Upgrading a Hohner Marine Band to Blue Moon Corian Comb
Hi Kinya
Sorry I'm bugging you again.
I play mainly Deluxe/Crossovers, but I'm after building a Marine Band with a Blue Moon Corian Comb so I can leave it in my car for any playing in the car - whilst not driving of course ;-) I'm hoping that a Corian comb will be a bit more stable for the humidity/temp changes that will happen in the car and possibly not be good on a wood comb.
My first thought was the issue of replacing the cover plate nails with screws, so I managed to find some for the Deluxe/Crossover on the Hohner C-Shop site.
I'm not sure how to go about fastening the reed plate down to the Corian comb?
As I Play Deluxe/Crossovers or Steve Westin customised Harmonicas in the past, I am unsure if the Reed Plates on the Classic Marine Band are actually screwed down at all?
If this is the case can you advise me on:-
1, How to go about drilling tapping the reed plates to accept the reed plate screws?
2, what size of nut/Screw combination would be best for this?
3, where can I get such a fixing?
Many Thanks :-))
Richard
Cheers Kinya :-)
Thanks for that!
I had a look through old posts and came up with the following old post :-
So I'll get the fixings and tools sorted and have a go
I'll let you know how I get on.
Ta
Richard
Hello Audrey,Fun project. Here is your shopping list from www.micromark.com
* 0-80 x 3/8' brass bolts #70189 round head, or #70191 for hex head (strictly a matter of taste)
* 0-80 nuts if you choose not to tap threads into the bottom draw reed plate, and the four 0-80 nuts you will need to secure the cover plates
* 1/16" drill bit (most hardware stores will have this) is used to enlarge the top blow plate nail holes and comb holes (including the cover plate holes that will use the same nail holes)
* 0-80NF x #55 Tap Drill (#14145TD) is used to prepare the bottom draw reed plate nail holes for tapping threads
* 0-80NF Tap (#14145T) is used to cut threads into the bottom draw plate nail holes. This will set up your harmonica so that you do not to require those little pesky little 0-80 nuts
* Tap wrenches to hold the TAP bit: #83146 (best) because of its versatility of being used as a miniature drill press, #15126 (good) or #20130 (least expensive)
* If you do not have a drill press to hold your drill bits, the #82110 Deluxe Pin Vise is very handy
Harp Tech Studies "Marine Band 101A" will demonstrate in great detail the entire process. In the mean time, have some fun. Let us know how it goes!~Kinya
Hi Kinya
I'm pestering again :-/
So I have my Blue Moon Corian combs ordered and I've ordered a pozidrive of the correct size (with help from your earlier post) and have done a bit of fine filing to a flat blade screwdriver so it fits the Deluxe Cover Plate Screws.
....So just whilst I wait for all the bits and pieces to turn up, I'm wondering if you can help me with the rear cover plate folding that you do.
I read somewhere that you'd said you roll the back of the cover plate over a round rod to help stop crushing. I'm just wondering if you can give us a quick run down of hoe you do this?
Do you tape up the covers with Painters masking tape first?
Do you fold over the cover so that the rod stays in the fold or slide it out to create a tube?
Cheers again ;-)
Ta
Richard
Hi Richard,
Hmm ... photos will be best here. Stay tuned!
Your Harpsmith, Kinya
Cool!
Pics/video would be very much appreciated.
Thanks
Hi Richard. No worries, that is what we're here for.
Q1: How to go about drilling tapping the reed plates to accept the reed plate screws?
A1: All new Hohner Crossovers and Marine Band Deluxe are already drilled and threaded--YEAH! Most custom comb manufactures will predrill their combs. If not, no worries--typical multipurpose drill bits will easily cut through Corian (my favorite comb material)
Q2: What size of nut/Screw combination would be best for this?
A2: Most of the HarpTechs I know use standard 2-72 nuts/bolts. I have been sucessful using 0-80 through 2-56.
Your Harpsmith, Kinya