[Harp-L] Bar Keeper's Friend, re:cleaning harps, removing corrosion, etc.

[joe....@comcast.net]

It looks like Bar Keeper's Friend comes in many packages/styles (powders and liquids):

http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/

Which one is good for cleaning harps? I'll guess it's one of the liquid ones, does it matter which one?

I see from their website it is available (USA) at Walmart and Target, does anyone know if they (or any other major retailer) has the "right" flavor?

--Joe
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[Joe Spiers]

I use the traditional powder in the gold can, never tried their other
products. Wet down the reedplate, sprinkle on liberally, brush away. I don't
do it that fast, its not necessary. Use a plain old-school toothbrush with
even-length bristles, not the fancy kind that like to snag reeds. Brush
end-to-end so that the bristles don't snag on the turnaround, and as
Michelle said it works well on the backside of the reeds (but be careful).
It will take rust off the rivets too. Rinse thoroughly with warm water (not
piping hot) as you finish brushing, to completely remove it from the slots
and around the reed base. This is the quickest and best way I've found to
deal with nasty old harps. I like to follow it up with a tiny bit of
toothpaste for a refreshing taste.
JS

[David Payne]

I used Bar Keeper's Friend on my 48 chord, which is about 60 years old, so it had built up some gunk.
Normally, when I clean a reedplate, I'll put it in a bowl with a Lime Away solution, but the 48 chord reedplate won't fit in a bowl, or a sink... the only option would have been to fill up the bathtub with Lime Away. So, I did basically the same thing Joe mentioned.

It did not give it that new shine like you get with CLR or Lime Away, but it got the green gunk out, in the end, it was stained, but very clean. That took approximately six hours to clean it, take all the windsavers off and reglue the windsavers back on and that was just one of the four reedplates, ;) On diatonics, it's a pretty quick process.
But it is a quicker method than the limeaway soak, and while limeaway gets it cleaner, a sometimes it leaves a red tint on the brass. Barkeeper just cleans it.

Dave
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www.elkriverharmonicas.com

[JohnnieHarp]

A couple of thoughts on routine cleaning of previously de-gunked and
cleaned reed plates.

To avoid catching bristles which seems to occur most from the
underside (if brushing side to side as Jason demonstrates). brush
along the length of the reed from rivet end to tip, then repeat. Going
from tip to rivet tends to trap bristles as does side to side, in my
experience.

On the reed side of the plate, again rivet to tip. Scrubbing from end
of plate to end of plate doesn't seem to trap bristles BUT just like
scrubbing back and forth can cut grooves in teeth at the gumline,
abrasion may also occur over time with reeds. Not so much grooves but
thinning the reed in the rivet area thereby changing pitch. Apparently
plastic/nylon can wear metal over time. Something to do with the
molecular bonding and molecular positioning in each material. Also,
with a tightly gapped harp, there may be a risk of moving the reeds
off center.

One should be careful when using toothpaste as these usually contain
some abrasives that can hasten the process of metal abrasion. Not sure
about the tooth gels. Bottom line, do what you have to do, but no
more. Be gentle.

For cleaning maintained reed plates, I find that liquid hand soap and
careful brushing works fine. I do agree with Jason, that cleaning does
improve performance even if things look pretty clean to begin with.
Could just be perceptual however, before a lot of gunk accumulates, a
little gunk does. So there may be a real basis for this.