[David Barnert]

JimLucas, on Sep 11 2004, 12:17 PM, said:

David Barnert, on Sep 11 2004, 11:39 AM, said:

Two things I have learned about taking concertinas through security checkpoints from reading concertina.net and rec.music.makers.squeezebox over the years which make good stories even if they might be exaggerated are:

"Over the years"? Must be pretty recent, as I've never heard of them, and I've certainly never had any trouble. The "worst" I've experienced is being asked to actually play my concertina.

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1) If they ask you what it is, call it an accordion or a squeezebox, but don't call it a concertina. The word "concertina" is on the list of banned items (it can mean "concertina wire," or coiled barbed wire, a weapon) and it will be confiscated.

I always call mine "concertina". If they don't seem to know what that is, I explain, "like a small accordion" (or "som en lille harmonika", or "как маленкая гармонь", or whatever ). Nobody's ever even hinted at confiscation. And nobody's ever suggested that there's a list of forbidden names for things, for which I'm glad. If there's anything I find scarier than the prospect of my concertina being confiscated, it's somebody entrusted with security being so unaware of what they're looking for that they'd confuse a concertina with concertina wire... or a bomb, or anything else.

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2) Do not place a concertina on the x-ray scanner on its side (so that the x-rays pass through the instrument from end to end). The resulting image, with its radially oriented levers and circumferentially arranged pads make it look like a known bomb construction and it will be confiscated.

Again, not only have I never heard of such a thing, but I find it highly unlikely that there is any sort of bomb which would resemble the concertina under an x-ray, no matter the orientation. From an engineering standpoint, it doesn't make sense. The worst reaction I've gotten is puzzlement; the best are the exclamations as to the beauty of the pattern.

I cannot find the "concertina wire" source. I suspect it was in the old
concertina.net forums, which do not seem to be accessible to the c.net
search engine. The x-ray scanner story came from the Morris Dance Discussion List in January 2004:

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At Boston one night, I put the concertina case through the x-ray.  The
operator made a signal and I was surrounded by armed guards.  They made me
take the instrument out and play it - at gunpoint!

A quick burst of Yankee Doodle Dandy, and everyone relaxed, smiles all
around.

I asked them why they were so worried - the operator said that it looked
like a nuclear implosion device on the x-ray.

Since then I always place concertinas on the belt so they stand upright, so
the guards don't get alarmed about the radiating pattern of reeds and levers.

(Edited for typos)

This post has been edited by David Barnert: 12 September 2004 - 08:46 AM

[JimLucas]

David Barnert, on Sep 12 2004, 03:45 PM, said:

The x-ray scanner story came from the Morris Dance Discussion List in January 2004:

Quote

At Boston one night, I put the concertina case through the x-ray.  The operator made a signal and I was surrounded by armed guards.  They made me take the instrument out and play it - at gunpoint!

A quick burst of Yankee Doodle Dandy, and everyone relaxed, smiles all around.

I asked them why they were so worried - the operator said that it looked like a nuclear implosion device on the x-ray.

Since then I always place concertinas on the belt so they stand upright, so the guards don't get alarmed about the radiating pattern of reeds and levers.

Ugh. I wonder what they're working from... some vague written description?
For a nuclear device to implode properly, the pieces have to fit together precisely to form a complete shell. Concertina reeds aren't shaped right, and there are too many of them to be practical.

It's comforting (where's that sarcastic "smiley" when I need it?) to know that these guys don't really have a clue what they're looking for.

[Tina]

My first post - hi there all ya squeezing people - merry meet and blessed be !

Each time i entered the USA i was asked to open my weird beauty case but never in an unfriendly manner (much unlike the immigration officers), and each time i saw a big smile lighting up their faces. One older guy said he always had wanted to see such a thing and hold it. I did't ask him if he wanted to play though.

The sight of a concertina so often makes people smile even if sometimes i'm not sure if this is out of pity (i'm an anglo) or jealousy ... talking about carrying contrabass cases.

So you backfired with a radiating Yankee Doodle Dandy.

[Stephen Chambers]

I have often had hassles taking concertinas through airport security, and long ago learnt that it is better to "always place concertinas on the belt so they stand upright, so the guards don't get alarmed about the radiating pattern of reeds and levers", though I have never yet found myself surrounded by armed guards for not doing so. However, unfortunately the staff manning these x-ray machines cannot be relied on to leave bags as they are put on the belt, and sometimes turn them the wrong way regardless.

I have now found that the best expedient is to warn them what is in the bag (something like "The strange looking object is a concertina, a squeezebox.") before they look at it on the screen and panic, they then tend to smile, in recognition, when they see the image come up and there is no problem.

[JimLucas]

Stephen Chambers, on Sep 12 2004, 08:48 PM, said:

...unfortunately the staff manning these x-ray machines cannot be relied on to leave bags as they are put on the belt, and sometimes turn them the wrong way regardless.

I'm trying to remember where it was that they had a machine that showed views from more than one direction at a time.

Some security personnel are undoubtedly more experienced than others. I doubt that any of their training goes beyond a few things to look for. I rather doubt that they're also taught to discriminate between the real thing and other items that might superficially seem simlar. And I've certainly observed some of them with absolutely no regard for security per se, but only for following *rules*. Like confiscating from a pocket sewing kit a pair of scissors with blades barely ½" (1.25 cm) long, but ignoring the woman's fingernails, which were not only longer, but probably sharper.

But I've told the story here before about leaving England some years back, where the woman at the machine exclaimed, "What the hell is that?" And the guard at the next gate (the machines were right at the gates then/there), some meters away, glanced over his shoulder at her screen and said nonchalantly, "Oh, that's a concertina."

[kiminca]

Ahh Airport security. I had my morris bells along side a friends accordian, throw in a calculator and an alarm clock, you should have seen their faces. Yes my friend was made to play in front a the security team, while I was trying to explain the bells. I also had to preform calculations to show that the calculator wasn't the trigger.

[Chris Timson]

Stephen Chambers, on Sep 12 2004, 01:48 PM, said:

I have now found that the best expedient is to warn them what is in the bag (something like "The strange looking object is a concertina, a squeezebox.") before they look at it on the screen and panic, they then tend to smile, in recognition, when they see the image come up and there is no problem.

That's the policy I have adopted, and it works well.

Incidentally, the only airport I've been through where they're totally blasé about concertinas is Newcastle, I can guess why.

Chris

[Mark Stayton]

When I went through security on my way to Noel Hill school, I had a concertina and a set of Northumbrian smallpipes with me. The concertina went through with no problem, but they wanted to open the bagpipe case. The screener told me that it was the shadowy outline of the bellows (all wood and leather, not a metal part to be found) that piqued their interest.

So it just goes to show that it's not always the metal bits they're looking for.

Cheers,
Mark

[JimLucas]

kiminca, on Sep 12 2004, 09:33 PM, said:

I also had to preform calculations to show that the calculator wasn't the trigger.

Considering what a "Personal Assistant" computer can do these days, I think a terrorist could not only pack a trigger into a working hand-held calculator, but even the software to design the bomb. But I guess we'd better not tell the security folks that, or they'll start making us disassemble even the reeds in our concertinas.

[JimLucas]

Mark Stayton, on Sep 12 2004, 11:10 PM, said:

The screener told me that it was the shadowy outline of the bellows (all wood and leather, not a metal part to be found) that piqued their interest. 
So it just goes to show that it's not always the metal bits they're looking for.

Certainly not. The explosives themselves aren't metal. Mostly, they're "plastic".
But I guess this is getting a bit "off topic". If you want to learn how to spot -- or to build -- a bomb, Google can probably help you to find some much better web sites than this one.

[Dave Weinstein]

If you have anything in your bag that may show up with an odd x-ray image, you should inform the screeners.

There was an incident in Oregon, last year, I think, when the scanner got a good look at an electronic practice chanter, nicely stowed in the PVC pipe that served it as a case...

[Peter Brook]

Slightly off topic but a related story. A lady at Concertinas at Witney last year said that on one trip through customs she had to open up her concertina, and swabs were taken from the inside to check for any residue of illegal drugs!

[fiddlersgreen]

I have had to play my tina after it was x-rayed in the wrong position and that was 15 years ago. It really looks scary when x-rayed from the ends, it was even scarier when I played it for security.

[John Wild]

JimLucas, on Sep 13 2004, 06:44 AM, said:

Considering what a "Personal Assistant" computer can do these days, I think a terrorist could not only pack a trigger into a working hand-held calculator, but even the software to design the bomb.

In the film 2010, the sequel to 2001 Space Odyssey, Dr.Floyd has a hand held device just like a calculator which is programmed to set off an explosive device to destroy HAL if he does not behave properly.

- john Wild

[sourdoh]

I just returned from a vacation with my concertina. Each stop at airport security I told the screener examining the x-raying screen "it's a concertina". Then had to explain a concertina is a musical instrument like a small accordian. Only had one screener open the case, and that's because they had never seen one before. The key phrase to avoid problems apparently was "musical instrument", since very few of them had ever heard of concertinas. I tried to do my part to improve their knowledge by practicing within range while I waited for my flights. Got quite a few smiles and one nice comment.

-Keith

[JimLucas]

Just for the fun of it , I'm putting a link here in this thread, leading to this other thread, which has a link leading back to this thread.

[Robert Booth]

Dave Weinstein, on Sep 13 2004, 06:37 AM, said:

If you have anything in your bag that may show up with an odd x-ray image, you should inform the screeners.

There was an incident in Oregon, last year, I think, when the scanner got a good look at an electronic practice chanter, nicely stowed in the PVC pipe that served it as a case...

Yes, security in Portland has had many incidents in the last year that caused reactions from mild annoyance to rightous anger resulting in lawsuits. A chanter in a PVC tube nearly stopped all action until the reality of the situation became apparent.
Must be all those "radical " types there.
Rob

[Michael Reid]

Robert Booth, on Oct 27 2004, 04:36 PM, said:

Dave Weinstein, on Sep 13 2004, 06:37 AM, said:

If you have anything in your bag that may show up with an odd x-ray image, you should inform the screeners.

There was an incident in Oregon, last year, I think, when the scanner got a good look at an electronic practice chanter, nicely stowed in the PVC pipe that served it as a case...

Yes, security in Portland has had many incidents in the last year that caused reactions from mild annoyance to rightous anger resulting in lawsuits. A chanter in a PVC tube nearly stopped all action until the reality of the situation became apparent.
Must be all those "radical " types there.
Rob

Wrong Portland. The practice-chanter incident was at the Portland, Maine airport.