RE: [Harp-L] Cleaning diatonic reed plates



Over the years I've found that you don't have to do any dismantling of diatonic harps (thinking here only of unvalved ones) to keep them clean. I've read in many different places that you should never immerse harps in water but my view, in the light of experience, is that this is just poppycock. After every session I rinse all my 10-hole harps fore and aft in a stream of tepid water then give them a thorough shake-out and tapping. They then spend the night out of their cases on a tray in a warm room to dry out. I even do this with my MS wood-bodied harps and my Echo tremolos. I swear they all come up sounding nice and bright. If you don't believe me, just try it on one of those spare harps that lies around for months in your kitchen collecting dust and getting a quick blast every time you pass through. The difference can be amazing. I know that moisture is corrosive, but after a long night's use your harps are full of a moist mixture of all sorts that's much worse than the plain water resulting from your rinsing. And they'll be much more hygienic once washed, if you care about such things. The only time I'd bother to dismantle to clean is in the case of a second-hand harp, in which case I use a warm solution of denture cleaner, once I've scraped off all the visible crud. Give wood bodies a scrub with an old toothbrush and warm water but be quick about it. If you ever use a toothbrush on reeds, always brush in one direction only, from the rivet to the free end, never in the other direction. You WILL wreck reeds if you do!

Steve


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