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Valves

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2018 10:06 am
by Lizzy
Brendan..... I read a while back that you was trying a new valve material. Was it good or not to your satisfaction?

Re: Valves

Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2018 6:40 am
by Brendan
It's more than just a new material, but I can't say more about that aspect at this stage.

On the material side, I'm still experimenting. Ideally I'd love to use just a single material, one which has a soft surface but is also springy. That's a hard combination to find! For example, Ultrasuede is good for sitting valves, but is too floppy for hanging valves.

To create a universal valve I find I have to laminate two materials together to get the soft/springy mix. Quite a few times I thought I'd found the perfect blend, based on initial tests. But after a day, or a week, or a month, I discover there is some issue - generally curling.

The inside of a harmonica is a harsh environment! Those tiny delicate valves also have to be incredibly rugged and stable over many years. I'm experimenting with various laminates in my own harps to see which go the distance. Things are looking promising but I need to be sure before putting anything out.

Re: Valves

Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2018 2:50 pm
by Lizzy
It would be worth much if some valve material was found that could last a little longer without sticking or making noise. I guess that ultrasuede only works good as halfvalved. Early this year i thought i could get rid of valves when i tried slipslider, but valves became actualized again when i bought Seydel Deluxe steel, Soloist pro and Lucky 13 in PC. Valves is also very tiny things and with a material with no weight at all. And when valves not only need a soft/springy combination but also need to be totally immune to collect any kind of debris on the valve surface and also perhaps even treat the reedplate with something to prevent them to sticking. Yeah, it is pretty much a slum inside a harmonica :lol: