Tiposx

Fabulous looking instrument. I haven't heard of the seller before, or the firm of piano restorers he directs. I would want a lot of historical evidence about the previous and current ownership of the item, and how it came to be in the UK from Namibia. I would be very cautious about spending that much on an unseen item on eBay. If it all went badly I would consider that I had acted foolishly in buying it. That's just my take.

Thank you all for the suggestions. Looks like there are more options than I thought. Cheers

I have a new set of bellows to attach to my Wheatstone. I have heard that some people use PVA, and I think I have heard of flour glue being used. I quite like the flour paste idea, but I need reassurance that it would hold the materials securely. Any advice would be appreciated.

Or someone had just thrown the chair at him...

You got it - the action looks like soft wood, only 3 ply where 7 or 8 birch ply would have been better. Then they sanded away the corner to fit the end cap - there was nothing left to hold the rod in. Best check the other corners before you give it back ...

Rubber tubing won't work, plastic might for a while. I would find a piece of brass tube that was a good sliding fit over the pin, cut it to length then locate it so that normal action was achieved. The closed end could be capped with a piece of dowel or brass, or even taped over then epoxied (see later) depending on what machining was available. K&S Tubing is available in many different sizes from aircraft model suppliers. Personally I would soft solder on a piece of brass, or turn a piece to fit.Then attach the tube lightly in place with a couple of dabs of thick ca/ superglue. Just strong enough to work but easy to break and re-set if necessary.Then double check the action with the ends attached. When everthing works as good as new I would back fill the gaps with a 10-minute epoxy mixed with microballoons or wood flour. When hard this can easily be sanded back to shape. From the photos there might not be enough space available for a repair based on replacing the missing piece of wood. It's a pity that Stagi got the design wrong (again) as the metal mechanism looks quite well engineered.

There have been a number of notices on Mark's website going back over a year that I am aware of. The notices have mentioned his health, closure to do holidays and some other issues that I can't clearly recall. I have only bought one lot of spares through Mark in September 2018. I didn't find the transaction went very well, (I am being gentle here) but I did receive the order eventually. The materials bought were very good indeed, but I decided that I would not use this supplier again. This is a great shame, as I haven't been able to find suitable spares elsewhere. I wish Mark well, but this is my experience.

Ace ace ace video! I thought I was fuddy duddy - but I might be cool after all with my ec.....

Not my preferred music, but a really loveley performance. This duo is well known and respected over on Melodeon.net

Hi Seth I can't see the Stagi on ebay uk Edit Duh I just realised that your profile says USA.

As you are competent to remove the endplate you will have no trouble replacing the spring. They are made in two types - left handed and r/h. I can never work out which is which so I buy both. Just a bit of wiggling of levers and buttons is all it takes. I don't know where you would buy the springs from in your country though.

Exactly as Jody said, except that as an ec beginner player it might be tempting to transpose everything to C. That might hinder you later on when you play with others.

I will stick my neck out - I owned a Rock Chidley ec, 48 button, 5 fold bellows, tutor style. It was in great condition, having been professionally restored. It had nickel silver reeds, which may be what you have there. I only play itm. My experience was that the 'tina was very quiet, and very hard to play at "beyond hymn" speed. I persevered with my learning for a while, even though my best friend and mentor declared that the concertina was "a dog". Eventually a reed broke, ( documented on this forum) at which point I traded it in for a mid-range Lachenal. After 9 months with the Lachenal I am now ready for an upgrade to something more suited to my style of music. I have played a few posh concertinas now, and there is very clear difference in playability between entry level instruments and those above. So my advice is that the Rock Chidley may be hard work for high bpm music. For playing slow, sweet and quietly it might be ideal.

Concertina reeds sound different to accordion reeds. I can't imagine that being controversial.... After that it's down to personal preference.

Goldy Silver would describe the nickel silver reeds in the 1853 Rock Chidley I owned.