arkwright

If you were to plot log of frequency of pitch (notes) vs. time you would get something that looks like the position of notes on a musical staff, except for sharps and flats. That's why you have the visual similarity.

(deleted unnecessary comment)

Six-pack holder works well, has room for padding and extra compartment on top for tools etc.

Thanks for all comments. As suggested by Ken_Coles and Alex West, I went to a locksmith in my area (Oakland CA). He had a rack of hundreds of skeleton key blanks. One came close to matching, except that the "tooth" was taller and longer than needed, even too tall to enter the keyhole. He ground the tooth down match the existing key, more or less, and the end result is that both keys work in both locks. They are not exact matches, but these are not precision locks. For reference, the final dimensions of the tooth are 0.121" wide (along the axis of the key) and 0.167" high. This is slightly different from the original, because the stem diameters are different, and as Tradewinds Ted said, exact match is not necessary -- the thousandths digit is not significant. The blank he used was Taylor #663. He didn't saw cuts into the tooth; as expected, they are not needed.

Right, if you carry it by the handle (which has torn off in almost all the cases I have seen) it won't stay closed unless it is locked. I have seen a basket of old keys in an antique shop in a town where I will be visiting soon, one of which may fit, or come close enough that I could rework it. Thanks for the lead to horologists!

Thanks, if I can't find a key that fits I'll try that.

I have two cases, the common wooden hexagonal cases used by Crabb about 1910. The same key will lock them both, but I only have one; looking for another. I would describe it as a tube with one tooth; the stem is about 19 mm long, and in the tooth there are two small cuts. I don't know whether those cuts are necessary for the key to work. There is a pin in the middle of the keyhole, and the stem is a tube so it can be inserted around the pin. Are replacement keys available anywhere? Does anyone have a spare? Has anyone tried to reproduce a key by 3-D printing? Thanks for any help!

Thank you both!

I wonder if any recordings exist of Hussey playing the zither banjo after they were back in England. Or recordings of (zither) banjoist playing pieces that he might have played?

This is a photograph of a cell at Alcatraz, so it's possible...

You have also played Harmonica in the past , and you play guitar. On the anglo concertina you should be able to play melodies by ear, and the I , IV, and V chords are not hard to find. If you don't want to be limited to the keys of C and G, gi fior a 30 button. The advantage of the Hayden is that the fingering follows a regular pattern, while on the anglo the system is in a sense arbitrary and irregular. But I would try the anglo first.

Here's another one.

Do you have any music arranged for concertina quartet? It might be possible to round up four people on the internet using some software (which I've heard exists) that allows you to play without a delay in the sound (more information needed).

Nowadays we order so much stuff on line that we always have lots of bubblewrap and styrofoam arriving almost daily. Accumulate a bunch of that. Then use bubble wrap to fill the space between the concertina and the inside of the case. This is so the concertina won't bounce around inside the case. Then get a corrugated cardboard box slightly larger than the case, and stuff styrofoam or bubble wrap to fill the space between the case and the inside of the box. Then get another slightly larger corrugated cardboard box and repeat. Use duct tape as described by others. I think how you pack it is more important than who ships it . I have shipped safely using United Parcel Service in the United States, it was about $42. I would also trust the USPS. Get a tracking number.

Have you ever played the harmonica? The 20 button anglo is like two harmonicas, pitched in C and G. Then in the 30 button box, the "farthest from your body" row (or top row) is the sharps and flats (black keys) and some white keys in the other direction.