Thanks folks.
"Do you really need to go down what can turn out to be a very deep and expensive rabbit hole?"
That's a funny question to ask on a model engineer's forum. The answer is, of course, yes, but it won't help me cut a square slot in the alloy, would it. You are right – way too much to learn for this particular task (although I've always wanted a milling machine).
I've come up with an acceptable process for sheet metal: cut strips with aviation snips, then define the base of the reed (the stepped bit where the rivet goes) with an eclipse nibbler tool. It cuts very well and almost without distortion, so only requires a light pass of a smooth file after it. Once the base is defined, the reed is cut roughly to width with sharp shears and then filed to size. I made half a dozen tongues this way without any problems.
"I think the OP is brave or misguided…"
No, just plain stupid
You are correct that in a factory setting, the reed is stamped. This is a controversial topic, as ideally, you want every reed to have its own size. Clicker stamping means that reeds are grouped into sizes to save money on dies, with same size serving up to half a dozen reeds. This reflects poorly on their acoustic properties, but factories don't care. E.g. I've got a Cagnoni a-mano (hand made) reeds in one of my boxes from 1980s, and they are still made from grouped blanks. This is supposed to be the creme de la creme of Italian reeds ffs!
The "real" hand made process, as employed by craftsmen in Neanderthal times is different. You size the slots. This doesn't have to have precise dimensions – at least not in model engineer's terms. The slots do need to have straight sides and the walls are angled slightly, so the "face" side slot is smaller than the other side. This stops the reed from clipping the frame as it passes. Interestingly, in a factory setting this is not done, the walls are stamped straight and the gap between the reed and the slot is increased. Another lazy, cost cutting measure.
The reed is then cut & filed to fit as well as possible in the slot – this is done by filing and this is where accuracy is required.
Then the reed is profiled & thicknessed, which is an art form the secrets of which are behind the seven seals and are passed from generation to generation of Italian and Russian reed makers… Of course, if you have a high quality hand-made reed block as an example, nobody's stopping you from copying it .
So far, I've had absolutely no problems copying half a dozen hand-made Cagnonis, which gives me hope that, as long as I can do the fitting and the riveting (I'm yet to try it when the right tools arrive), then the task can be done, and can be done better than a factory.
I play a CBA, and my biggest box has got 56 notes on the treble side and 52 in the (free) bass. 5 voices in trebles and 2 in the bass, two reeds per note, so there's 768 individual reeds in it.
Assuming I can, indeed, make an entire reed+plate combo, I'll be looking to downsize to only about 200 reeds, which should be very manageable. 4 reeds a week will only take me a year, and I'm in absolutely no rush, as this is just a fun wee project.