Adam Pritchard
85 posts
Jan 02, 2016
2:12 AM
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Hi all, and a Happy New Year to everyone!
I'm just wondering if anyone can help me with a problem I have regarding cover plates where the coating has partially worn off.
Basically I'm one of the lucky one's who received his B-radical from Harrison Harmonicas a few years back, but soon after I got it the black coating on the cover plates began to wear off. It now looks a bit of a mess albeit it plays great, so I would rather try to get the rest of the coating off to leave me with a better looking harp.
I've tried various things but nothing seems to work. I'm assuming the coating was some sort of powder coat but I don't know for sure.
Any suggestions gratefully received.
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Bilzharp
118 posts
Jan 02, 2016
6:00 AM
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An automotive paint store should carry a paint and powder coating stripper. Eastwood automotive sells this stuff:
http://www.eastwood.com/dekote-paint-and-powder-stripper.html
Thoroughly wash with detergent afterward. Media blasting might also work but you'll probably warp the covers. Good luck.
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Killa_Hertz
70 posts
Jan 02, 2016
6:41 AM
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I would try just some sand paper and see how it reacts to that on a small spot. But first do some research n see if you can figure out exactly what he coated it with. May be an easier option. I sanded mine down by hand n powder coated it. I didn't account for how light they were and the oven blew them against the rack. So they came out with some blemishes. So i sanded it back down n tried again.
I started with 250. Then once it was off stepped it up until i hit 800 and it had a pretty good surface for recoating.
Hope that helps.
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"Trust Those Who Seek The Truth...
Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Jan 02, 2016 9:36 AM
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OldGeezer
13 posts
Jan 02, 2016
9:11 AM
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First, those harps are not powder coated. It is some sort of plating, I think. Try using plain old Brasso or something similar. Maybe some rubbing compound that auto repair shops use. You could also try to buff it off with a buffing wheel and rouge. For sandpaper, start with some fine grit and work your way up to super fine and then on to the buffing wheel
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nacoran
8857 posts
Jan 02, 2016
11:01 AM
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Be careful... at one point when they were experimenting with cover materials I seem to remember David Payne mentioning (I think I remember at least, after a while all this harmonica information blurs together) that they were experimenting with nickel. Most of the other harp companies have moved away from it because it can cause a cumulative allergy- i.e. and allergy that develops over time after repeated exposure.
My suggestion would be to see if you could strip it, (probably with a stripper chemical) but then see if you could send it to Tom at Blue Moon Harmoncia, perhaps, and see if he could get it re-powdered as part of one of his batches. Powder coating it yourself, unless you happen to have the machine, would be expensive, but could be quite reasonable as part of a batch. Economy of scale.
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Nate
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JustFuya
827 posts
Jan 02, 2016
3:37 PM
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I have heard of people using oven cleaner. When I was in the metal business we scrapped everything from small parts to large assemblies because it was uneconomical or unhealthy to remove non-conforming PC finishes without damaging the metal.
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Adam Pritchard
87 posts
Jan 03, 2016
1:00 AM
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Thanks guys, some useful tips for me to try here.
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Kingley
3986 posts
Jan 03, 2016
2:05 AM
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I would just say be aware that any "home" fix you try could work out badly and you could end up with a harp you can't use.
If it were me, I'd either leave it as is, or send it to someone who can sort it out properly.
Bear in mind that the B-Radicals are only around in limited numbers, so that makes them quite desirable to collectors. Original condition is prized by collectors. Anything that's been altered from stock generally loses it's value to them.
If of course you plan on keeping it and don't mind if it gets screwed up, then by all means press ahead with your planned course of action.
Last Edited by Kingley on Jan 03, 2016 2:06 AM
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