Take Care
Take care of your Instrument
Here I present some tips to increase the life of the harmonica. All musicians must know how to make small repairs in their instrument. Of course, a deeper and complex maintenance must be executed by professionals always qualified and of your confidence - the quality of the performance can start with the luthier. But I will try to show there are some easy ways to take care of the instrument. The harmonica has very precise dimensions. Any alteration suffered by the reed reflects directly in its sounding. So, you must take care when disassemble it, preventing brusque movements. Try to work under good light and make use of magnifying glasses, whenever necessary.
Cover plates:
When working with cover plates we must be careful not to knead them - unless this is your intention, in order to modify its sonorous characteristics (better leave it to a pro!). Remove the dirt that accumulates next to the screws and inside the layer. The cleanness can be done with metal polishers, since observed the abrasive characteristics of each product and its adequacy to the material of the harmonica. A very strong polisher can remove the color of the layer. Always remove possible residues of the product before playing, in order to prevent poisonings. Clean them with isopropyl alcohol. Wipe.
Combs:
There are combs of different materials as wood, plastic or aluminum. Plastic combs can be washed with water and soap, using a brush of soft bristles and removing all accumulated dirt. It is important to dry well. Aluminum combs must be clean with isopropyl alcohol and the accumulated dirt must be removed with some type of small spatula, as a toothpick, for example, that is soft enough not to cause scratches. The wooden combs must be dry cleaned, with a brush, and the dirt accumulated in the instrument will need to be scraped with a stiletto, for example. To prevent leakage between the comb and the plate of reeds, some musicians opt to a complementary sealing. For such, micropore tapes or even scholar glue are used. Ask the technician of your confidence and get informed. The results are very interesting.
