Slidemeister (Chromatic & related only - no Diatonic discussion) > Maintenance & Repair 101

What glue is right for a Hohner clear plastic comb?

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Ed McCullough:
I bought a 16 holder from eBay. There are a couple cracks at one end of the comb, fortunately cracks are not in the chambers. I am not an expert on plastics.
What is the exact type of clear plastic that Hohner uses?
What are the types and brands of glue that I should use?

Age:
Back in the day, it was acetone or nothin, but I don't think acetone that does too well with acrylics. :-\ My guess is that you can't go wrong with epoxy. The only downside is that the smell hangs around and the "fix" (although very good) tends to be less than aesthetically pleasing.  ::)

Years ago, I bought a Bends 16 with a broken/cracked comb and I fixed it (and it worked well) but I forgot what I used. :P

John Broecker:
HOHNER CLEAR PLASTIC COMBS

Hohner's clear plastic combs are generally:

1. acrylic plastic; or
 
2. plexiglass plastic (?); or

3. a 3rd name that I've forgotten at this time.

ADDED 4-17-24:
A.J.: Yes, Lexan is the 3rd name for acrylic,
I believe.

In the Hohner catalogs, the acrylic combs are
listed as plastic; acrylic; or plexiglass.

I'm not a chemist or plastics expert, but it's
an opinion that all 3 names above are
interchangeable for the same material.

ADDED, 4-17-24:
In the 1960s, I had a drum set with acrylic
shells (cylinders).

The acrylic shells looked great, but they
couldn't hold the high tension of the metal
casings that held the tension screws in place,
and the shells cracked around the tension
casings. I sold the drums.

I have replaced storm door window glass with
acrylic plastic panes. They were used on storm
windows where winds blew the doors open.

The doors slammed against the house, cracking
the glass windows on the doors. Acrylic windows
are excellent for storm doors, but acrylic scratches
easily.

I also use acrylic sheets for outdoor music playing.
Windy weather can blow sheet music every which
way, but an acrylic sheet over the music will prevent
sheet music loss.

SlideMeister harmonica repair technicians Mike Easton,
George Miklas and Gary ("Gnarly") Lehman might have
a more correct answer. They might tell us that the 3
types are chemically the same formula, or not the
same formula.

WHAT GLUE IS BEST FOR CLEAR PLASTIC?

I've never tried to glue repair my acrylic comb
on my Hohner #7584 Super 64-X. It's an original
64-X, introduced circa 1990, mine is not of that year.

My Super 64-X has never cracked, never needed
repairs, and still sounds great. I don't know what
glue is best for repairing acrylic/plexiglass combs.

JB WELD "Plastic Weld" is a brand sold in hardware
stores in the USA. It's worked well on ABS plastic
harp combs, PVC and CPVC plastic plumbing pipes,
and "rigid and semi-flexible plastic".

We'll wait for the SlideMeister professional harp
repair technicians for their answers.

Best Regards, Stay Healthy

JB

Age:
3. a 3rd name that I've forgotten at this time.

LEXAN?

Gnarly He Man:
Sorry, no help here.
I just replaced a fractured comb on a 280, glue would not have worked.

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