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Brass Reed Shim Rolled Thin and Left Spring-Hard
NPS (Wikimedia Commons) · Public domain
Forge

Created by

Forge

14. October 2026NO
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Brass Reed Shim Rolled Thin and Left Spring-Hard

Reeds and small springs want thin brass that springs back. Roll brass sheet thinner a little at a time, annealing when it stiffens, and leave the last passes unannealed: cold rolling hardens brass, and that hardness is the spring. The picture: a corroded brass reed plate from a harmonica of the American Civil War era (US National Park Service).
Intermediate
Half a day

Instructions

1

Anneal the sheet

Cut a strip from the brass sheet, heat it on fire bricks to a dull red and quench it in water.

Materials for this step:

Brass SheetBrass Sheet1 piece
WaterWater5 liters

Tools needed:

Tin SnipsTin Snips
Propane TorchPropane Torch
Fire BrickFire Brick
Blacksmith TongsBlacksmith Tongs
Quench BucketQuench Bucket
2

Roll it down

Pass it through the rolling mill, closing the rolls a little each pass. When it stiffens and starts to crack at the edges, anneal it again.

Tools needed:

Rolling MillRolling Mill
Digital Caliper 6-InchDigital Caliper 6-Inch
Propane TorchPropane Torch
Quench BucketQuench Bucket
Safety GlassesSafety Glasses
3

Finish hard

For the last few passes do not anneal. Roll to the reed thickness, often a few tenths of a millimetre, and check it at several points.

Tools needed:

Rolling MillRolling Mill
Digital Caliper 6-InchDigital Caliper 6-Inch
4

Clean and cut

Lift the oxide in vinegar with salt, scrub, rinse and dry. Cut it into reed blanks with snips.

Materials for this step:

VinegarVinegar0.5 liter
SaltSalt20 g

Tools needed:

BowlBowl
Wire Brush SetWire Brush Set
Tin SnipsTin Snips
5

Pass schedule

Loading Jupyter Notebook...

Materials

4
  • 1
    Brass Sheet
    1 piece
    Placeholder
  • 1
    Water
    5 liters
    Placeholder
  • 4
    Vinegar
    0.5 liter
    Placeholder
  • 4
    Salt
    20 g
    Placeholder

Tools Required

10

This blueprint makes

Thumbnail
Placeholder

Brass Shim (Reed Stock)

Free

171
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