plastic or composite combs, and gap them if needed. Once I got married and had kids, I no longer had time to fiddle with opening cover plates, sanding/sealing combs, arcing reeds. replacing nails with screws etc. I've found that well gapped Manjis or Special 20s or Golden Melodies or Session Steels can do it all. At that point, any problem lies with ME, not the harp.
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Baker
223 posts
May 28, 2012
5:05 AM
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I play classic marine bands.
1. I used to sand and seal the comb but these days I've taken to buying customs combs.
2. Open the backs of the cover plates
3. Replace nails with bolts.
4. Full slot embossing
5. Gapping
6. Tuning
I don't overblow (not from lack of trying), but I do play in several positions and find that the full slot embossing really helps when controlling the bends. The comb and gapping help the responsiveness, open cover plates improve the volume and I also find that it helps transfer some of the subtleties when playing with a cupped mic.
Also, as I can't overblow I also tune the 7draw down a half step so I can get the minor third in second position, in the upper register.
Last Edited by on May 28, 2012 5:06 AM
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laurent2015
232 posts
May 28, 2012
5:30 AM
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Nate, I agree with you about coverplates and not much working on them: they don't really play a role in sealing except obviously where they are attached to the comb/reedplates.
The "pinching-tightening" stuff is this one:
I used two of them but using three is possible as well.
It's with that gear in place and holding the harp only with my fingers and no coverplates that I performed the 2 overblows.
I think the metal rounded hooks can be put off, then I'll have to use pliers to open and put the clamp on.
As my harps are completely dismantled, I can experiment
everything...so why not?
About:"I've often thought that it would be really cool to have a cover plate that was one piece" well it's the building system of Hohner's CX12 chrom harp...
Last Edited by on May 28, 2012 6:42 AM
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SuperBee
283 posts
May 28, 2012
6:06 AM
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I just gap them, and tune them. And sand the comb if it's a problem, but usually it isn't. And sometimes remove a couple of bolts if it's got too many, like the crossover and mb deluxe. Maybe I'll drill some of my 1896s, but I probably will just replace them.
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Rubes
528 posts
May 28, 2012
6:32 AM
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I'm a tinkerer, and am very partial to a nice custom comb (let's face it, they are SO cheap). Some gapping and embossing, open backs on D and below, and I do like a lightly rounded corner....
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One of Rubes's bands, DadsinSpace-MySpace
Old Man Rubes at Reverbnation
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
1055 posts
May 28, 2012
11:27 PM
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True, much of the mystery is gone, but there is a LOT of stuff that still isn't out there.
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David
Elk River Harmonicas
Elk River Harmonicas on Facebook
"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." - Lewis Grizzard
"Also, drinking homemade beer." - David Payne
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MN
141 posts
May 29, 2012
8:49 AM
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One of the reasons I quit sanding combs is that, frankly, I think it's a waste of time for all by the most skilled players who overblow A LOT.
Is an airtight harp more responsive? Yes. But for most of us, simply lowering the reeds (i.e. gapping) will do the job. If you've gapped the harp as low as you can get 'em and it's still not responsive enough, you might consider sanding (and your name probably rhymes with Poward Hevy).
As to rounding off edges and rounding corners to make a harp more comfortable in hand ..... nah, just play 'em enough and you'll get calluses. Pretty sound you won't even notice the "sharp" corners.
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HarpNinja
2481 posts
May 29, 2012
9:41 AM
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"True, much of the mystery is gone, but there is a LOT of stuff that still isn't out there."
100% agree. I also think a lot of stuff that is out there is either dated, inefficient, or ineffective. For example, I find the customizing info on overblow.com to be all of the above. Most the stuff from credible sources is fairly accurate, yet no one tips their whole hand. One reason is money, and another is insecurity.
Embossing is overhyped compared to the importance of having good reed profiles. Profiles are a great example of the ElkRiver quote.
I respectfully disagree with MN's comment about flat combs only being important to OB players. This, IMO, is a perfect example of my initial statement as well. A specific example is the negative impact of a leaky comb on whole one of a relatively low harp. If you have a ton of air leakage, it is simply harder to bend. That has nothing to do with overblowing.
The foundation of harmonica tinkering came about largely because of issues with quality control. Modern harps come from the factory better than ever. Most of what early customizers and tinkerers had to do is now obsolete, as there are options for just about all players with the exception of tuning scheme and overbend capabilities.
HOWEVER, skilled modifiers can take things to a whole other level whether you overbend or not. The number of people who can actually do that is extremely small...we're talking very, very small. I think that a lot of people can make a stock harp perform better, but unless you know what the top tier stuff can do, it is hard to compare. This is especially true for overbend players, though. I would argue that if you aren't already very proficient at the technique, it is hard to tell what you are missing.
I remember several years ago - like 9 or so - buying Golden Melodies, flat sanding, gapping, and tuning and thinking I had fantastic harps. Then I tried a Filisko while visiting Chris Michalek. Ignorance is bliss, lol.
At the end of the day, if it airtight, in tune, and has decent gapping, you'll survive. There seems to be a fascination with converting MB's to screws and sealed combs - often really fancy shaped stuff - and spending hours doing so. That's cool, but to do all that and then take 5min to gap and another 10min to tune seem like a waste of time, lol.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
1057 posts
May 29, 2012
1:05 PM
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I do get a chuckle out of a lot of stuff I see out there, 50 percent is misinformation. A harmonica does not have to be embossed to be an awesome custom harp, although it has to be embossed if you want the embossed tone.
I thought I knew a lot about harps until I studied under Brad, it was constantly me saying "you're kidding." Really?" and "no way!"
over the years, all this misinformation clouds, while much good information is forgotten. If you spend several years reading 19th and early 20th Century patent abstracts you'll find a lot of interesting concepts and you'll see that a lot of modern concepts aren't. One example, the pressure fit snap-on coverplate that the B-radical had and the basic concept of the Turbolid was invented by Seydel in the 1890s. It was like the Turbolid, only made of metal....Somebody had the Suzuki Overdrive concept in the early 1900s, but I cant remember who. Now, of course, they were very different coverplates and I doubt Dr. Antaki was inspired by or even aware of the 19th Century Seydel design and I know for a fact Brad had no knowledge of it when he created his design. You have to look through a lot of harmonica horsewhips, etc. to find those nuggets, but they are there. There is no reason to think our harmonica ancestors werent as brilliant as we... they, as we do, created a blend of information and misinformation. What you gotta do is pan the gold dust from the gravel and continually experiment.
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David
Elk River Harmonicas
Elk River Harmonicas on Facebook
"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." - Lewis Grizzard
"Also, drinking homemade beer." - David Payne
Last Edited by on May 29, 2012 1:12 PM
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shadoe42
169 posts
May 29, 2012
1:15 PM
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I normally will adjust the gaps to better suit my play style, check for burs etc, but at the moment that is about the extent of my customization.
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The Musical Blades
My Electronic Music World
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MN
142 posts
May 29, 2012
1:22 PM
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>>>"I respectfully disagree with MN's comment about flat combs only being important to OB players. ... A specific example is the negative impact of a leaky comb on whole one of a relatively low harp. If you have a ton of air leakage, it is simply harder to bend. That has nothing to do with overblowing."
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I think you may have (slightly) misunderstood my point. For the sake of this discussion, let's say the end result of both gapping and making a harp more airtight is playability -- or "action."
Now, if you take an OOB harp with lousy action, one step to improve that action (the first step that I take) would be to gap it. Lower the gaps and test. Good? Then you're done. Still too "stiff"? Open up and lower some more. Some players prefer a higher action (for instance, hard blowers who will choke off the notes if a harp's reeds are gapped to low), and some will want to keep lowering even further. These players who want a lower action might be OB players, and they might not. They're just players who want more responsive reeds.
Now, my point was simply that MOST players (of all stripe) could use gapping to get an OOB harp into their comfort zone. When/if gapping still leaves a harp's action too sluggish for your tastes, it's time to sand the comb .... or buy a custom harp.
I'm not a big overblower, but I do pretty routinely use 4ob, 5ob, 6ob and a little 7od in my playing. And as I wrote above, for ME, well gapped Manjis or Special 20s or Golden Melodies or Session Steels do it all.
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ridge
347 posts
May 29, 2012
2:07 PM
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@ElkRiverHarmonicas
I remember when Moon Cat introduced me to the idea of working on harps and he said something to the effect of "25% of the work I do on my harps is practical and 75% of it is voodoo".
This wasn't any kind of allusion to the black arts, but really just his way of saying he wasn't exactly sure why some things he did worked. This was around 2005.
Well, now in 2012 I feel the same damn way. I look back at harps that play exceptionally well and I can't figure out how or why that is.
Here is what I do and what I PERCEIVE to be the effect(s) of doing so.
Embossing/Sizing
Perceived Effects:
-Slightly more response from the corresponding reed -More volume (noise) from less breath
-Stronger draw bend volume (presence?) on holes 1,2,4,5 after sizing corresponding blow reed slot.
-Sharpened pitch of reeds, meaning that starting on OOB harmonica that's in tune, when finished is several cents sharper on many reeds.
Gapping Reeds
Perceived Effects:
-Better response during quick passages or repeated attacks
-Better response for less breath
-Easier to initiate and sustain overblows when blow reed gaps (4,5,6) are lowered
-Easier to bend overblows when draw reed gaps (4,5,6) are lowered
I still find myself stuggling with the idea of removing the arc from a reed. I've gone through the trouble of straightening reeds with various succes. Success being defined by how well it overblows in many cases. On the other hand, I have harmonicas that were gapped and embossed rather crudely and they have crazy arced reeds and they play wonderfully.
Hopefully this is helpful to someone else out there.
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S-harp
45 posts
May 29, 2012
2:49 PM
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The skills in crafts lies in the hours invested ... and insights in masters aquired knowledge gives you some shortcuts ... meaning, you don't, perhaps, have to do the time to find stuff out , but you still need to get it down in you hands, eyes and ears.
As an analogy, I make handmade knifes, sometimes with damascus blades, and was fortunate to become à friend with master in this craft. We worked side by side for à long time, years, and he showed me everything. Like with harps, it's not rocket science. Still, knowing all the moves, I could never reach his level of quality work and feel for the materials. It' s in the hands and the hours.
I agree with HarpNinja and his insight regarding the reed profiles. Here is à lot to be said and learned.
I would just like to add how all Variables interact, seing the instrument as à whole. Of course, some variables have greater impact on response and/or tone than others and some is just your preference. Still, I believe working with all needed variables, working with the whole instrument. And knowing why you're doing à specific operation ... knowing the difference between improving and changing/altering.
Here is à silly question... sprung from à subject mentioned earlier in this thread regarding various quality in info about harpmods on the web.
>How do you gap ... where on the reed do you alter its position?<<
Some say at the tip ... some say close to the base.
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The tone, the tone ... and the Tone
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FreeWilly
254 posts
May 29, 2012
3:10 PM
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I like what ridge said. Perhaps it's a lack of actual knowledge, but I feel the voodoo remark. It's related to what S said too. You have to sit with and feel the (whole) harp. Listen and feel what happened after you change something. Sometimes stroking the reed will get rid of squeels. I bet there is a scientific explanation for this (better alignment, slight change in profile, etc.), but often it will get the OD to sound pleasingly.
Same goes for (de-)arcing (who ever thought of that term?). The arc is there for a reason: one side of a reed has metal removed, with makes it arc. If you take this out, you put immense stress on the arced side don't you? Sometimes arcing doesn't seem to work because of this? Sometimes it makes the reed respond better and faster. I haven't fully understood the de-arcing proces. It's very complex.
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ElkRiverHarmonicas
1063 posts
May 29, 2012
7:13 PM
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Laurent,
On attaching reedplates, yes there are other ways besides screws.
1)Nails (pins). It's the perfect system, provided you never have to take it apart. There have even been nails in plastic combs. Kratt in the U.S. was apparently the first to use plastic combs.
2) Ribbed nails - On the chromatics, Kratt developed a special kind of nail that would grip plastic. It looked like a regular nail, only ribbed for gripping. Screws were then, as they are now VERY EXPENSIVE! It's a huge cost per harp... they've always been able to do them, Seydel was using coverplate screws in the 19th Century. I presume the chromatics were nailed this way so the chromatics could be repaired, because on the diatonics, Kratt used system NO. 3...
3) The word I use for this privately is a palendrome that starts with t and has an "i" in the middle. The Kratt diatonic plastic comb was injection molded with numerous... searching for a word I can say... "nubbies" The reedplates had holes to match the nubbies and was pressed on. These are some of the tightest diatonics I've ever seen.
4) Drift pins. This was how everybody but Kratt handled their first plastic combs. Basically, big nails. Vermona/KHW in the DDR used them for many years. So did Hohner on their plastic combs. You'll see Chromettas with them, Spc. 20s, Golden Melodies and the like until the 1980s. It's basically a big nail that goes all the way through the entire harmonica. It's pressed in very tightly - the nail is a little bigger than the hole and that holds it together.
5)Pressure fit. I came across Seydel patent from sometime close to 1900 that was for a harmonica that had no screws or nails or anything. It just snapped together and pressure fit.
That's all the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
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David
Elk River Harmonicas
Elk River Harmonicas on Facebook
"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." - Lewis Grizzard
"Also, drinking homemade beer." - David Payne
Last Edited by on May 29, 2012 7:23 PM
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laurent2015
237 posts
May 29, 2012
8:06 PM
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Thanks Elkriver, for this reminding of the techniques.
If I had paid more attention, I'd never have bought those Marine Band (Classic) with nails: some reeds need to be correctly gapped, and it involves to dismantle the harps...and get rid of 22 nails!
Now I didn't know pressure systems had been used in past times, but I make a pledge to tell you how my attempt will go on: I have rather good hope it could work out.
BTW:"a palendrome that starts with t and has an "i" in the middle": you mean it was an erotic harp?
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HarpNinja
2492 posts
May 29, 2012
8:44 PM
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You don't have to take it apart to gap it. You can gap it on the comb...if you want. Even a toothpick would work for that.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
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nacoran
5758 posts
May 29, 2012
8:48 PM
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Elk, I mentioned it above, but since you are making an official looking list I'd add the Hohner Puck method where it slides on from the end, perhaps as a sub-category of pressure fit.
Laurent, I can think of one more way that would be pretty cool, although I've never seen it used in a harp. You could mount magnets in the ends of the harp and hold the covers on with magnets! I bet if you drilled holes for the magnets in the space right around where the screws usually go and glued them in you could get a tight seal, but you could take it even farther and use those magnet strips. Cut a gasket out of one of those, glue it down to the front edge of the reedplate and viola!
By the way, it doesn't involve the spring mechanism, just the frame, but there is a pretty neat mini-crossbow you can make out of those clips you have there! You just need rubber bands and a pencil (for ammo). I saw the plans online. My friend and I built some. You can shoot the pencil through an empty coke can. We also used them to make a mini-catapult that does use their spring. (I'd shown the crossbow to a friend who didn't have full use of his hands and was unable to pull it back fully, so we developed the catapult to be easier to use. We shot a small 20 sided plastic polygon across the room, about the size of gambling die, with enough force to leave a small ding in the wall.) We also made a Gauss gun using a ruler, some magnets, tape, metal bearings and a ruler. Science is fun!
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Nate
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laurent2015
238 posts
May 30, 2012
7:30 AM
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Harpninja, I agree with you, but when I'm gapping (not so often) I use a magnifying lens to make the job as accurate as possible; so I need to freely work on the reedplates.
Nate, the stuff I showed above exerts an unbearable pressure if you try to put a finger in the jaws (don't know how many kgs/cm2, certainly quite a bit) and I intend to use three clips per harp.
I'll have to test and be sure the device keeps in place
and doesn't jump out because of accidental slipping: dont' want to subscribe special insurances!
Can you imagine? The first casualty could really say: I've been impressed by your playing...
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