TheoBurke
403 posts
May 11, 2013
12:37 PM
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Flooding in my apartment this morning, nothing damaged except some carpet that is being replaced and a package of my best harmonicas. Damn. Damn. Damn. Grrrrr...
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Ted Burke
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheoBurke?feature=mhee
http://ted-burke.com
tburke4@san.rr.co,
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harmonicanick
1905 posts
May 11, 2013
12:42 PM
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Ted, get a sonic cleaner and give them a good session asap
Oh, I forgot unless they have wood combs, if they have dunno
Last Edited by harmonicanick on May 11, 2013 12:45 PM
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arzajac
1045 posts
May 11, 2013
12:47 PM
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So sorry.
What make/model? I might be able to restore them for you.
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TheoBurke
404 posts
May 11, 2013
12:48 PM
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, Thanks for the tip, Nick.I will see if i can borrow one. fortunately i have back harps that are decent . but , you know, it's a drag when your best ones are knocked out.
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Ted Burke
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheoBurke?feature=mhee
http://ted-burke.com
tburke4@san.rr.co,
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Kingley
2634 posts
May 11, 2013
12:52 PM
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Don't worry Theo. I understand that it's still very frustrating for you of course. It could have been far worse though.
Even if they the combs are knackered the harps can of course be rebuilt onto new combs. The reeds and covers will probably be ok. They'll need cleaning of course, but other than that there shouldn't be any problems.
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nacoran
6782 posts
May 11, 2013
1:36 PM
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I love my sonic cleaner. It was about $30 and it will clean 4 harps at a time.
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Nate
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bluemoose
874 posts
May 11, 2013
3:35 PM
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"I love my sonic cleaner"
hummm...probably some sort of self help 12 step group for that Nate. :)
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MP
2747 posts
May 11, 2013
3:42 PM
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everything will be fine unless you have some unsealed MB combs that were swelled by the water.
harps are amazingly resilient. i play harps that are at least 80 years old at gigs sometimes.
arzajac would make short work of getting them back in shape.
baking soda and a toothbrush gets rid of musty smells.
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MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info-
repair videos on YouTube.
you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
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Gnarly
575 posts
May 11, 2013
6:31 PM
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I work on harps--and I'm in San Diego, in Hillcrest.
Pmail me at gnarlyheman at gmail dot com.
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bigd
467 posts
May 11, 2013
9:28 PM
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Sorry to read this!! A week ago tuesday I was returning from a late show all drained and I stopped in a 24 hour drug store on my way home. I left my case with doubles and triples of each key, including multiple harps from customizers like Joe, and Brad, and Harvey, etc. on the counter when I departed If I were to monetize it I'd say the value was around 3500 bucks. It was the worst material loss I have ever endured and I needed all those keys because I back dozens of singers!! The pharmacy denied finding them so I went back after midnight the following night and the manager and I looked at the security tapes....Bingo: we tracked where an employee had picked up the case and put then away in a drawer in the office....It's not hyperbole to say I felt ghostly (like I had left my body) when I realized I had lost my case....So I commiserate with you my friend. Good luck with any possible reparation.
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harmonicanick
1908 posts
May 12, 2013
12:39 AM
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@bigd
24 hours of hell man!
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TheoBurke
405 posts
May 12, 2013
7:12 AM
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Thanks for the response, everyone. Luckily I have a lot of playable harps that made it through the deluge, sitting,as they were, on a high kitchen shelf. It was just a drag having 8 of my premium harmonicas damaged like this. I'm putting the apartment back together--carpet guys had to come in and replace destroyed flooring--but I am encouraged that there is probally hope for some of them. None of them had unsealed wood combs. It'll be interesting to see what can be reclaimed.
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Ted Burke
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheoBurke?feature=mhee
http://ted-burke.com
tburke4@san.rr.co,
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arzajac
1046 posts
May 12, 2013
7:56 AM
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Theo.
None of your harps will suffer anything permanent. The reedplates and covers can easily be cleaned and sanitized. The combs can also be restored. I reckon you can do it easily. And if you chose to send your harps to anyone here, you may end up with harps that play even better that before the deluge!
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Kingley
2644 posts
May 12, 2013
8:31 AM
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Theo - Just take them apart making sure to take note of which covers and reed plates go with which comb. Then clean them up. They should be fine. If any of the combs are not salvageable there are plenty of folk who sell combs. If you don't want to attempt the clean up yourself, I'd say send them to Mark (MP) or Andrew (Arzajac). They'll fix them up for you and get those coveted harps running nice and smooth again.
D - My heart was sinking as I read your post. I'm just glad you got 'em all back again.
Last Edited by Kingley on May 12, 2013 8:33 AM
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TheoBurke
407 posts
May 12, 2013
10:19 AM
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I live in Pacific Beach, actually . Are you in University Heights? Maybe we can meet up at Twiggs on Park and chat and jam a bit. Send me an email. Would love to meet up.
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Ted Burke
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheoBurke?feature=mhee
http://ted-burke.com
tburke4@san.rr.co,
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6SN7
315 posts
May 12, 2013
3:03 PM
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@bigd: Gosh, not at Duane Reade I hope.
You mean I can buy a sonic cleaner for like 25 or 30 bucks and drop my special 20's and crossovers in the thing and power up and it clean the guck out and then I slap them on my thigh and a way you go playing again with no damage? Do they go out of tune? I'm really clueless here, i thought one had no business dropping a harp in a glass of water.....
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arzajac
1047 posts
May 12, 2013
3:47 PM
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6SN7: Yes, you can. You will get better results if you take the harps apart since the waves can't reach inside the harp very well. You can't do that with an unsealed wooden comb. The Crossover should handle the water fine since it's made of Bamboo but I would think that you would wear it out if you did it on a regular basis.
No, the harps don't go out of tune by being put through an ultrasonic cleaner, nor does it mess with the gapping or shape of the reeds.
That being said, for routing cleaning, just a rinse under the tap with a little soap is more effective. An ultrasonic cleaner is really useful when you got a lot of harps to do.
But I don't recommend cleaning your harp unless there is an obvious problem, like a stuck reed or a dead bug (or being submerged in filthy flood water). There's no reason to clean it otherwise, and you always run the risk of catching a reed, stripping a screw or doing something else that will add mileage to your harp for nothing.
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MP
2748 posts
May 12, 2013
5:30 PM
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Oh, no unsealed combs.
Theo, your harps are fine.
sitting under water- even for hours and hours-doesn't hurt them at all. they just need to be dried out.
dirty water is no problem. wipe the out sides w/ alcohol.
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MP
affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info-
repair videos on YouTube.
you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
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TheoBurke
408 posts
May 13, 2013
1:04 PM
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update: my apartment is coming back into order slowly and i have reclaimed five of eight choice harmonicas with a stern hosing. three, however, are in the trash, as they were too disgusting to have around. my great appreciation for tips and encouragement.
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Ted Burke
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheoBurke?feature=mhee
http://ted-burke.com
tburke4@san.rr.co,
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Gnarly
581 posts
May 13, 2013
3:47 PM
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Dude, don't throw them away. I WORK ON HARPS.
Call me!
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TheoBurke
409 posts
May 13, 2013
5:35 PM
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Too late. Sorry. The were caked in bodily crud, and I would not have played them even if they were made like new.
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Ted Burke
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheoBurke?feature=mhee
http://ted-burke.com
tburke4@san.rr.co,
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arzajac
1049 posts
May 13, 2013
5:56 PM
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... can't argue the shit factor.
So sorry about the flood. Will insurance cover any of your harps?
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Last Edited by arzajac on May 13, 2013 5:56 PM
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