David Hornett

Sorry, Should read: I use the .020. The .0285 is just too tough. David

Try, Instrument Workshop 541 552 0989 Toll Free (US) 1 800 442 6036 shop77@fortepiano.com www.fortepiano.com Phos Bronze .0285 (item 1.0016307-28.5) Rhos Bronze .020 (item 1.0016307-25) I use the .025. The .0285 is just too tough. One spool has provided so far700 springs and I think I am about 2/3 of the way through. Took 5 days to arrive fro USA. David (PS they happily shipped to Australia)

Yes, with the reed in the shoe and the retaining strap screwed down, the strap is therefore also part of the slant and helps steady the shoe when filing. I use an 8 inch Nicholson fast second cut file, the same file I use to profile the reeds (before finishing them with a flat diamond pad). Try it, you will be surprised how quick and easy, and accurate it is. David

Hi Jake, I discovered the easiest way to taper the side of the shoes (reed holders) is to hold shoe in one hand, file in the other, place the shoe at approximate 7 degree and briskly rub against file: it is very quick if a new file is used.. If is also quick to undercut the shoe slot by using a small file and holding at about a 3-5 degree angle. I thought profiling would be the hardest thing when making reeds, but now I have drawn up a chart that tells me how thin the section just in from reed's root has to be for each note. I file the reed tongue at this point to this thickness on the jig I posted, and from this point stroke the length of the reed with a file until the desired note is reached. This too is fairly quick. (I start the profiling in a filing jig and complete in the tuning jig with the shoe held in little wooded shoe holders, this allows me to tune as I file. (As I have 11 different shoe sizes, in each shoe size one reed tongue will be nearly flat, another will have a slop toward the tip and another will have a thickened tip (3 notes from each shoe size), so 33 notes from 11 shoe sizes (as a rule of thumb), pretty well enough for a concertina range when not weighting the tongues.) BUT! the hardest thing is getting the reed's width so it fits into the shoe with no lumps and bumps along its side and ideally a 1.5 thou gap between reed and shoe, (This lack of care and accuracy was the major problem Chris drew my attention to, as well as some rather bad profiling, before I discovered the technique given above.) This takes the time. All up from go to completion I make 4 reeds, in their shoes and tuned to pitch in an hour on average. To get the width: (It is only after the width is right that the reed is screwed to the shoe and profiled in the jig as discussed above.) A, I use a desk top card cutter (1930's) with HSS blades. 4 rare earth magnets (2 for the steel plate from which the reeds are to be cut, and two for the baulking bar that firms behind the plate holding the reed steel sheet in place. The tempered steel sheet is pushed against the blade, the blade then lifted, a alloy spacer 4-5 thou. wider than the reed to be cut is inserted behind the sheet, pushing the steel forward under the blade to 5 though wider than the desired reed width, and then 'chop'. A very quick process to make dozens of strips. Up to 80 thou. is cut with ease. B, A strip is selected and placed in a grove cut in a solid brass block to the thickness of the strip. The strip is then filed to the width of the gap in the reed shoe, a diamond abrading block is being used to finish the job as it approximates the reed shoe width: this is time consuming and takes trial and error fitting until the tongue just drops through the reed shoe slot. ( after this reeds are profiled) Fitting the reed shoes to the reed board is done by routing the slots using the jig that is depicted on photo bucket with the concertina. Each shoe is individually fitted and it takes about 2 hours to rout out all 64 shoe beds; then another two hours to rout out the air slots. (A 7 degree tapered dremel mini router bit had to be ground down on a grinding wheel until it was small enough to fit into the smallest reed shoe bedding slot.) Hope this helps. David

Oh, As for the wooden buttons, lighter than metal, feel warm under the fingers and don't clack. And buloke is hard: from Wiki: Allocasuarina luehmannii is known as having the hardest wood in the world, with a Janka Hardness of 5060 lbf David

How many, well you got me counting, about 10 complete builds, (and possibly equal number of almost complete rebuilds, i.e. repairing dead instruments from the net): 4 x 38 metal buttons (2 x C/G, and 2 xG/D) = 7 fold kangaroo skin, blackwood ends, (own handmade reeds.) 1 x 20 bone button A/E 7 fold kangaroo skin and blackwood (Jones brass reeds converted to metal) 1 x 20 button C/G 7 fold kangaroo skin mahogany ends (1880s Crabb reeds: sounds just like a Jeffries, possibly better) 1 x 32 wooden buttons (casuarina 'Buloke') C/G 7 fold kangaroo skin, sassafras ends (own handmade reeds) 1 x 32 wooden buttons (casuarina 'Buloke') C/G 7 fold snake skin, blackwood ends (own handmade reeds) 1 x 32 cheese wood buttons C/G 7 fold kangaroo skin, banksia ends (own handmade reeds) 1 x 32 button G/D 7 fold snake skin, banksia ends (own handmade reeds) A few different materials have been tried for action boards, the best combination being King Billy pine with aHuon pine plate for the pegs. This gives an interesting rounded sound to the timbre. The hardest thing is making satisfactory reeds. I made the first 4 metal ended instruments, and was rather proud of my reeds -- and then met Chris Ghent who very kindly pointed out my many failings, (it was a shame I had not met him before I got it into my mind to make reeds! Oh well, I learnt a lot stuffing up.) The 6 instruments since that meeting are vast improvements on the original four. Anyway, most of these instruments are now gracing my bookcase awaiting sassafras cases, (when I get sick of making reeds) from whence they are to be distributed as presents. The non Tassie Tiger instruments, those from other liveries which have been repaired, will eventually be sold, but at the moment they make good reference instruments for my own productions. There's been a lot of fun making these instruments, but the end game is to be a full sized 'B' griff accordion using slip in concertina reeds (hundreds of 'em) -- will keep me going for years, should I ever get started: but I'ii have to cheat just a little and scavenge a Hohner 120 button Stradella bass, my enthusiasm does not stretch as far as making one of them. David

Hi, I hope this link works. Below are, I hope, the links to photobucket where the latest D/G 32 button Tassie Tiger is imaged. Snake skin bellows, casurania buttons and banksia ends. My son thinks all it needs is gold highlights (and possibly a pentatonic scale) and it will corner the Chinese (read Chinese dragon) market. All the best david http://s1104.photobucket.com/user/DavidHornett/media/IMG_2129_zpsxev3adjw.jpg.html?sort=2&o=19 http://s1104.photobucket.com/user/DavidHornett/media/IMG_2130_zpsqhuwcuwp.jpg.html?sort=2&o=20 http://s1104.photobucket.com/user/DavidHornett/media/IMG_2131_zpsmqktputo.jpg.html?sort=2&o=21 http://s1104.photobucket.com/user/DavidHornett/media/IMG_2128_zpswjgevckp.jpg.html?sort=2&o=18

Looks very effective Alex. You're certainly keener than I, who made do with scavenged concertina bellows mounted under a old university examination desk. You may over time develop your reed fittings to fit harmonica and accordion -- remember accordions have a plate containing two reeds and so it is handy to judge their tuning blow and draw without unwaxing and removing them unless absolutely essential, and harmonicas have one long reed plate. Great job David

I have had success with wearing a rigid broad brimmed felt hat, it seems to reflect rebound from above, a roof, and catch the sound of the instrument, like cupping a hand over one's ear to hear better. I am deaf in one ear and this does make a difference for me. David

Thank you Pete. The reason for my interest is that here in Tasmania we have a 1830 manuscript written by Mundy which has just been discovered, the tunes we believe are all his, quadrille, polkas and so on. Leadley is of the same era, so here is wondering?? All the best David PS, I have printed off the PDF for volume 4.

Pete, Would you have any idea where I could purchase the full collection, all four volumes, or get electronic copies. The text seems to be out of print. All the best David Hornett

You could put a lot of energy, time and, if not doing it yourself, money into it and still play the Sutler, or the revamped Crabb, unless it is in a different key. The reeds on those old Crabs are something special, (I think Jefferies discovered that) and in a wooden body, very special. Regarding pivot posts, my 1880's something Crabb has riveted post anyway, metal buttons will add to the weight and, as you say will need new face plates, 'cause they are smaller -- and the bellows possibly will need some loving, or replacing too? All you will have left really is the reeds and reed plate and frames, and as Chris has pointed out, speed is most likely related to the reeds anyway, so I suggest leave it and love it as something which is not a Suttner, or let someone else do the loving for you. David.

The images for the latest Tassie Tiger are below, also with the image of the snakesking bellows I promised to post some time back and forgot to. The orange tiger is roo skin, casuarina buttons, sassafrass ends, celery top pine frames, king billy pine action board with huon pine action pad (where the titanium pivots fit in)1.2kg exactly. The orange skin was a problem as the rabbit skin glue left dark lines where the skin is skived, but the overall effect is nice. So now each of the kids has a concertina, all I need to do is inspire them to play Have a great day David

Ah, thank you. David

I use accordion valves, leather with plastic backs, without pins right across the instrument. They seem to do a lovely job, providing the plastic does not get caught up on the leather chamber seal and produce its very own tremolo. David

Does anyone know how I can contact Mark Lloyd. He is rebuilding his page and the email number given on his temporary page bounces back. (Mark does a lovely job embossing a Jeffries pattern on hand straps.) David Hornett

Bill, Join a brass band. I suspect it once held pride of place in such a setting. David Hornett

Jay-Jay, I have an absolutely brand new (Feb this year) G/D metal ended 38 button Suttner I waited 4 years for. It has never been played other than to take out of the box and test for 5 minutes. (I got so exasperated waiting I made my own, as you can see on this site.) It is a superb instrument. If it is of interest you can have it at cost plus 10% (Australian Goods and Services Tax is 10%, but it saves waiting 4 years). David Hornett

Hi, I have an absolutely unused, brand new (as in Feb this year) G/D 38 button, Jeffries tuned, metal ended Suttner. I had to wait 4 years for it, after two years of waiting I decided to make my own concertina (I have samples of the end result on Concertina Net under David Hornett which is my name). Is a G/D of any value to you? It is a superb instrument, and I don't say so lightly. I am willing to sell it at cost price plus 10% (save waiting 4 years). I will donate 2% to Concertina net All the very best David Hornett

Careful, it will go to my head, david

I adjust as they start to lift. David

Hi, I have found the quickest way to measure spring pressure is to place the action board, or the entire concertina, on a set of kitchen scales (preferably electronic), zero the scales, press a button and that is the button's pressure. I try to adjust mine to 70 grams, but i am not too pernickety as i cannot tell the difference of 20 grams when playing. Below 70 grams and mine start to leak on compression. David

I didn't get a chance, there comes a point when mere survival demands one throws all courage to the winds and beats a hasty retreat.

Hi, If you are wondering, you may remember some time ago I asked about the suitability of snake skin for bellows, well I have made a set for my latest 32 button effort, shall post a photo in photobucket shortly... A few observations: Bellows look great in black with purple snake skin papers, and black snake skin leathers, and the glue, because the skins are keratin, really sticks both on the outer skin (scales) and on the undercast, I found the rabbit skin glue and Fiebings held more tightly than on the kangaroo skin I have been using. BUT: 1, It is almost impossible to skive to a feather edge as the leather pulls away from the scales, 2, The scales mean the skin when bent over the bellows arches is not as supple, so no matter how much compression one puts on the bellows to get them to hold their shape (and I use a large book binding press) there is always some spring, they simply won't lay flat but bounce open by about 5/8 of an inch over a seven fold bellows: most annoying. 3, Takes 3 skins of Handrick's Sea Snake for one 7 fold bellows, well two and a half really, but what does one do with half a snake? Shall post a photo as soon as I get the instrument tuned and back together again. PS: Just a warning, The Post Mistress has been delivering the little packets the Thais send the skins in, so last Thursday I trotted down and showed her the results of my efforts, a very, very, very bad idea, I am hopeful she just might allow me back in the shop tomorrow to collect my mail, if I smile nicely, but I am not counting on it. David

I took pity on an old c/g two row brass reeded Jones last year. All I had was the action board and reed pans with reeds, 6 were bent /broken -- I suspect it had passed its latter life in a kid's possession. I rebuilt the instrument and replaced the brass reed tongues with steel, the resultant instrument is a very nice sounding D/A, certainly well worth the effort if one wants a challenge of making reed tongues. With steel reeds the pitch is uniformly one note higher for the same profile (NOTE: the instrument was originally in A453 tuning, now in A442 ). I just wish it was a three row. David