RogerT

You may find that fixing leaks is an iterative process. As you fix one leak another becomes evident.

The short answer is: BC. Most button box tutorials are for this particular tuning. The main point is that any of the BC, C#D, CC# tunings are 'semitone' boxes.. the musical interval between the rows is a semitone. The Anglo rows are a 5th apart (CG), whereas the English/European interval (CF, DG, AD etc) is a 4th apart. On the BC you play mostly on the C row and grab accidentals and some reversals from the B row, which is sort of related to how you play the Anglo, but they are quite different instruments and getting that fluid sound on the button box requires learning from the bottom up. In other words..you will need to put your 10,000 hours in.

My 'trick' to get pads exactly aligned is to mark the exact centre of the leather pad (normally by putting a tiny indent) then dry fit the pads, lifting the end on and off (because putting it on often realigns the lever end) and observing the pads from below, to see the indents are at the centre of the hole. If they are off centre, adjust the pad/lever and repeat. After a few adjustments i have the pads exactly over the holes and the lever end more or less resting where they should be on the pads, when the end is on. Remove the end (gently) then apply glue (liquid hide in my case) with the end of a match stick so as not to move any lever or pad. Leave for 24 hrs. This generally works first time. There is the occasional troublesome pad obvs, but as a way to get a new set of pads fitted, it's how i do it. FWIW I've not noticed any 'settling in'. They either work or they leak.

They must have cost more too. This one has a nice walnut finish, but brass reeds.

Oops yes you are correct. My mistake. I was confused by the double chamber. I have fixed the thread title.

I've not seen double chamber arrangement like this. This one belongs to a client…stuck in its box. Comments welcome…

It's not critical. If they fail I don't normally bother to replace. If the valve is good then i don't think they serve any function.

A vote for Titebond liquid hide glue from me too. If it's cold put the bottle in a bowl of warm water to make a flow a bit.

It's worth approaching a clock repairer, who make small components like these screws all the time (my clock repairer father had three or four lathes of different sizes, plus gear cutting machines etc). I've not needed to do it myself but that would be my 'go to'.

Good luck with the English concertina! You will find it entirely different to a diatonic instrument, and in particular on most ECs the cramped button arrangement.

Wow,..concertinas at LIDL.

To clean up the reeds and assuming it's only surface rust and there is no pitting, I use a small flat (watchmakers) screw driver to scrape off any corrosion, supporting the reed with a feeler gauge blade. Do it under a very bright light. I also use a rubber abrasive block (i.e made by. Garriflex or Peco track cleaning block…the model railway line rubber). This combo should clean the reeds without messing up the tuning. I have cleaned thousands of reeds this way. Don't bother with chemicals. Waste of time. I have inspected reeds (i cleaned this way) several years later and they still look clean and corrosion free (assuming the instrument is stored in a dry place and is played regularly).

A couple if things I noticed about Dave E's pattern. I don't think they are long enough…so make them a bit longer, then cut to size. The construction is based on how some leather watch straps are made. Getting them exactly parallel is quite difficult, so I glued two small battens to a piece of ply to use as a mould. Once the strap is all glued up you squish it down between the battens (I forget the width, perhaps 1.25 inches or 1.5) and press with another bit of wood slightly narrower than the channel. Leave to dry. You get perfectly straight and neat straps every time.

I've just repaired a crack like this (on a tutor Lachenal). In fact i used small strips of masking tape over the cracks then reinforced with PVA (on both sides, and filled the vertical cracks in the holes (more glue, cotton bud). The result is robust and solid and air tight. I am repadding as well, so remove the pad, the lever drops and then you can also remove the button. On a Lach the levers pull out…whereas yours are pivoted.

'I suggest putting a razor blade under the tongue to support it.' I slide a sheet of brass under the tongue to act as a heat sink. I'm using soft solder so I can't imagine the steel getting hot enough to alter the springiness. But…I have never modified a brass reed…

I'd try the solder first. It's not that far, from D to A, and you'll find it doesn’t need much solder, is a quick job (10 to 15 mins, if you've got the tools). And a tip..use an old file for the tuning..the solder clogs the teeth on a file and will ruin good files. You can then test the response, which may be good enough for your needs. Otherwise, if you find it's not quick enough for those fast reels of whatever, try to get a replacement reed. But there's no standard size (from my experience) even among Lachenals, so you're likely to need to do some 'fitting'. Easier with a shorter reed frame, not so viable if the frame is too long.

On my 32 key CG Lachenal, the additional LH button, which is to the R of the LH middle row G/A is a F#/C#, which is a most useful combo. So that's one suggestion if you want something (IMO) worth having, and completes the reversals in D and G, except for a pull E.

My advice is: don't overthink it. An Anglo is relatively easy to get a tune out of. A CG 30k Anglo has lots of reversals and is easy to play in common keys, esp DG, A, F, C etc, and has some great runs for ITD music. A 20k Anglo is a great way to try out this system. I personally find the EC harder to play. . Is not as percussive as an Anglo, and, no one has mentioned this, has annoyingly crowded buttons (except on one or two models I've seen), so if you have biggish hands and or fingers, it's just horrible to play. Also it's not the most logical way to play, given the left right left right scale progression, but I guess you can get used to that. I'd ignore all the stuff about playing in many different keys, unless you read music and plan to spend hours (as I do) browsing music books and sight reading tunes to try them out.

Hi, if you want to discuss call or email me (at Jolly Roger Accordions). I'm near Andover, so not far from you. I agree with other advice…avoid. I do lots of work on 'tinas so might be able to advise.

Thanks for sharing. What was the card/board you used?

Sounds like a workaround. BTW..fascinating thread. A year or two ago someone was selling midified melodeons in the UK, but the s/w was seriously flaky, with errant notes sounding and odd behaviours (on my test rig, at least). I was never allowed to look at the code. This has piqued my interest. I don't particularly like midi instruments…but the underlying ideas and s/w are interesting (yeah, retired programmer here). You can correct me but 'realtime' (i was told, for trading systems at least) is stuff that happens within 50ms.

V interesting (again) ..and Tiposx …I'll reply to you. But these 'tina reed screws were put in and not intended for removal….anyone know what the process was? How come they are effectively seized in place? How was this done?

Very interesting post thanks (I find the riveting back in position the hardest part of this process….a bolt is an interesting idea). So…for trad concertina reeds…..what is the process of removing and refitting the little screws and holder plate?

On the subject of Anglos: the Marcus is actually a nice instrument (with accordion reeds). I was very impressed when I played one. I've seriously considered ditching my 32key Lachenal for one. Also the mid to upper range McNeela ones are pretty good, with a fast action, aimed at the ITM market, where a fast responsive instrument is important. This goes against the grain a bit..given I repair these things for a living, but I'd get a new modern one any day over a vintage one. Old instruments are all very well, but can be a pain in the rear. And not only that, you sometimes have to listen v hard to tell the difference between trad reeds and accordion reeds (on the top end hybrid models). I'm going to get shouted down for saying this, I'm sure. My advice is not to get too hung up on an old vintage instrument, at least to start. A $1500 new instrument is good enough for most people. Check out the young Irish Anglo players on YT. They sound pretty good and many are playing modern hybrids. A vintage $$$ instrument doesn’t make you a better player.

Dave Elliot's thumbstrap design is a good place to start, though I think the template in the book isn't long enough and I lengthened it. I also made a couple of slatted wooden forms to squish the leather/fabric sandwich while it is gluing.,,and this ensures it is parallel and straight and of an exact and consistent width. Having said all that, making thumbstraps is a bit of a pain if you only do it occasionally, and expect to make a couple before you get it right. An alternative is to make thumbstraps from a single piece of thick (but soft) leather, thus avoiding the 'watch strap' design (folded, glued leather encasing bits of felt and cloth). You still need to glue them to the metal brackets (use hide glue), but it's a lot quicker and easier. I've done this a couple of times (at customer's request, not because I'm lazy) and quite like the result.