BeePee

My mistake on the video: I said 0.01mm was 100 microns when it is actually 10. I emboss over a backlit plate under a microscope. If a 0.01mm shim starts to jam but the reed still swings I know gaps are close. Thanks for the info. My friend Eddy Jay has made an acrylic pan for a concertina he's working on, still to be tested I think. There are similar arguments in the harmonica scene about comb materials: wood vs. metals vs. plastic... To me the airtight seal and reed/slot tolerances are the main things to get right, materials are secondary, but others are passionate about one or the other.

@ Alex: By 'high quality concertina reeds', I presume you mean the reed/shoe combination? I'm interested to know what is considered to be high quality in terms of reed/slot tolerances in concertinas. Harmonica customisers would aim for 5 to 10 microns at most after embossing (0.005 - 0.01mm). If concertina reeds have greater tolerances than that, then I think they would benefit from the nail polish as long as they are secured in a well. But from what you say,that security is not a given - because the pan is wood and warps slightly according to moisture in the air, I presume. Does anyone make pans of stable non-absorbent materials, such as plastics? @Wolf: A good reversible tuning solution for free reeds is Blue Tack (the stuff you use to stick pictures on the wall). I've been using it since the 1980s for harmonica reeds. Once on the reed it will stay there for years, but can be lifted off instantly. I use it to get various tunings out of one harmonica. Once you have the right amount for, say, a semitone lowering, you can take the piece of Blue Tack and put it back on the reed repeatedly to get accurate pitch alteration depending on which note you want that reed to play. Just keep it handy by the base of the reed ready to re-stick.

Hello Brothers and Sisters of the Free Reed... Here's a nifty new process I'm applying to my harmonica reeds. It's easy, quick, and effective at reducing air loss at the reed base and improving response. I've tried it on a couple of accordion reed blocks and it works, so should do the same on concertina reeds. It's nondestructive and reversible, so why not some if you more techie types give it a try and see what you think? I'm interested to hear! https://youtu.be/eQP6tZRXbTU Brendan Power

Actually there is a very high-end 4 octave chromatic harmonica made with steel reeds already, Franz Chmel's very impressive NC-64: http://www.chmel.at/nc64/specification.html http://www.chmel.at/nc64/test-report.html I haven't tried one, but his reports on the reed life are incredible, Machining the reeds longitudinally (along their length) is key, and something that virtually no other free reed manufacturer has done AFAIK.

BTW I know the Accordina well. When I worked for Suzuki Musical Instrument Co, they asked me to buy one on their behalf for evaluation, and I took it apart to see how it ticked. They have a very sweet tone

Yes Geoff, that's been the received wisdom for ever: you can't use spring steel reeds in harmonicas because they'll rust. But I don't believe it would be a serious concern if you let the harmonica fully dry after playing, before putting in a case or box. I guess the manufacturers can't take the chance, because a lot of players would not take the right care of steel-reeded harmonicas and the reeds would rust, and then they'd get complaints. There is one harmonica brand with stainless steel reeds: Seydel, made in Klingenthal, former East Germany. They get their reeds and reedplates made by accordion reed makers Harmonikas of Louny, just across the border in the Czech Republic. You can see the Seydel reedplates on their website here: http://www.harmonikas.cz/en/other-production/job-order-pressing#obsah Condensation can and does cause rust in concertinas and other bellows-blown boxes, so it's not a specifically harmonica issue. The reed makers put on a light anti-rust coating on the reeds. With some basic care I believe steel reeds will not give any more trouble in harmonicas than they do in squeezeboxes. But I'll have to see how that works out in practice, as I'm only just starting this project.

Hi All, I'm a harmonica hacker and player, interested in all things free-reed. This is an old thread, but I'd like to reactivate it to ask a couple of questions. I'm wanting to make harmonicas using accordion reeds, and need to buy them in specific pitches as single reed plates. It seems Harmonikas Louny are an excellent option, and so are Cagnini reeds from CGM Musical. A couple of other options I'd like your opinions on: 1. Has anyone here bought Hohner accordion reeds from their online shop?: http://www.hohner-cshop.de/en/Accordion/Parts-Accordion/Reed-Plates/ Lots of pitch and length options there, acceptable prices and I imagine the delivery is pretty swift. Hohner harmonicas are great, but what about their accordion reeds? Any comments? 2. I've made a couple of test harmonicas with reeds taken from an inexpensive Chinese-made Scarlatti 30 button concertina that I bought from Pip Ives for parts. The reeds are no doubt not up to Italian/Czech quality, but still seem pretty good. I'd love to know if it's possible to buy Chinese accordion reeds directly from the Chinese makers in single sets. Anyone know if that's possible? If you know of any other sources of single reed plates that one can buy and receive quickly (aside from dismantling old squeezeboxes, which is a good option too, though a bit of a waste of the other bits), let me know. Cheers, Brendan Power