Hello all comb repair enthusiasts:  I have been reading about some
attempts to replace teeth in musical combs and the thought of using
glue.  I say go ahead and try it but then be prepare to do it all over
again properly.  You need good tight, solid metal-to-metal contact
between the new tooth and the comb base for it to transfer the resonant
sound.

Glue, to me, is a temporary fix; even hot hide glue crumbles after many
years of time, and I think that you are trying to do the replacement
only once.

Soft solder it with the "Tix", but then what everyone has forgotten to
mention is that after the job is done you need to _neutralize the acid_
from the soldering or you will find (like I have many times seen when
it's not done) all this wonderful rust that happens very rapidly.  Then
you will try the sand blasting to remove it and you have just detuned
the comb.

I took a junker comb and checked the tuning of many teeth, then sand
blasted it with finest glass beads, then rechecked it again and the
tuning was far off from what the initial setting was.

_Don't even think of gluing or sand blasting a tooth._  I have replaced
close to 500 teeth already, and one time replacing is enough unless you
need the practice.  You can neutralize the acid by placing the comb in
household ammonia for 20 minutes.

Ralph Schultz
Belle Plaine, MN