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My store is not taking any orders today due to health reasons which limit to my productivity.
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My custom harmonicas, combs and tools are made to order. If items are out of stock on my website, it's likely due to my workload is at the limit. Please see my dealers for all items I offer.
Maximum production times may be up to 16 business days for combs and tools. Current production time for custom harmonicas are shown on the top of the custom page.
Thanks for your support.
Andrew
I get asked about the blue engraver you see in my YouTube videos. I use it for tuning.
It's from a local store and they no longer sell that model. I bought a few of them when they were clearing them out. They seem to last forever.
From the product description:
Hold the engraver as a pen and apply a minimum amount of pressure. Do not apply excessive force when engraving, as a higher speed will result in better engraving. Free speed: 11,000 to 12,000 RPM.
Here is the new model:
The newer models come with a smaller tip. I like the bigger tip - it's gentler and I can get really close to the side of the reed and not have to worry I am going to cut through the reed. What I do looks a lot more like chamfering once I am done.
Here are the two types of tips you can easily find on Ebay:
With the big gentle tip, I feel I can take off a lot of brass or stainless steel without distorting the reed.
One thing about some engravers is that they can have a little or a lot of run-out.
What is run-out? It's an inaccuracy of rotating mechanical systems, specifically that the tool or shaft does not rotate exactly in line with the main axis.
A lot of run-out will make the tip wobbly and difficult to use. You will distort the reed using such an engraver.
Hold the tip up to the light and watch it spin. If it stays straight, you've got a good one.
If the tip wobbles, I suggest you find a better engraver. Many cheap engravers made in China can have a lot of run-out while some will have almost none. I bought five of them for $2 each and threw four away.
It took me a while to get used to files. Early on, I wrecked reeds, bent them out of shape and overshot the mark using files. A good quality file helps. I found it a lot easier to use the diamond-tip engraver. (Nowadays, I prefer using a Grobet file). I suppose there are many ways to get the job done!
Use any method that brings you success!