SuperBee
4966 posts
Sep 15, 2017
3:07 PM
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I use a file as my main tuning tool.
The one Richard sleigh recommended works well.
Swiss pattern, grade 0, 3-square although flat is fine.
I have an F Dick flat file I reserve for steel reeds. Slightly coarser than my grade 0. Maybe it's a 2. A bit too bitey for brass but useable, I just prefer the finer one and like to keep my fine tools for brass and a separate kit for steel.
Tom reckons all the cool kids are using a rotary tool these days.
Go back about 4 pages and there's a recent thread on the topic
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dchurch
148 posts
Sep 15, 2017
8:55 PM
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I have used files for tuning in the past. Sometimes I still use a small exact-o knife to scratch off a fraction of brass the way the pros apparently did it.
I play some special tunings that require a lot of tweaks. I perfer using a pencil type battery powered rotary tool.
It's a light duty tool but it's up to the task of tuning brass, bronze, or steel reeds and it is we'll worth the $14 bucks:
General Tools Precision Engraver
Product #: 699381
General Tool #: 505
One of the reasons I like the rotary is It makes it easy to remove material just from the center of the reed tip (or heal). I like to avoid the edges.
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It's about time I got around to this.
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SuperBee
4967 posts
Sep 15, 2017
9:00 PM
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George has deleted the OP. My reply looks kinda dumb sitting up there like some kind of announcement but I guess it isn't the first time I've looked ?? silly so I'll wear it
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Thievin' Heathen
930 posts
Sep 15, 2017
10:43 PM
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I quit using my engraver pen. On a magnified level, it was taking chunks out of the brass. I now have a little abrasive wand (McMaster Carr) that I use to etch the surface and then polish it out with a hard cotton Q-tip (Hobby Lobby) chucked into a $10 rotary tool (Harbor Frt.). Red polishing compound. What I like, it's very consistent. I can usually get within ~5 cents on the first sand & buff. And, the end result is a polished reed.
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groyster1
3016 posts
Sep 16, 2017
7:24 AM
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@superbee.....thanks for catching my little errors.....missed earlier post with same ?
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SuperBee
4970 posts
Sep 16, 2017
7:29 AM
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i dunno about catching little errors man, i just was surprised to open the theead to read Dave's post and seeing mine sitting up like some goose saying 'i use a file'
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groyster1
3017 posts
Sep 16, 2017
8:15 AM
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no sweat.....its all small stuff.....most of my harp work is done by skilled people.....and there are many on this awesome forum
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florida-trader
1195 posts
Sep 16, 2017
9:26 AM
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SuperBee – if the “Tom” you are referring to in your post is me, then let me state for the record:
A) I’m not sure if I qualify as a “cool kid”
B) I can only speak for myself. I use a manicurist's rotary tool with a foot control switch and polyurethane polishing pins. I turned Greg Jones onto the tool. He turned m onto the pins so I know for certain he uses the same combination I do. I turned Richard Sleigh on to this setup and I know he has invested in the equipment but I can’t state for certain whether he uses it at all, occasionally or extensively.
C) I do know that some of the coolest of the cool kids are adamantly opposed to rotary tools so it would be inaccurate to suggest that rotary tools are the default choice for those of us who engage in building harps for others.
D) There are lots of different routes to arrive at the same destination. Want to have an interesting conversation? Ask everybody what they use as an embossing tool. You’ll get all kinds of answers.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
Last Edited by florida-trader on Sep 16, 2017 9:28 AM
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SuperBee
4971 posts
Sep 16, 2017
2:19 PM
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Yes, just a flippant reference to your 'times are changing' line in earlier post, earlier thread.
1847 wrote something to me once about thinking of the forum as a backyard gathering and that image has stayed with me; sometimes I think it's ok to say slightly provocative/inaccurate things in the spirit of stirring your mates up a bit. Some of us have been around this forum quite a long time, but I apologise if I assume too much familiarity. I'm sure you can easily get a rise out of me
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MP
3470 posts
Sep 16, 2017
6:28 PM
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There is a veritable plethora of tools one can use for tuning. I use a variety. Files are great for removing a lot of brass quickly. I have two types of engravers- One : General Tools pencil engraver w/ bit #505 is mentioned above by dcchurch. It's a bit big for the blow reed slots so I ground down the bit so it doesn't walk. My fav is a hard wired Dave Payne creation. Sanding wands are nice for clean, even surfaces. I have an original Sleigh Draw Scraper but oddly enough prefer the small Lee Oskar chisel unless I don't want tuning marks to show. A tool for scratching, such as a pointed X-Acto knife is great for fine tuning but I prefer a touch of a rotary tool now-a-days. There are these manicure thingys that are of different grit and can be cut to use like wands.
I believe one BIG rule of thumb is to support the reed so it doesn't move. Especially if tuning at the fixed end of the reed to lower pitch. It is very easy to raise the gap near the rivet/weld/screw etc.
OK, That's my two cents. I'm sure I left out a method or two but I'd say files and engravers tend to work best in my experience. More often than not I'll use an engraver but if a friend wants a maj7th tuning then files are the way to go.
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