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Detailed Instructions For Building Bellows


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Hello everyone,

 

In the spirit of open communication, may I offer my method of bellows construction?

 

Take a look.....it took me years to develop it and several hours to photograph and narrate it.

 

http://hmi.homewood.net/bellows

 

 

I am interested in your comments, I may completely disregard them as the maniacal ramblings of a demented mind... but please don't let that stop you. I am interested.

 

 

All the best, I hope you enjoy the show.

 

Bob Tedrow

Edited by Bob Tedrow
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Well I found that fascinating Bob, and I've no plans to build anything yet, so thanks very much for taking the trouble to do it. I'm waiting for the next installment with keen interest!

 

I like your technique very much, especially the lack of jigs, which I'm sure will appeal to the hands-on types.

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Well I found that fascinating Bob, and I've no plans to build anything yet, so thanks very much for taking the trouble to do it. I'm waiting for the next installment with keen interest!

 

I like your technique very much, especially the lack of jigs, which I'm sure will appeal to the hands-on types.

 

 

Oh, there are jigs involved, you'll see.

 

Bob

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Bob,

 

I enjoyed your photo essay very much! One derives great aesthetic pleasure observing a work of art in progress. One of these days I may even try to build a set of bellows following your method.

 

I am tempted to place all the advise that you, Geoff Crabb, Frank Edgely, Henrik Muller, Wim Wakker et al. give ... on a CD (for my own consumption, edification and education). Perhaps we can publish a book entitled "Concertina Building for Dummies."

 

In any event, I realize that there is a great deal of commitment, sweat, tears, love and care that goes on in building concertinas.

 

Thanks Bob!

Edited by Ben Otto
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Cool.

 

I know I approached you on this subject in the past year about making bellows, where I think I miscommunicated what I was interested in, but this was it. I thank you now for putting this out. So this was the process you used in making the bellows on the concertina sitting on the bed right now. Somehow, i had this picture of a big piece of wood with six sides on the ends and several peaks and valleys in between that everything was attached to somehow, and then glued, but looking at the concertinas around the house, I guess that makes little sense. Thanks again.

 

Alan

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I am interested in your comments, I may completely disregard them as the maniacal ramblings of a demented mind... but please don't let that stop you. I am interested.

 

All the best, I hope you enjoy the show.

 

Bob Tedrow

 

Bob,

 

Thank you, I never cease to be amazed at the generosity of people like yourself who take time and trouble to share hard won knowledge and skill.

 

I've thought about making bellows, but not yet started, you photo essay has already solved several of the problems I was thinking over.

 

I have one minor suggestion, on my screen (not particularly small) I have to scroll side to side to see all of the images. Perhaps if the images were in one column and the text (where required) was in a second narrower column the sideways scrolling could be avoided.

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In the spirit of open communication, may I offer my method of bellows construction?
Very interesting - thanks for the effort to share that. Very nice work! I guess I shouldn't be surprised at how many ways there are to do something. I've seen Marcus make bellows which is a very different process from the way we do - and yours is yet another.

 

A couple of suggestions: Have you considered getting a bindery guillotine? They have all sorts of stops and automatic clamps allowing glass-smooth cutting through more than an inch of card or paper. Very fast and great for repeat work. The other is that cotton bias tape is readily available from sewing supply places (all sorts of colors!).

 

-- Rich --

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Allright!

 

I believe the American term is "cool" or even "awesome", but that hardly does it justice...there is certainly more than one way to skin a cat!

"Innovation" is the word that comes to mind.

With your kind permission, I'll pull all the photos from your site and run them as a long, linear series with your comments added, for closer study.

 

Tools, tools - gimme tools, tools :D

 

/Henrik

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Allright!

 

I believe the American term is "cool" or even "awesome", but that hardly does it justice...there is certainly more than one way to skin a cat!

"Innovation" is the word that comes to mind.

With your kind permission, I'll pull all the photos from your site and run them as a long, linear series with your comments added, for closer study.

 

Tools, tools - gimme tools, tools :D

 

/Henrik

 

 

please do so Henrik, with my compliments.

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Allright!

 

I believe the American term is "cool" or even "awesome", but that hardly does it justice...there is certainly more than one way to skin a cat!

"Innovation" is the word that comes to mind.

 

Yes I quite agree. I'd go so far as to say that your bellows making skills are, technically speaking, both "sick" and "phat". I think even Wheatstone and Jeffries themselves would concur that Tedrow's bellows are "the shizzle fo' rizzle"...

 

Way to keep it real T-Row!

Edited by John Sylte
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Utterly fascinating, even more so considering Rich Morse's comment that both he and Marcus use entirely different methods to those used by Bob. The ingenuity of skilled craftsmen to solve manufacturing problems is a constant source of wonder. I can only echo Theo's sentiment regarding the generosity of the professionals (himself included) who contribute so much to this forum.

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Allright!

 

I believe the American term is "cool" or even "awesome", but that hardly does it justice...there is certainly more than one way to skin a cat!

"Innovation" is the word that comes to mind.

With your kind permission, I'll pull all the photos from your site and run them as a long, linear series with your comments added, for closer study.

 

Tools, tools - gimme tools, tools :D

 

/Henrik

 

 

If you can find them there are about 100 more images on my server that did not make the cut. They are at http://hmi.homewood.net/bellows but you will have to figure out how to get to them. Wish I could help.

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If you can find them there are about 100 more images on my server that did not make the cut. They are at http://hmi.homewood.net/bellows but you will have to figure out how to get to them. Wish I could help.

 

Like this?

 

http://hmi.homewood.net/bellows/IMG_6530.JPG

 

Slow and crude but effective way to search. just change the address to sequential numbers. This one is number _6530.

____

 

http://hmi.homewood.net/bellows/IMG_6615.JPG

This one is 6615. The numbers run from approximately 6505 to almost 6620, but that is just an estimated guess. Do you know the real beginning and end numbers of the files?

 

There might be an interest in a detail not shown on the webpage. Thanks Bob. Nice series.

 

Thanks

Leo

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If you can find them there are about 100 more images on my server that did not make the cut. They are at http://hmi.homewood.net/bellows but you will have to figure out how to get to them. Wish I could help.

 

Like this?

 

http://hmi.homewood.net/bellows/IMG_6530.JPG

 

o

 

 

Jeepers Leo, I wish you had summoned a more flattering picture of me.

 

Bob

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Jeepers Leo, I wish you had summoned a more flattering picture of me.

 

Bob

 

I assure you it was by pure chance looking for the range of numbers, and not intentional :lol:

 

warts and all, a lot of work, documenting the steps involved. a nice series.

 

Thanks ;)

Leo

Edited by Leo
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Allright!

 

I believe the American term is "cool" or even "awesome", but that hardly does it justice...there is certainly more than one way to skin a cat!

"Innovation" is the word that comes to mind.

With your kind permission, I'll pull all the photos from your site and run them as a long, linear series with your comments added, for closer study.

 

Tools, tools - gimme tools, tools :D

 

/Henrik

 

 

If you can find them there are about 100 more images on my server that did not make the cut. They are at http://hmi.homewood.net/bellows but you will have to figure out how to get to them. Wish I could help.

No problem - got them all now, 32+63, except one missing: IMG_6673.JPG, it goes with "Dye the valley black", the one before the decorative papers. I'll see what I can do with it all.

 

/Henrik

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