The ability to remove just one cover plate at a time

[Ed McCullough]

I had been delaying and delaying and delaying cleaning a sticky valve. When I finally talked myself into the work, it was much easier than I imagined. This particular harmonica lets you take off only one cover plate at a time. That is immensely easier than juggling two cover plates, the comb and Reed plates and one pair of screws at the same time.

Some of you guys and gals have commented about difficulty of reassembling some of the Seydel harmonicas. You have my sympathies. How many extra hands and fingers do you need to grow for the job?

[The Lone Harper]

I modify all of my chromatics so that each reed plate and each cover plate can be removed independently of its counterpart.

[Gnarly He Man]

One nice feature of the CX-12 is how easy it is to disassemble—the mouthpiece and covers are all one piece!

[Age]

Yeah, Gar, that's prolly the only thing I like about the CX.

Now, getting back to the coverplates, I have stainless steel combed 270 that's threaded and works great, so ANY "factory" metal comb without threads is totally without excuse and the manufacturers thereof should be ashamed, since barrel screws and whatever have always been sucha pain in the shorts anyway

For the rest of us, I don't see why a threaded metal sleeve couldn't be epoxied into an acrylic combs.

[Ed McCullough]

Lone Harper,
  Is A's idea of putting a threaded sleeve into the comb the technique that you use? If so, can you exactly name the sleeve, some screws that fit the sleeve, and a company that sells it?
-. That sounds like an easy solution that many of us would like to use.

[Ed McCullough]

Lone Harper,

   Please tell us where we can buy threaded sleeves and screws to put into our combs, so we can take off only one cover plate at a time.

[MikeB]

without the properly sharpened drill, acrylic can be difficult to drill the hole large enough for the insert without it cracking & breaking. Acrylic is similar to plexiglass or lexan when drilling & can be brittle. Caution would be the key word with this. It can be done, & can be worthwhile. The hole would have to be enlarged to fit the insert & then threaded & the insert glued in carefully. All the inserts you need are available on amazon, or temu if you look. I just did a quick search & found numerous ones. I would also suggest to use inserts not the helicoil thread repairs. The coil windings of the helicoil repair, if not properly glued in could move & damage the material making another repair necessary.

[Age]

Don't see why you couldn't just make yourself up a kit. (or two) Go to McMasters (or equivalent) and get some barrel-screws /Chicago screws, (with a longer shank than what's pictured below) get four male screws that will fit and that you like the looks of, cut the female ends off of the barrel screws at just over a half inch using your electric drill as a lathe, dress the ends with a fine file or sandpaper, and epoxy that little finished sleeve into your comb. (being careful not to get any on the inside threads of course ) when it's all set up you'll have a threaded comb. Bada-bing!

Merry Christmas!

[MikeB]

good one Age, i didn't think about the barrel screws. Now that I think about it, most of our Harmonicas already have barrel screws for the cover plates (at least mine all do), & if we were to get the same screws as the manufacturer (or similar looking) it would look like it came that way from the factory.

[SlideMeister]

good one Age, i didn't think about the barrel screws. Now that I think about it, most of our Harmonicas already have barrel screws for the cover plates (at least mine all do), & if we were to get the same screws as the manufacturer (or similar looking) it would look like it came that way from the factory.

Yeah, ~I'd~ probably opt for something justa little bigger than the standard size, but tat's just me.

[Age]

without the properly sharpened drill, acrylic can be difficult to drill the hole large enough for the insert without it cracking & breaking. Acrylic is similar to plexiglass or lexan when drilling & can be brittle. Caution would be the key word with this. It can be done, & can be worthwhile. The hole would have to be enlarged to fit the insert & then threaded & the insert glued in carefully. All the inserts you need are available on amazon, or temu if you look. I just did a quick search & found numerous ones. I would also suggest to use inserts not the helicoil thread repairs. The coil windings of the helicoil repair, if not properly glued in could move & damage the material making another repair necessary.

Yeah, helicoils would scare me for the same reason. Great for repairing spark plug threads, but "slow cut" and "acrylic" kinda hate each other.

[The Lone Harper]

The new Easttop 16-hole Rhapsody chromatic with double-thick reedplates like the Hohner Super 64X will have the option of using screws that pass through the top plate and screw into the bottom plate, or inserting threaded inserts that will allow each reed plate to be attached independently of each other.

The Hering Deluxe 16-hole chromatics with perspex combs come with brass threaded inserts already in place.

[Ed McCullough]

Now we have some good ideas coming. Nobody ever did actually give exact names or identifiers for threaded sleeves to use. Adapting Barrel screws is a marvelous idea. Thank you

[Ed McCullough]

Ah, gee. I was hoping somebody would give the name and exact specifications of barrel screws that fit the pre-2018 Hohner Super 64 and  64X.

[The Lone Harper]

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=560941716273&spm=a1z10.3-c.w4002-17836677024.11.65434eefh6wLAy

[Ed McCullough]

Lone Harper,
Those are pretty pictures of barrel screws, and probably bumper tubing that fit an unknown brand and model of harmonica. However, I do not read Chinese and have absolutely no idea of what to do with the information you gave us.

[Gnarly He Man]

Lone Harper,
Those are pretty pictures of barrel screws, and probably bumper tubing that fit an unknown brand and model of harmonica. However, I do not read Chinese and have absolutely no idea of what to do with the information you gave us.

Group buy!

[The Lone Harper]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003517198240.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.87.7f8818024gvsM1

I use these 1.4mm inserts for the smaller screws at the front. Because they are only 5mm long they tend to be pulled out of the comb when the screw is tightened, so I find it necessary to attach 2 together by partially inserting a 1.4mm screw in one, cutting the head off the screwing another insert on to it to make one 10mm insert. That way the insert remains anchored in place by the screw on the alternate reed plate. It will be necessary to drill out the screw hole in the comb to accommodate the larger insert, but I make sure that the new hole is slightly smaller than the diameter of the insert and force it in using a vice to ensure a snug fit. I recommend trying this on an old comb first.   

[The Lone Harper]

Lone Harper,
Those are pretty pictures of barrel screws, and probably bumper tubing that fit an unknown brand and model of harmonica. However, I do not read Chinese and have absolutely no idea of what to do with the information you gave us.

Google Chrome enables you to translate into English.

You can always buy the 2mm inserts from the same Aliexpress page that the 1.4mm inserts can be purchased from, but like the 1.4mm inserts the maximum length is 5mm so you will need to screw 2 together to avoid them being pulled out of the comb when you tighten the screw.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003517198240.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.87.7f8818024gvsM1

[The Lone Harper]

MK comb

[The Lone Harper]

Old MK comb

[The Lone Harper]

Sandalwood comb

[Ed McCullough]

I do not have a vise or a drill press.
I use E6000 glue for many things. If the outside surface of an insert is intentionally scratched by a file or sandpaper, E6000 glue might hold on to it well enough.

[Ed McCullough]

Gnarly,
Do you want to organize a group purchase?

Has anybody considered US suppliers? I think the name people refer to often is McMaster-Carr.

[Age]

Gnarly,
Do you want to organize a group purchase?

Has anybody considered US suppliers? I think the name people refer to often is McMaster-Carr.

Yep, Them's the guys. I've never ordered from them, but my late brother Jim had an account with them, so I just had him include stuff in his orders a couple times.

[Gnarly He Man]

Gnarly,
Do you want to organize a group purchase?

Has anybody considered US suppliers? I think the name people refer to often is McMaster-Carr.

I might--this issue is less important to me, let's see who else might be interested.

[smojoe]

Take an old boom box, tape player, radio that has the 2 shells held together with MACHINE screws. They will (generally) have brass threaded inserts cast into the stand offs. Pinch one side of the plastic (only go in 30%), plastic will split, and inserts can be retrieved.

smo-joe

[John Broecker]

Smojoe's wisdom is unsurpassed.

I always read every word he writes
for SlideMeister.

Best Regards, Stay Healthy

JB

[Ed McCullough]

Joe's idea is that we should take an insert out of something that we already have and are willing to take apart. That is a good starting point, but I don't have any boomboxes lying around.

[Age]

Goto church rummage sales on "bag day."  That's where I get EVERYTHING. All you can stuff into a shopping bag for three bucks (price just went up a buck) Whatever doesn't work or fit, either toss it out or donate it back. . Best deals in town!!