The design for a large-area doubly focusing neutron monochromator consists of a large number of small square copper single crystals mounted onto thin aluminium blades that both buckle and rotate independently. This avoids the need for large individual alignment mechanisms for each crystal that introduce unacceptably high levels of background. However, it does require that the crystals be oriented such that the diffracting crystallographic planes are parallel to the crystal face. Cold pressing broadens the natural narrow mosaic of the virgin crystal discs to increase the diffracted intensity. This introduces anisotropy into the crystal that determines its orientation in the ®nal monochromator. The alignment procedure used for each crystal before cutting out the square tile in the correct orientation is described. A few crystals are characterized in detail by neutron diffraction at various stages of the operation, revealing the variation in the mosaic width and the angular position of the reciprocal-lattice vector as a function of the azimuthal angle by rotating the crystal about the normal to its face. The twofold symmetry of the mosaic width of the pressed crystal is modulated by the 2% periodicity introduced by the precession of the reciprocallattice vector around the crystal face normal. Satisfactorily aligned crystals have a variation in the angular position for diffraction within the allowed tolerance.research papers 456 Mildner, Brand and Clem Cold pressing of copper single crystals