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griffinga

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Posts posted by griffinga

    How Did They Make Metal End Pieces In 'the Day''?

    in Instrument Construction & Repair

    Posted

    I've been looking at photos (on the www) of the metal end covers on a variety of old (19th century) concerrtinas (mostly Jeffries, Shakespeare and Crabb). Granted, there aren't that many pics posted and many of the ones that are were taken at an angle so all the details are not visable. The variations in the designs - sometimes subtle and usually not - got me to wondering how these were made back in the day (say last 1/4 19th century). It would be a simple matter (today) to machine press and cut the most intricate design. But what about in 1875? Were the old metal end covers made by machine and the design then cut by hand into them? That would imply that various people were employed by the makers to cut, finish and polish these pieces (most of which are near works of art - in my humble opinion). If that were the case - it would not be surprising to find small differences in the designs (a few slips of the file and you have a slightly different design). Using Jeffries as an example - can someone tell me if the cut design on his earliest metal end covers is the same as the one on his later (say 1890) concertinas - or is that 1890 design the result of various iterations of a pattern over a period of years? Too many questions for one topic - please forgive. Can't seem to find much info on this. Thanks for humoring me.

     

    Crabb Label?

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    I recently acquired a metal-ended 30b anglo that is not marked (on the outside). Looks like 1875-1900 vintage - but it could be older (probably not newer) than that. It has fretwork much like older Jeffries - (no name plate) but is not stamped between the button rows. There are small differences in the fretwork when compared to my other 30b Jeffries. If this concertina was made by Crabb - will it be marked (stamped) inside, or was this not done on all concertinas built by Crabb?

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    C. Jeffries - Opinions

    in General Concertina Discussion

    Posted

    It all sounds like good advice to me and much appreciated. What's the old saying about fools rushing in? Plenty of time to think about this

    before making a commitment. I've worked with old instruments (other than concertinas) for a while and respect efforts to maintain their

    original structure and sound.

    Duet Button Geography

    in Instrument Construction & Repair

    Posted

    I'm wondering how one goes about identifying a duet concertina. Can it be done based on the

    layout of the buttons? I recently looked at a 34 button that had a row of 5 buttons in

    the upper row, and below two rows of 6 buttons on each row. The ownder identified it

    as an 'anglo', but he doesn't play - so coudn't swear to it.

    My Thumb Doesn't Bend Sideways

    in Ergonomics

    Posted

    First of all - I'm not an experienced player and have only held three concertinas in my life. That said - this question is about a late-model Wheatstone (1950s) - wooden ends (30b anglo). It makes a very smooth and pleasant sound and I enjoy playing it. However, the handle on the right side interferes with my ability to strike the air button. Rather than being a bit off to one side of the end of the handnrest, the air button is about 1/2inch inwards from the end of the handrest and relatively close to it. Makes it awkward when playing on the lowerst (G) row. Is this arrangement common on Wheatstones in general, only on later models, or maybe only on this particular model?

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