Re: [Harp-L] How to remove reed plate corrosion (update)

[Michelle LeFree <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Harvey Berman sez:

> I use Bar Keepers Friend, and a toothbrush.  I tried Jason's method, but I think the Bar Keepers > Friend works better and faster.  If also use it on the cover plates, which come out looking like > new.  I make it a point to wash the parts in soap of some kind afterwards, also using the > 
> toothbrush.  Also, if you are doing a bunch of them, you might want to wear some gloves, as it > 
> has some acid in it, and will make your hands sting a bit after a while...

Well, both Harvey and my off-list "little birdie" are spot-on regarding Barkeeper's Friend. I just used it on one of my old reedplates that had the worst corrosion of the bunch. As Harvey says, it came out looking new in a couple of minutes. I used the precautions that Jason cites in his video (brushing rapidly side-to-side, avoiding getting the toothbrush bristles getting caught in the reed slots). I did notice after getting both sides nice and shiny that the underside of the reeds still had some corrosion and gunk on them. So I carefully brushed them through the slots away from the rivets and toward the free end of the reeds and in moments, they were shiny as well.

> The purple Kaboom that I tried explicitly says not to use it on Brass.  I do not know why.

Neither do I. But since Jason uses it regularly, apparently without negative effects, I assume it's OK for cleaning harps. I would guess that Jason's cleaning regimen is just fine for harps that just need a good cleaning. But for corroded, super gunky reedplates, Barkeeper's Friend works great.

Thanks for the tip, little birdie and Harvey! And thanks to Harvey for the heads up regarding the acid in Barkeeper's Friend. I have a stack of reedplates to polish so I'll definitely use gloves.

I am now able to rebuild my old Marine Bands with corrosion-free reedplates. Ain't Harp-L great?

Michelle