Washing reedplates

[Ed McCullough]

Is dishwashing soap and water still the best thing to use for washing Reed plates?

[Age]

Yeah, as far as I know. (at least that's what ~I've~ been using since the flood )

How ever, I've heard that some folks have used denture cleaner with great efficacy, which I've never tried, since I don't (make that didn't ) wear dentures (mine will be here at the end of the month )  I hate'm already, but since I gotta eat, I guess I got no choice. Maybe I'll try the stuff on something I already wanna put new valves on, "Justin Case" it screws the valves up.

[Ed McCullough]

I have a 16-holer that I might not have taken apart in the last two and a half years. There is an amazing amount of Blackness all the way around the Reed that corresponds to middle C on the piano. The rest of the plate looks a little bit greasy and has little bits of Darkness on it.
One thing I do right is to brush my teeth at least twice per day and definitely before I play harmonicas.
-. Here is an uncompensated testimonial. I bought an Oral-B electric toothbrush a few months ago. Price was $10. It uses AA batteries, which you can easily take out. I have been using the same  two batteries for I don't know how many months. When those batteries die, I'm going to use rechargeable batteries. I'm extremely happy with that toothbrush.

[Age]

They're kinda hard to find, but I use 1.5 volt rechargeables for all my stuff.

If you decide to re-valve the whole thing, it might be fun to try the ketchup/catsup trick. The tomato and vinegar part has a way of cleaning brass reedplates.

[Ed McCullough]

The Oral-B came from walmart. I'm sure it can be bought elsewhere. It uses AA batteries, not the AAA batteries. Almost any device that uses AAA batteries and easily be made to hold AA batteries. AA batteries give you much longer running time, and much more bang for your buck.

[servus]

Dumb question: cleaning reedplates means removing the wind savers...am I right?Removing the wind savers means replacing the whole mess of them. Did I get that right? If that is the case, that's a whole lotta work altogether. And precision work to boot!

                 PJ

[Ed McCullough]

"Cleaning the Reed plates" generally does not include removing the valves.

[servus]

Does that mean just cleaning around the valves and near the mouthpiece? Oh, and does that require removing the valve plates or just cleaning the visible side?

               PJ

[Ed McCullough]

A reedplate is the long piece of brass to which the reeds are attached. The valves are also attached to the reedplate. To wash the reed plate, we remove it from the comb. We have to be careful when we wash the Reed plate, so that we do not damage the reeds or the valves.

[servus]

Gotcha. Thanks! That's the way a guy learns: asking questions!

[Ed McCullough]

Servus,
Entschuldigen. Sind Sie ein deutscher?

[smojoe]

Is that Bruce Dern's face?

[Age]

Nah, Joey, that's P.J. (New Yorker, living in Germany) and yeah, he does kinda look like Bruce Dern in that shot. Ha Ha!

[Ed McCullough]

The reedplate is from a Hohner Performance harmonica, the kind they have been making since 2018. Gentle swabbing with dishwashing soap and water does not remove some dark crud. The dark crud is in the section of the reedplates where I play the most. Gentle scraping with a splint of bamboo does not remove the darker coat either.
-. Are you guys and gals still confident that denture cleaner is okay, and will not damage the brass or the valves?..... I have to try the solvent that is more potent than dishwashing soap and water.......

How long can I soak the Reed plate in denture cleaner? More than one person here says that soaking a reedplate and water for many hours will loosen the valves from the reedplate.

[Age]

Ed,
Never tried it (yet) but I'm willing to bet it won't hurt anything, except maybe the glue on the valves and even that is doubtful. The worst thing that can happen is some valves loosening up. I'm seriously gunna pick some up just to see how well it works. (Gotta start buying the stuff anyway in a few weeks, when my new choppers get here, eh?)

[Ed McCullough]

I searched in the slide Meister website for "denture cleaner". There are many comments about denture cleaner. Thanks to the people who investigated it already and wrote about it. I will read your comments tomorrow.

[Ed McCullough]

Hey Gnarley:

Have you seen reedplates of Hohner Performance that have very dark, almost black deposits on both the reedplate and the reeds? I never saw this on my other harmonicas. I don't know any change in my body chemistry, so maybe the new Performance harmonica's are made with something new in their chemistry.

[servus]

@ age  We used to be Noo Yawkas, but the dialect - from what I observe - seems to be dying out.

@ smojoe  Who is Bruce Dern?

@ Ed  Pretty good German. Congrats!

@ age and Ed: Have I understood this properly? Do you put the reed plate plates into a water bath to clean them? Or do you just give em a scrub with a toothbrush etc. while holding them? I recall a Kettlewell video suggesting putting harmonicas under warm, running water is the way to go to clean them. Neil Adler and others seem to disagree with this method - as does Seydel. As for Seydel, I wouldn't dare put my Sympony 48 reed plates under water period. The valves would float to the surface in a nonce. As it is, I have been playing with three or four valves missing. They just flake off like leaves in autumn. Sometime in the future, I will jump in the cold water and replace them. Gregg Jones has good videos on that subject.

                              PJ

[Ed McCullough]

I have soaked Hohner reedplates in soapy water for half an hour without problem. A couple people said that soaking reedplates for 24 hours would make all the valves fall off.

[Ed McCullough]

Servus:

What do Seydel and Neil Adler say about cleaning reedplates?

[servus]

Ed, I don't know (or remember) what Neil Adler has to say on the subject (he might have a video on YouTube). Seydel recommends putting the whole harmonica, mouthpiece down, into a water bath about 3/4" (2cm) deep, being careful not to get the valves wet. That's what I do with my Symphony and my Hohner Meisterklasse. They get to bathe together. I do it infrequently though, maybe every couple of months. If I play a lot, then more frequently. Gregg Jones, who has some nice videos out there, describes removing reedplates from the comb, but suggests doing that only when it is truly essential. At least that's how I recall his advice.

                  PJ (alias Servus)

[Age]

Hey Gnarley:

Have you seen reedplates of Hohner Performance that have very dark, almost black deposits on both the reedplate and the reeds? I never saw this on my other harmonicas. I don't know any change in my body chemistry, so maybe the new Performance harmonica's are made with something new in their chemistry.

Actually, no, I haven't.   Might have been something (or agent) the harmonica was exposed to (in abundance) in the past, or before you got it. I've seen plenty of them get green and nasty looking but so far, not black  . Hey, it IS something about the "Performer's" components that's causing the problem.

[Age]

@ age and Ed: Have I understood this properly?

                              PJ

You gotta be veeeery careful with scrubbing. Always gently, and in the direction "away" from the rivet.  Wind savers can be damaged just by thinking about them the "rong" way, and a heavy, clumsy tooth brush can be almost as bad as a hammer.

You make a solution of warm (never hot) water and some dish soap and just swish the plates around in it for a minute. As you do, the valves will be seen opening and closing. What you wanna look for is the second layer of the valves doing the same thing. Then repeat the procedure with clear water till you're satisfied all the "soap" is gone. Let them dry and make sure the two parts of each valve aren't sticking anywhere, and still lying flat, covering the reed channel.

[Age]

Ed, I don't know (or remember) what Neil Adler has to say on the subject (he might have a video on YouTube). Seydel recommends putting the whole harmonica, mouthpiece down, into a water bath about 3/4" (2cm) deep, being careful not to get the valves wet. That's what I do with my Symphony and my Hohner Meisterklasse. They get to bathe together. I do it infrequently though, maybe every couple of months. If I play a lot, then more frequently. Gregg Jones, who has some nice videos out there, describes removing reedplates from the comb, but suggests doing that only when it is truly essential. At least that's how I recall his advice.

                  PJ (alias Servus)

I dunno, bro. I wouldn't do that with a MeisterKlasse. That aluminum comb is waaaay too touchy to "go aquatic," AFAIC.

[Ed McCullough]

The first years, I don't remember how many years, of the Meisterklasse's production, the comb had a problem. I don't remember what the problem was. I think the company solved a problem by plating the comb with something.
-- when I used a toothbrush to clean the comb, I always snagged a bristle under a reed or a valve.. that could change the shape of the Reed or damage the valve. Last night I used an artist's paintbrush to massage the surface of the Reed plate as it was resting underneath very soapy water. Did not snag any Reeds or valves - very nice.
-. We exhale lots of water vapor when we play, so the reedplates must have a pretty decent ability to tolerate water to begin with.
-. To clean the mouthpiece, put the harmonica into a pan of water with the mouthpiece side in the water just deep enough to cover the mouthpiece. Move the slide 5 or 20 times and then shake the water out of the harmonica. You can do similar work by holding a harmonica with the button end up and dribble water under the harmonica at the spot where the slide comes out of the body, As you move the slide. I often do that when I finish playing. The slide is never stuck or sticky when I grab the harmonica to play it the next time. You can do this a couple times per day, not just a couple times per month. It is really easy, sweet love for a harmonica.

[Gnarly He Man]

Hey Gnarley:

Have you seen reedplates of Hohner Performance that have very dark, almost black deposits on both the reedplate and the reeds? I never saw this on my other harmonicas. I don't know any change in my body chemistry, so maybe the new Performance harmonica's are made with something new in their chemistry.

Actually, no, I haven't.   Might have been something (or agent) the harmonica was exposed to (in abundance) in the past, or before you got it. I've seen plenty of them get green and nasty looking but so far, not black  . Hey, it IS something about the "Performer's" components that's causing the problem.

Me either.
I am, however, currently doing battle with a Kongsheng Lyra with an Aluminum comb that has a bunch of corrosion from a galvanic disagreement involving the comb and reedplates.
I like Hydrogen Peroxide for reed plates--and yes, the plates can become discolored if you leave them in too long, but many people never see their reedplates--from my experience.
It's great to have acquired said experience from years of horn smashing, still enjoying it.
And hey, valves do come loose, they are not hard to reattach, but it can be fiddly, especially if you do it wrong. I don't like using Superglue, but it does work rather well.
Pliobond, or Weldwood contact cement, are recommended.

[servus]

@Age   The bath I'm describing is mainly meant for the mouthpiece - as Ed also describes it. Both the Meisterklasse and the Symphony have aluminum combs. I'm guessing that the MeisterklasseI got (via Ebay) is from the post-mess-up period. No signs of corrosion yet - though it doesn't play as smoothly (airtight?) as the Symphony for some reason.

@Ed  letting faucet water run through the mouthpiece at the button is something I do. I guess what's new to me is removing the reed plates and putting them into a water bath. Maybe the Meisterklasse valves would survive the bath. I have my doubts about the valves on the Symphony plate (which is steel) - which is why I have never attempted that. I do rub down the visible outside parts of the plate from reed rivet to mouthpiece with a disposal alcohol towelette (or whatever they're called). I sometimes will swipe the outer edge of the reedplate with the same "towelette". Unscrewing the plate from the comb is a territory I have not yet explored yet.

[Ed McCullough]

Gnarley:

Good luck with that Kongsheng. Maybe you can scrub the bejabers out of the comb, get it clean and dry, and then coat it with something. Maybe wax. Maybe plastic. Maybe something out of an aerosol can. Maybe dipping it. You would have to get the owners agreement before you try that.

Gnarley, have you seen any instances of Hohner Performance reedplates with dark spots or dark areas, especially in the regions that a person plays the most? I assume I should try to get rid of the darkness. What should I try?
-. Please write a little bit more about what you do with hydrogen peroxide.

[Gnarly He Man]

I put the reed plates into a shallow dish and add H2O2.
Pretty simple.

[Ed McCullough]

Gnarley:

Do you use the hydrogen peroxide as a preventative effort, or do you use hydrogen peroxide for cleaning? If you use it for cleaning, are you cleaning off biological debris? Are you cleaning off mineral debris?

Aluminum Reed plates: I think Hohner electroplates a layer of another metal onto the aluminum.