Cleaning chromatics
Sun, 09/27/2026 - 05:09
I have a Hohner Super 64X that needs cleaning. The slide is sluggish and there are a number of wind savers that are sticking. Could I soak the parts in distilled water? (My tap water is very hard and I don't want it risk it leaving mineral deposits when it dries). I also have an ultrasonic cleaner. Would using the ultrasonic cleaner harm the harmonica or windsavers in any way?
You may have covered this in detail and I didn't find it, if so, just link me to that discussion.
Thank you.
Hi Joshua, I learned from Rick Epping that when he was at the Hohner USA service center, he and Cissy would routinely soak the chromatic harmonicas in the Ultrasonic tank for approximately 8 minutes.
Initially surprised to hear this, I asked if they were concerned with stripping off the windsavers. Rick explained there were the occassional loose windsavers that were ready to come off anyway, and they would simply glue a new windsaver in its place.
This gave me the confidence to try this on a few chromatic harmonicas that I had on the bench. The results were terrific. The 8 minute ultrasonic bath cleaned away the harmonicoccus residue from all the components. The instruments played like new.
GOING DEEPER
Your HARPSMITH, Kinya