Bellows cloth

[SteveS]

I'm in the process of restoring the harmonium I acquired recently - the bellows and air reservoir need to be sorted.

I therefore need to acquire bellows cloth - it's a rubberised heavy cloth - and is used in organs, mechanical organs and player-pianos.

 

Set me thinking: has anyone ever used, or thought of using, bellows cloth for concertina bellows?

Edited April 4, 2012 by SteveS

[malcolmbebb]

So how due you fix it - does it take glue (vulcanise?) or do you need to clamp it?

[SteveS]

So how due you fix it - does it take glue (vulcanise?) or do you need to clamp it?

It's fixed using hide glue, using a clamp until the glue is set hard.

Not sure if it takes other types of glue though.

Edited April 4, 2012 by SteveS

[JimLucas]

I'm in the process of restoring the harmonium I acquired recently - the bellows and air reservoir need to be sorted.

I therefore need to acquire bellows cloth - it's a rubberised heavy cloth - and is used in organs, mechanical organs and player-pianos.

 

Set me thinking: has anyone ever used, or thought of using, bellows cloth for concertina bellows?

I believe that in the organ the bellows material doesn't flex nearly as tightly, rapidly, or frequently as in a concertina bellows. I might expect (this is speculation, not research) that the "rubber" component would deteriorate much more quickly than leather under concertina-type flexing. Not sure how quickly or slowly it might deteriorate chemically, either, especially since I don't know what kind of "rubber" is used.

[Geoff Wooff]

I know of Rubberised cloth having been used for the Bag and Bellows of Uilleann Pipes, in fact it was quite a common practice, prior to the current revival, to use hospital grade Incontinence sheets. These never feel right to me.

 

For me it is the feel of a material that is important, in the correct amount of 'give' available. I think the Organ bellows cloth whilst being flexible it might be un-giving whereas it is usually possible to find a leather that has the right kind of qualities.

Compare two concertina bellows; one made of stretchy leather (soft and squidgy feel) and one made of stiff 'cardboard' like leather ( too hard and direct feeling), neither is right. A bellows has to have a small amount of squashy feel to it,as a slight shock absorber, perhaps less so for an Anglo where the player wants quick direction changes.

 

I have made Bags for the Pipes from synthetic rubber sheet but that was only in desperation, having not found the correct leather. Finding that 'right' leather is not easy... for me it has to be airtight,flexible and of the right thickness... to stiff (no good) , too floppy ( no good).. it has to 'feel' right.

 

I do not think the Organ Bellows cloth would feel right.

Edited April 5, 2012 by Geoff Wooff

[JimLucas]

For me it is the feel of a material that is important, in the correct amount of 'give' available.

And I understand that the amount of "give" for the best anglo bellows is not the same as for the best English bellows. I might assume that would be at least partly due to the differences in frequency and speed of bellows reversals in normal playing, but I would even wonder if the way one holds the instrument might also matter. I.e., what's the best bellows for a duet... similar to that for an anglo, or for an English, or somewhat different from either?

[Frank Edgley]

I'm in the process of restoring the harmonium I acquired recently - the bellows and air reservoir need to be sorted.

I therefore need to acquire bellows cloth - it's a rubberised heavy cloth - and is used in organs, mechanical organs and player-pianos.

 

Set me thinking: has anyone ever used, or thought of using, bellows cloth for concertina bellows?

Short answer.....No. It would not be good for that purpose.

[Adam-T]

if its anything like the cloth on the bellows in player pianos, it`d turn your concertina into a bullworker

[SteveS]

if its anything like the cloth on the bellows in player pianos, it`d turn your concertina into a bullworker

I believe it is used in player-pianos, but is available in different thicknesses.

A 'tina bullworker might not be such a bad idea - play tunes with a simultaneous work-out