Tiposx

If you can't get hold of used buttons then replacements can me made using a simple design. I have made them in one piece from T6 aluminium alloy. When polished they look pretty similar to the nickel capped originals, viewed from the outside. They can also be made from solud nickel silver, but this is quite a bit heavier than the original of course.

I probably over- complicated the description a little. Wood with a reasonably fine grain would be fine. An easier way to drill concentric holes would be to drill the major diameter first with a brad point bit to the correct depth. Then follow through with a twist bit. It doesn't take long to make. The main advantages of making such a jig are consistency and speed.

I use a jig, making the beads in batches. Drill the minor diameter all the way through a delrin plate. Then flip it and drill the major diameter part way, and slightly less depth than the thickness of the leather. Punch out the beads and pop them into the holes in the jig. Cover them with masking tape to prevent spinning. Flip the plate over onto a waste piece of wood and drill the minor diameter right through the bead. It doesn't take very long to do.

https://www.concertina-restoration.co.uk/ Nice bloke and based in Norwich.

The weight saving would be significant.

They make the standard size look like baritones. I would love one of the 5” Tiger, alas only in my dreams. Any chance of a sound file or video please?

My Duckling is very good. I didn't take very long to bush the buttons - the end frames are made from wood. I also made a set of conventional 7-fold bellows for mine.

Looks like the rivet may have loosened its grip and is allowing the lever arm to wave around. That might just be the camera angle though. The pad has shifted out of it’s position. it should be easy enough to tilt and ease it back into place, I would try to gently twist it back by manipulating the black leather piece that connects the pad to the lever. If the pad falls off during the process then you just need a tiny blob of white glue to fix it.

Thank you Stephen.

Hi I would like to date a Boyd Lachenal 48 button I am restoring. The serial number is 44382 Any other info would be helpful. Thank you Tiposx

Mine was inspired by Alex, but looks different. I clamp the foot of the spring against the allen bolt, clamp the long/loose end of the wire to my workbench and then wind the wire around the post. The T bar fits over the post and has a notch to help the wire around, and keep the coils tight and neat. You can do this job without the T bar. The main thing is to keep the tension up as you wind. The bends are put in with long nose pliers against a hard surface to bend the wire. I use .6mm ss spring wire. I use Evek in Germany via their website. I have bought from them several times including recently and the goods arrive here in the uk within a couple of days.

The brass ones can also corrode unseen at the right angle where they enter the action board. They can be difficult to remove without snapping at that point. The stubs can be a problem to remove. My view is that the pioneers used the best material available to them at the time. If stainless steel had existed back then they would probably have used it.

I place the spring end into the retaining hole, then manipulate the rest of the spring under/ onto the lever with the notched tool. The spring “never” pings off if you maintain a little tension. It takes about a minute to file the notch with a triangular needle file, it is worth trying out. You can still use the screwdriver as such if needed!

I cut a notch in a small screwdriver, works perfectly. I tend to replace all the springs with stainless steel, they are easily made and tuned to the desired tension, but some people don't approve.

All the music I play (itm) falls within the range of the Albion, and of course the Geordie an octave lower. I can’t say for sure if the bigger size of my Baritone helps the lower notes, but it seems logical. The bigger size is really not an issue to me, it feels just right and sounds right somehow. It will be very interesting to hear about your comparison and your conclusions Jim.