Reed Corrosion

[stormforce10]

I live and work on the coast, is there anything I can do to stop the reeds getting corroded, without effecting the tone.

 

Roger

[michael sam wild]

Are you in the path of Icelandic volcanic dust?

Seriosly though, Dan Worrall has shown the widespread popularity of the concertina at sea so you should be fine .

[Dana Johnson]

I live and work on the coast, is there anything I can do to stop the reeds getting corroded, without effecting the tone.

 

Roger

Quite a lot depends on your coastal weather. Most of California is pretty dry even along the coast while Maine especially in the eastern most part is pretty damp and has a lot of salt air blowing in off the ocean. I remember as a child many damp days and a lot of things getting rusty even in the sheds unless looked after. Humidity alone won't rust things, but if the concertina is cold and warm humid air comes in, it will condense on the reeds and even though it may only be slight, that can cause rust.

If the concertina always is at the same temperature as the surrounding air as perhaps on a boat, you still may not get rust. On the other hand I have seen a lot of very rusty reeds and corroded frames, and it had to have moisture from somewhere to cause it.

There are a number of spray on lubricants that leave a dry film when the vehicle that carries it evaporates. Some leave a dry waxy coating that doesn't attract dust. these are what I like to use. I spray some in a bottle cap or small container and dip a "Q tip" in and use that to swab a thin film onto the reeds. It is so thin and light that it has no perceptible effect on the reed's pitch but penetrates the scratches and such on the surface where rust starts and repels moisture thereafter. Don't use anything that leaves oil or grease behind. they should say something like "dry film" on the can.

You may never have a problem especially in our modern climate controlled houses, but if your concertina lives somewhere where it cools down and warms up on a daily or frequent basis, The reeds will always lag in the temperature change and be cold when warm wet air comes in. Eventually this can cause problems.

If you think you may be in a problem area, take an occasional look at the reeds to check on them. A little rust can be removed with an eraser( with the reed supported on the other side ) and the the reed coated as above, but if left to continue, the reed will weaken, eventually go out of tune ( rust is heavier than the original reed ) and can develop cracks. nipped in the bud, it shouldn't be a problem.

Dana

Dana

[stormforce10]

Thanks for the info, I live in the SW of the uk, when we get SW winds, it picks up the atlantic and drops it on where I live in Cornwall, so I think I should do something to protect the reeds.

 

Roger