This has been one of the things I’ve been nervous about. From the beginning, I planned to make a tool that would crimp one edge at a time, involving an arbor press and a top part and a bottom part.
Until I saw my mate Bill Crossland’s crimp tool that consisted of a hex-shaped, heavy steel plate with a hex-shaped hole in, and a bottom part it could be screwed onto. A thin, hex-shaped plate, slightly smaller, would give “the raise”. Into a big vice, and squeeze the sides, one by one.
That set me off to do almost the same, only without the vice - screws instead:
![IMG_1826](files/img_1826.jpg)
Top and bottom are 10 mm steel, laser cut by the fine company that did my reed frames. The smaller, thin plate in the middle, is 1 mm stainless steel. After using it once (vertically in a vice), I realized that it would be easier to mount it directly on the table:
![IMG_1829](files/img_1829.jpg)
Setting up
The roughly cut end (0.7 mm German silver) has four guide holes, placed where there will be “air” in the fretwork. On top of it is screwed a 5 mm steel plate - this will hold the end flat, ensuring that there will be no “raising” close to the crimp. I don’t know if that really is a risk, I just want to be sure to prevent it.
![IMG_1827](files/img_1827.jpg)
Drops of oil in the corners and on the edges and then tighten, tighten, tighten...
![IMG_1828](files/img_1828.jpg)
Woohooo! I’ve been waiting years for this!
Next: cutting the fretwork. Should be fun...
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