Re: Re: [Harp-L] Re: Embossing

["Blunt White" <playharp@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have recently used the tip of needle nose pliers. They are easy to grasp 
and the outside of the tip has a nice round shape and is very hard.  It also 
permits working each side independently of the other.  I smoothed the plier 
tip with crocus cloth.  I have also found that one or two light passes on 
the edge of the reed slot before starting with 320 on a sanding stick 
removes the burrs that often drag and catch during the embossing process.

Tim what size socket head do you use?

Blunt White
Banker by day, bluesman by night


> From: "Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re:  Re: [Harp-L] Re: Embossing
> Date: Mon, 31 Oct 2005 13:17:02 -0000
>
> Vern Smith wrote:
> > If I were to make an embossing tool, I would chuck a 6-inch length
> > of 1/4" diameter steel rod in my drill press. While it was
> > spinning, I would file the end into a hemispherical shape, then
> > polish it with 600-grit sandpaper and then crocus cloth.
>
> I personally prefer a cylindrical, rather than spheroid (or
> hemispherical) shape for embossing.  A cylinder, with a slightly
> smoothed edge, will allow the embossing to work closer to the tip of
> the slot.  Embossing with a sphere can only get so close to the tip
> before the ball starts to contact the tip of the slot.  I use a
> stainless steel socket.  Of course, a cylinder has to aligned
> properly with the slot.
>
> I also prefer something somewhat larger than 3x the slot width.  The
> socket I use is probably 10x the slot width.  I use fairly subtle
> embossing on the harps I customize, having found that extremely
> tight tolerances can result in an extremely bright and brassy tone.
>
> -tim
>
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