CalaveraJoe

So I've made new gaskets for both ends and dealt with the air leaks from the end cap pins. It's much more responsive now. I've also replaced the hand straps with wider and thicker (and frankly, nicer) leather that I had handy. For now, I'm leaving the pads alone. I am wondering, however, if it might be worth making the air button hole bigger because it's pretty stinking loud at this point. It's only a little larger a hole than the other pads. If I did, how much bigger should I go? Thanks in advance.

Thanks Frank, They seem to work well enough. There's clearly air leakage, and I'm going down the list. I've found one /teeny/ pinhole on one outer corner of the bellows and there's a little tear on a flat edge. A quick and dirty mend with some tape shows there's quite a lot of leak still coming from elsewhere. There are six pins that hold the end pieces onto the bellows, and the pins go all the way through, so those and the new gasket are up next. They're just pins, too, Not screws or anything else that would be an airtight fit. I'm planning on making a little gasket cover for inside of the frame to seal up those holes. The pads are sort of a "Well, if nothing else plugs her up" solution. Surprisingly, the pads aren't glued directly to the arms. There's a little strip of leather that's glued to the back of the pad that's wedged into a slot on each of the arms. Pretty smart for potential repairs, actually. I may make a couple of super low profile replacement pads of my own to see how things work if the other leak fixes don't take care of things. If it ends up being the thing, I could probably gently coax (bend) the arms to accommodate the extra thickness.

Hello folks! New member, though I've been lurking for a while. I finally got my hands on a cheap concertina to start with (Renelli / Riccordi sold by Sears in the 1950s / 1960s) after deciding that hopping in with /something/ was better than not starting at all. It's in surprisingly good condition, too, and plays fairly well (for what it is). I've got the fuel line tubing replacement for under the buttons and it's made a big improvement in that department (man those buttons were wobbly and cockeyed). I am also looking to replace the screens, since they have a bunch of little holes and I'd like to keep as much out of the instrument as possible. That, too, is an easy fix. I have material an glue, I just haven't done it yet. What I'm interested in picking the brains of folks here for is what, if anything, should be done with the pads. They look almost like they are just straight cardboard (SUPER thin), but they seem to seal adequately. I'm going to make a new chamois gasket for both ends since the gasket that's there is not in superb shape. If I am understanding what I've read here correctly, the sealing surface of the pads should be a supple leather, the felt in the pads is there for give, not seal, correct? I realize that too much money / effort put into an inexpensive instrument like this can be overkill, but I like to tinker and may as well get this concertina playing as nicely as it is capable of to make sure I enjoy the instrument enough to save up for something nicer down the line. Plus, if I'm going to learn to tinker and repair a concertina, better on the cheap one than the expensive ones. Thanks in advance for replies and answers. -Joe