The following is by "Magic" Dave Therault, used by permission.  Thanks Dave!

"The best Marine Bands I've ever played. Ever."

 

Here's how.

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The process is to use beeswax to seal the wood comb and to replace reed plate nails with screws and nuts. This very inexpensive and easy procedure renders an instrument that plays like butter, is completely leak-free, has a comb which will not swell and shrink, but which feels like a natural pear wood comb, has ideal compression, even response, surprising timbrel accessibility, while still retaining, and even enhancing the idiosyncratic Marine Band performance feel and sound.

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The waxed comb has a soft feel, similar to a wet wood comb. It almost feels absorbent, although it is completely waterproof. I believe that this mouth feel, is due to the combination of the softness of the wax, and the fact that the wax has a tendency to allow the saliva to surface evenly, for a very low- friction experience. The waxed combs can be played
immediately, unlike other sealing methods which require long cure times. If you mess up with the wax, you can just redip the comb and quickly fix the comb surface. The wax is non-toxic. You have a harp that can be conveniently dissasembled. If the wax deteriorates with age, it can be retreated with little effort.

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I have built four of the these harps in different keys and I find them truer to the Marine Band feel than any harp I have played that is tweaked using other methods. Three of them are the best harps I've ever had. The fourth was an old bad harp to begin with.

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Cost? Negligable. Time? It takes me one hour and 15 minutes per harp.

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Disclaimer: While I am very excited by the results, and especially by the ease and simplicity of attaining them, your mileage my vary.  It is entirely possible to ruin a harp by accident. If you don't like the result, I might suggest trying again, but please don't blame me. OTOH, if you like what you get, send me half your money and your first born child. Either way, please let me know what you think.

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For best results use a new harp. Although you may wish to practice this on an old beater first.

I've described in detail all that I have done. In this way, even those who have never worked on an MB can enjoy this enhancement. Others may find some of this a bit tedious, or may wish to vary the procedure.

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Tools and Materials:

 

• 1 lb beeswax

• 1 small saucepan

• utility razor

• pen knife

• 080 X 3/8" or 7/16" screws, with nuts

• sandpaper (grades 320, 400, 600)

• true flat sanding table (inexpensive suggestion: 1 square foot polished marble tile)

• small screw drivers (and/or nut drivers)

• feeler guage

• round toothpicks

• popsicle stick or nail file

• electric drill or dremel tool

• 1/16' drill bit

• small fine file

• needle nose pliers

• punch

• 4-5 inch long rigid bar, true flat

• clean, soft, lint-free cloth (I use my shirt ...clean enough)

• 1 Marine Band

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Procedure:

1. Remove covers, and remove the two forward nails in each cover. Replace covers.

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2. Drill through the empty nail holes and completely through the harp.

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3. Remove covers and remove the remaining nails. Replace covers and fasten with screws
and nuts in the two drilled out holes. [A note on screws: Screws of a wider diameter than
080 are often used to fasten cover plates, for example in the Special 20. I find 080 to be
sufficient for fastening the plates and the covers. The length of 3/8" is ideal for fastening the
plates alone. Sometimes I am able to also use 3/8" for fastening the covers over the plates,
too. But 3/8" is sometimes too short for the covers and thread won't bite, in which case I go
to a 7/16" length. I try the 3/8" because the 7/16" shaft sticks out a bit past the nut.]

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4. Drill through the two remaining empty nail holes.

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5. Remove covers.

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6. Place a fresh piece of 320 grit sandpaper on the sanding table. Sand the front of the
harp, taking material off the front edge of the reed plates, being careful to apply even
pressure, and checking frequently for signs that the front edge of the comb has begun to
contact the sanding surface, and beginning to remove the finish fron the comb. Always be
careful when in any way apply force against the delicate partitions of the comb to avoid
breaking. (Broken partitions can be reattached with epoxy to give a very strong joint.)
VERY IMPORTANT: Carefully watch not to remove too much brass from the front edge of
the plates, compromising the channel that receives the cover.

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7. Gently sand, in a fashion to create a bevel and soften the now very sharp edge on each
plate. Very little sanding removes a lot material very quickly at this step, so be very vigilant.

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8. Place harp with draw reeds down on a surface which can be drilled into.

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9. Drill a hole through the harp at a point between the second and third reeds at a point
measuring from the back of the plate that is even with the nail that is between the fifth and
sixth reeds.

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10. Remove nail between fifth and sixth reeds. The method I have used is to loosen the nail
by carefully sliding under the head with the utility razor blade. Force the blade to the shaft of
the nail. This lifts the head a bit, without levering (and risking breaking) the delicate blade.
Slide the pen knife blade under the head and lever it up a bit. It may lift up comletely and
easily. If not, once you have enough lifted, hinish the removal by pulling with needle nose
pliers.

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11. Drill out the empty nail hole between the fifth and sixth reeds.

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12. Fasten with a screw in the now empty hole. (This provides a little more integrity to the
placement of the plates while drilling. You may wish to skip this step.)

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13. Repeat steps 10 and 11 for the nail between the eighth and ninth reeds.

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14. Remove all remaining nails.

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15. Sand front edge of comb on 320 grit paper, in the same manner as in step
6, this time without the plates. The partitions are especially vulnerable to breaking at this
point. Another reason to sand lightly or moderately is to avoid putting deep sanding marks
on the wood. Watch to make sure that you are holding the comb at a perfect 90 degree
angle to the table. Apply even pressure along the whole length of the harp. Sand until
almost all traces of the factory finish are removed from the front edge, making sure that the
finish is coming off evenly, adjustly pressure to accomplish this. It is very important to be
careful in this regard and in the next sanding steps, to avoid changing the shape of the
comb or making uneven in any way. It is very easy to mess up in sanding. Flat surfaces,
continually fresh sandpaper, good support, and even pressure are critical.

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16. Using a popsicle stick or nail file for backing, use 600 grit paper to
"break" or round the front edges on the sides of the partitions. This gentle beveling or
rounding will make for more comfortable sliding, especially for the tongue. It is important to
use 600 grit paper to avoid making deep impressions in the wood, which the tongue will
find undesirable, and to avoid taking off too much material. Be sure to support the partitions
between thumb and forefinger while applying the side torque with the sandpaper. Don't
want to snap one off now.

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17. Lay the comb on its side on 320 paper. The comb is very flexible in this position and it
is very easy for the pressure applied by a finger to create a uneven removal of wood, which
will surely result in a bad comb/plate seal. Place a rigid flat bar on the top to avoid this and
ensure even pressure during sanding. You may wish to light rub some carbon paper on the
side of the comb, which will quickly reveal where all the high and low spots are on the
comb, sanding until all the carbon ink is removed. I have not used this method, instead
using the removal of the mill marks in the wood as my guage. Please note also, that
because the comb has more material in the solid area at the back and less in the area of
the partitions, and more material where the partitions are smaller, it will take some care to
keep the sanding even.

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18. Repeat step 17 on the other side of the comb.

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19. Repeat steps 17 and 18 using the 400 grit paper. Just a few strokes on fresh paper.

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20. Repeat step 15 (lightly sanding the front edge of the comb) with 400 paper. The goal in
this step is to gently remove any remnants of factory finish from the front edge, and any
marks from the 320 grit. As with any gradient sanding, the idea is to remove as LITTLE
wood as possible, just taking out the marks from the previous grit, as it woud be very easy
to create an unacceptable tolerance between the front edges of the comb and plates.

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21. Repeat step 20 with the 600 paper. Gentle, gentle.

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22. Repeat steps 17 and 18 (sanding the sides) with the 600 paper.

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23. Repeat step 20 with no paper, polishing the front edge of the comb on the smooth
marble (make sure the marble is clean so as to not mark the comb with soil). You should
notice the front edge taking on a bit of a shine. This step is to make the surface very
smooth, and crush the open wood cells, which would create and undesirable drag and
sensation on the tongue.

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24. Since, some material has been removed, however slight, from the the thickness of the
comb, now is a good time to do a test assembly of the harp. Assemble the harp with
screws and check that the plates are seating properly by looking through the chambers
toward a bright light. If you see light coming through between plate and comb, it likely
means that the rivets on the draw plate are hitting the comb. (You will usually find that the
draw plate is the problem.) If this is the case, using a punch, lightly tap down the semi-
circle-shaped areas that have been pressed in to accept the rivets from the draw plate on
the underside of the comb. This step is to deepen that receptical so the plate seats better. I
use the flat head punch from the Farrel Reed Knockout Kit. Be very careful, and go slow, as
it is easy to just chip this area right off the comb. That may not be a disaster, unless you
compromise the general integrity of the comb. It is also possible that the plates are not
seating if the comb is uneven from manufacture, or from improper sanding, or if you have
not removed all the excess wax. Another possibility is that the combs on used harps may
be warped from exposure to moisture during play.

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25. Disassemble the harp and clean comb of dust, using a cloth or air.

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26. Heat the beeswax on warm-to-low heat. I just put the block of wax into the pan, and use
it to stir the liquid wax as it is melting. I remove the block after I have about 3/8 to 1/2 inch of
wax melted. Do not overheat. Wax will darken a bit. Enjoy the honey-sweet smell!

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27. Firmly, push 3 toothpicks into holes you have drilled in the comb for the screws.

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28. Lower the comb by the toothpicks into the melted wax. Let the comb stay in the wax for
about 30-45 seconds, stirring the comb around in the wax, and not letting the comb lay
against the bottom of the pan, where contact with the burner could overheat the wood. It is
important to have the wax at temperature that is not so hot as to be damaging to the wood,
and not so low as to not provide for good absorption into the wood. This is something to
experiment with, and I suggest a very low stove temperature. CAUTION: Wax will burn the
skin even at these low temperatures.

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29. Lift the comb out of the wax and hold it in a position where the partitions are facing up,
letting the wax drip back into the pan as it dries. One or more of the toothpicks may have a
tendency to fall out, so you'll be glad you have used three.

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30. After the wood is cooled a bit and the wax is solid and yellow where it has accumulated,
repeat step 28. You may wish to dip it a third time. I have done so, and find that, air bubbles
which come out from the wood as the wax is penetrating, are, with a third dip, finally
minimized, likely signifying a maximum wax penetration.

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31. When wood is cooled again to the point that the larger accumulations of wax are yellow,
begin to remove the excess, using the feeler guage or some other dull edged metal strip, to
scrape the surfaces down flat and smooth. Do this step while the wax is still warm, and and
workable. It's very important to not leave any high or uneven areas of wax, being sure to
also remove wax from the sides of the partitions. Be meticulous here. You are preparing
the joint between plate and comb. If you have let the hot wax drip with the partitions facing
up, most of the excess wax will be at the bottom of the comb and on the top edge of the
partitions, making the removal fairly easy. I do not remove the wax from the top edge of the
partitions at this point. There shouldn't be any significant accumulations in the channels
between the partitions, so it shouldn't be necessary to go in there. Use a small tool to
remove any excess from the semi-circle-shaped areas that are milled to accept the rivets
from the draw plate on the underside of the comb.

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32. Check plates and use the file to remove any burrs created in drilling. You may wish to
clean up the plates and covers if you are working an old harp.

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33. Assemble the harp.

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34. Scrape the excess wax from the front edge of the comb, taking care not to allow it get in
the channels. I use my finger nail for this as I can tell just how much material I am removing
and how smooth the surface is becoming, and to avoid scratching the surface with a metal
tool.

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35. Gently but rapidly polish the front edge with the soft, lint-free cloth. The heat of light
friction softens the thin surface wax and smooths out any irregularities.

You may wish to roll in the back edge of the covers, a la Joe Filisko.

I've tested these harps by soaking them overnight in water and there is no change in the
comb.

Dave Therault