In the beginning, reeds were made from brass. It was the Germans who first come up with "blue steel" reeds. They perfected a method of heat tempering thin steel so that it would be suitable for reeds. The term refers to the blue color of the steel, after it has been tempered with heat. The most common misconception, is the color is a die. It is actually caused from the very controlled heat and cooling. The "blue" is ground away when shaping the reed tung, leaving only the square portion where the rivet is, blue. I've not heard of reed plates made of steel.

Interestingly enough, the reed plates were made not entirely from zinc but a combination of zinc and lead. I always joke with a friend of mine about how much the old Sterlings, Monarchs, Globes, and Eagle Brands are hazardous to our health just because of the stuff they probably used to make and paint them.

John

John D- are you serious? Lead?? Well crap, I spent a lot of time cleaning my 1924 Hohner reeds the other day (with the finest steel wool). A bit unnerving