The Five Cent Tuner™ is used to make small changes in pitch to reeds on the blow plate without needing to take the reed plates off the comb. Use it to touch up the tuning of reeds that are only slightly out of tune (by about five cents or less) without messing up the reed shape or gap.
You do not have to take apart a harmonica to make tuning adjustments. You do not need to cut out the sprues (plastic supports in between the tines on certain plastic combs such as the Hohner Special 20) to use this tool.
This tool is not needed for tuning the draw reeds since they are easily accessible.
To sharpen the pitch of a blow reed by a few cents, use the long thin end to support the reed while you file off small amounts of brass from the reed’s tip.
This tool is thin and springy so that you can avoid bending the reed out of shape as you tune it.
To lower the pitch of a blow reed by a few cents, use the large end to scrape brass from the underside of the reed on the rivet end.
Hold the tool at an angle and scrape towards you. When you find the correct angle, you will feel the tool scrape and you will see very thin shards of brass being peeled off. Practice on the edges of scrap reed plates to get a feel for the correct angle.
Do not use this end on stainless steel reeds. Use a file instead.
---
