netman
4 posts
Jul 05, 2010
1:57 PM
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Hey guys: I know this has been discussed before. but can someone tell me an easy & safe way to clean a harp and possibly without taking it apart. I have been wearing out these harps since I found this site.
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N.O.D.
6 posts
Jul 05, 2010
11:38 PM
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Hi Netman mate I'm a slob i don't clean my harps
sort of an old school thing i let them bed in sort of embossing and gapping with slobber,
the most i do is flick out the goober built up in the holes and clean the cover plates to get ride of dead skin build up,
Im not sure of what you mean by saying you are wearing Harps out are they sounding dull and if you clean them they will sound Bright again,
could i politly ask how long you have been playing Harmonica for are you a beginer,
if so you may have be useing to much Breath force you can very easly Blow your Harp out of tune,makeing it sound Duller..
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Cheers mate
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nacoran
2342 posts
Jul 06, 2010
12:02 AM
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netman, I use toothpicks or craft sticks around the holes to scrape the gunk out, and around the lip of the covers to loosen up anything there, then I wipe it down with a polishing rag. Stay away from the reeds with it though. When I'm degunking the holes I make sure to angle the harp so nothing falls into the reeds. Occasionally I'll give the harp a blow into the back to get any stuff I've loosened up out. Don't underestimate the power of using your fingernail, at least on the parts it will reach.
Don't worry too much about the inside of the harp. The reeds move enough so they usually stay clear. If they get jammed you can use a toothpick to GENTLY dislodge any gunk in there. If you have a plastic combed harp you can run water through it, but make sure you don't use full water pressure. Shake it afterwards to get the extra moisture out.
There are a couple reasons to clean a harp. Some people like to keep them all pretty. Sometimes that can actually be counter productive. That gunk blocks leaks and makes the harp more airtight, and every time you have to take the harp apart you are going to add some wear and tear.
The best advice I can think of is to make sure that you rinse your mouth with water if you've been eating or drinking. Food particles are likely to get stuck in there, and beverages tend to have sugars that will make things sticky. Keep your harp safe from pocket lint, particularly if you have an open backed harp. If you do open your harp up you can give the covers a brushing with a soft bristle tooth brush. Seydel says their stainless steel harps are dishwasher safe!
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Nate
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groyster1
192 posts
Jul 06, 2010
7:30 AM
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@narcoran
I use toothpicks also to clean harps I believe it is predominately dead skin cells u are digging out as I said before in a previous thread you cannot get infected with your own germs dont loan your harps out and never play someone elses harp
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MrVerylongusername
1119 posts
Jul 06, 2010
7:42 AM
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Don't assume that just because the crud on your harp came from your mouth that it is totally uninfectious. After all there are plenty of nasties floating around in the air or on your hands that might be quite happy feeding and breeding off some dead skin cells and semi-dried saliva.
As a minimum I'd clean the crud off the coverplates, and wash your hands before playing.
Chugging some JD whilst playing has got to help too,
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nacoran
2344 posts
Jul 06, 2010
10:56 AM
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MrVLUN... sssshhhh. I have OCD. If I think about things in terms of germs it's going to open a whole can of worms.
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Nate
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