[Harp-L] New Reed Rivet Tool

[Richard Sleigh <rrsleigh@xxxxxxxxx>]

New Reed Tool for removing rivets and flattening rivet holes.


I am now offering a reed tool based on the Farrell and Romel reed tools. I
believe there is a need for this tool and heres why:


I bought a Farrell reed tool back in the 80s, and two or three more since
then. It's always been the gold standard for reed work, and nobody has come
close to the combination of mass and control this tool gives you. (Till now
IMHO) The combination of the guided punches plus the weighted cast iron
base makes removing reeds and flattening rivet holes in reed plates and
rivet pads a pleasure.


Remove the felt on the base of the Farrell tool so you can glue it on an
anvil ( an idea that Rick Epping turned me on to) and you become Master of
your own reed replacement universe, with a tool that is the equivalent of a
Sherman tank going into a knife fight.


When you use an anvil that is hard steel and weighs a lot, every little
hammer strike goes right into what you are working on cause the anvil IS
NOT GOING TO BUDGE.


You can use a two ounce hammer and every little strike is focused on the
metal of the reed or reed plate with surgical precision. No bouncing. You
don't have to overcome the elasticity of plastic, wood, or other materials
 by smacking the punch harder with your hammer.


Bill Romel (RIP) made a reed tool that used elements of the Farrell Tool
with a two sided design that had a flat punch on one side and a tapered
reed removal punch on the other side. It is a brilliant design, but it
lacks the mass of the Farrell tool.


So i kept coming back to some variation of the Farrell Reed Tool as the
ultimate solution for reed replacement.


I've been looking for a way to create a reed tool that uses the best
elements of the Farrell tool and the Romel tool. The biggest hurdle was
finding a machine shop that speaks the same form of English that I do. That
and having a design that is well enough thought out that I don't have to go
broke making expensive prototypes as part of the learning curve.


My breakthrough with machine shops has been Tom Halchak at Blue Moon
Harmonicas. He has been translating my drawings and ideas to a connections
he has at a high tech machine shops that make harmonica combs for him.
These places are doing work with tolerances that are insane, stuff for the
space program, etc.


I put up a video on the reed tool that shows me using it to remove and
install a reed. Plus a way to pre-order the tool at a discount, an offer
that I am doing till Wednesday of next week.


This video should give you a really good idea if this thing is for you You
can find the video here:


http://hotrodharmonicas.com


I just forwarded this video  to a friend who has been working on harps for
a while now and he got back to me and said he thought it was a master class
in replacing a reed with a rivet and that he learned a lot from watching
it. So even if you already have a Farrell Tool, you might find it
interesting...


Richard Sleigh

http://hotrodharmonicas.com

http://www.rsleigh.com