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

["Tim Moyer - Working Man's Harps" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The socket I use is a 7/16", 3/8" drive.  It is 19mm in diameter, and 
28mm long.  I try had to avoid doing the two sides independently, as 
that seems to cause mis-shaping of the reed slot, getting the two 
sides out of parallel, and out of parallel with the edges of the reed.

-tim

At 07:40 PM 11/3/2005, Blunt White wrote:
> 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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