RogerT

I wasn't really asking for a diagnosis of the issues…yes there is a crack…i was just showing how it's possible to put the action box on so you see it working and diagnose all the issues, not necessarily a technique to everyone’s liking but all the same v useful on occasion. Yes I know about using a bright light etc and I don't always do it this way….I repair concertinas professionally so I've got a good grasp of how to go about it. It's really no extra effort to do this.

Actually, I think it is very helpful..obviously only occasionally, when air leaks are a particular problem. You also need a stethoscope.

I thought I'd share this simple solution to assemble a concertina to check for air leaks, but with the top of the action box removed, so you can see what’s going on.

I'd probably use a C# reed and flatten/sharpen, or a D reed and flatten to C.

Hi, i've got a Lachenal EC, steel reeds, tutor model, serial #38559. My guesstimate is 1905 but maybe not. If you'd be kind enough to check the date for me, that'd be great. thanks

I've got a load of tiny…i mean really tiny (like 2 or 3 mm diameter) magnets. They would be ideal to try out your idea. You can get them for very little on eBay. You may find that fine tuning is the issue…if they stay put with the reed oscillating. If i get some time i might experiment myself…I'm now curious to see if this works.

Ah right. A temporary solution.

Oh b*gger. That's where i got my leather skins. Damn. However, Russells in Suffolk supply bellows leather to organ makers so perhaps that is another source. Good job i bought my lovely handmade gloves from Pittards last year.

Curious as to why you don't want to use solder? It's an easy effective solution and is reversible.

I use modern PVA wood glue, which sets pretty hard. Any glue that doesn’t set hard is a problem because you don't want the pad to move on the end of the arm. Removing and re-gluing pads may or may not be made more difficult by this choice of glue, but for the repair in hand it works well and in any case I make my own pads so replacing them isn't an issue. So I guess it's a repairer's choice. I've tried quite a few different glues and this works for me.

This guy seems to be under-followed. This is a great (free) instructional Anglo video. Marvellous stuff, if you want a compacted walk through of ornamentation. So many vids are aimed at the complete beginner, whereas this is definitely in the intermediate phase.

I would check the valves. I keep encountering the following problem: someone has cleaned and revalved a concertina (and an unsuspecting buyer has got hold of it in a 'restored' condition) but fixed valves that are too thick and or has glued too much of them so the valve is restricted…but they obviously never checked the result of their work. And the smallest tweak can alter the behaviour of the reed, taking it from dull to bright. Sometimes just flexing the valve up and down/back and forth can fix the issue. Or I replace the valve, taking care just to glue the very end of it and not half of it. Leather accordion valves work ok..the funny shape is just so they fit in the tapered chamber. If you have a way to get the reed pan out and lay it flat on some tuning bellows, block the chamber end and you can then observe the reed working and play around with the valve. The other problem is that the cleaned reed (all lovely and shiny) hasn't been 'voiced'…in other words the gap has been set correctly, or of the reed has been distorted by cleaning, the shape and set haven't been optimised. Or the reed is loose in it's slot. All of these things can be dealt with on the tuning bellows. If it sounds good on the tuning bellows but dull in the instrument, then it's an air issue…the pan isn't sitting flat against the action box or some other problem.

To soften them up I sometimes pull them off, soften by manipulating them (rolling up in both directions, gently scraping with a metal blade etc) an d then glue back on. It's quite difficult to get at the valves inside the chamber and only takes a moment to pull off and refit. Or I pull off and glue on a new one. However, this can alter the tuning and alter the reed behaviour if the valve doesn’t open properly or lets in less air etc…so beware. Normally I fit valves before any tuning for this reason.

It’s a bit of a stretch to read that from my posts (if that’s what you were saying). And anyway I'm a big fan of the EU. I’m merely pointing out that there seems to be more friction getting stuff from the UK to the EU than the other way around. You can speculate on the reasons for that. I don’t think it applies to trade between the UK and EIRE AFAICT.

I could qualify it and say that the EU have less incentive to make smooth and easy importation work well by small companies and individuals from non EU countries (because most of their trade is driven by geopolitical boundaries …the EU…which incidentally I think is a brilliant thing). And anecdotally this seems to be the case. But it may also be silly. Thanks for pointing it out.