The attached pictures are of reeds taken from George A. Prince (Buffalo, NY) melodeons (reed organs) manufactured in 1846 and 1860.
The first picture shows what I believe to be the shape of the basic brass strip from which the 1846 reeds were milled (here bent into an Z-shape as part of the case hardware). Why the pointed cut? was that required by the available machinery?
These next three pictures show the tops and undersides of 1846 reeds.
The next picture shows reeds from an 1860 instrument. Later reeds from this company are simply cut off square. The reeds are chamfered on both sides. Some, as in these examples, were punched through at one end to provide a handle for pulling them out.
All the reeds show a wavy milling surface on both the chamfers on the sides and on the margins of the undersides, which I believe was produced by an incremental feed. Is that so?
I also think the undersides were milled in at least two passes, since the ends of the pass are asymmetrical.
I am intrigued by the idea that this company seemed to be using the same machinery to mill reeds in 1846 as in 1860 (and I have examples of the reeds from the same company in 1864 which show the same features). Other companies operating around and after the Civil War show much smoother machining, even when chamfering the sides. The picture below shows Mason & Hamlin reeds (Boston) from the 1880s with smoothly chamfered sides.
Any light you could shed on the machining processes necessary for producing these reeds would be greatly appreciated! I am interested in both the machining process, and in pictures of the likely machinery used—very little machinery from this industry has survived. I would be happy to correspond with any subset of the membership with interest and expertise in these historical questions.
I am having trouble attaching the pictures (I'm 19th century, too). Help, please?
Allen C. Myers
The first picture shows what I believe to be the shape of the basic brass strip from which the 1846 reeds were milled (here bent into an Z-shape as part of the case hardware). Why the pointed cut? was that required by the available machinery?
These next three pictures show the tops and undersides of 1846 reeds.
The next picture shows reeds from an 1860 instrument. Later reeds from this company are simply cut off square. The reeds are chamfered on both sides. Some, as in these examples, were punched through at one end to provide a handle for pulling them out.
All the reeds show a wavy milling surface on both the chamfers on the sides and on the margins of the undersides, which I believe was produced by an incremental feed. Is that so?
I also think the undersides were milled in at least two passes, since the ends of the pass are asymmetrical.
I am intrigued by the idea that this company seemed to be using the same machinery to mill reeds in 1846 as in 1860 (and I have examples of the reeds from the same company in 1864 which show the same features). Other companies operating around and after the Civil War show much smoother machining, even when chamfering the sides. The picture below shows Mason & Hamlin reeds (Boston) from the 1880s with smoothly chamfered sides.
Any light you could shed on the machining processes necessary for producing these reeds would be greatly appreciated! I am interested in both the machining process, and in pictures of the likely machinery used—very little machinery from this industry has survived. I would be happy to correspond with any subset of the membership with interest and expertise in these historical questions.
I am having trouble attaching the pictures (I'm 19th century, too). Help, please?
Allen C. Myers