[FOR SALE]

Follow-on Layout diagram for Edeophone duet no. 4366.  

Dave

[FOR SALE]

This is a 60-key metal-ended 12-sided Edeophone with 8-fold black all-leather bellows, ca. 8" dia. The serial no. is 4366, which I guess probably places it somewhere around the 'Edwardian' era. It's in modern pitch and good playing order.

The instrument was protected in its original case for most of its life until that case was so tattered that I replaced it with a good new one. For this reason, the general condition is exceptionally good, with little wear to the bellows. The Edeophone represents Lachenal's very tip-top of reed-work and craftsmanship, equal to that of the best makers. It's an awful lot of instrument for the price I'm asking!

At some time before I bought the instrument, 25 years ago, the tuning on the right hand side only had been lowered professionally overall by 3 tones, so that the fingering pattern on the keyboard is exactly the same but gives notes lowered by one row. The layout diagram that I've appended on a follow-on post will explain the arrangement. I've highlighted 'Middle C' on both sides in red. Neither I, or anyone that's played the instrument as far as I know, has ever found this change to be a problem. I'm an Anglo player. I never 'stuck with' duet concertina playing and have retained the Edeophone this long only because it's such a beautiful thing!

My asking price is £1600 GBP but might be open to sensible offers. 

Selling to a personal caller would be my preference but I am prepared to post at the purchaser's expense (this within GB would be around £30 (insured) but considerably more overseas.)

(If sold in this forum, I will contribute usual commission to Concertina.net).  Thanks for looking,    Dave

[A Strange Hybrid Instrument]

Hello 'fatman' and Chris,

The reference to the free reed acoustics paper (and the references that come with that) are informative on far-eastern free-reed instruments, but still lack detailed reed constructional information.

That they do 'sound both ways' is beyond dispute, the development work all having been done a few thousand years back! They do seem to have rather large gaps between the reed and frame, which perhaps comes about from both being cut integral from the same blank of material. This may contribute to the explanation of why they work?

Rich soil for someone of an enquiring mind to till (to paraphrase Tom!).

Happy researches.

Dave

 

[A Strange Hybrid Instrument]

Talking about reeded pipes, I think there's probably some mileage in exploring the Chinese SHENG in this context.  A very ancient invention, examples of this free-reeded 'piped mouthorgan' instrument when first brought to Europe in the 17/18th century apparently inspired the first harmonica, concertina and accordion inventions!

SHENG reeds somehow manage to sound either on the 'suck' or the 'blow' - clever stuff - but I've never been close enough to one in order to see how. Obviously there's major untapped potential here!

Information on 'the net' is rather sparse, but there's quite an informative 'you tube' video with a Chinese chap discussing the anatomy etc of the instrument. The entry is under the 'Philharmonia Orchestra' title. It's definitely time for some enterprising and enquiring person to take up this baton (that person can't be me)!

Happy Inventing!        Dave

[A Strange Hybrid Instrument]

Thanks for comments, Halifax and Richard.

I think that an ordinary pipe, rather than a reeded one (as in bagpipes of various kinds) needs far more air than a small underarm bellows could provide. Also using two hands and  armpit power might make you feel a little like a one-man-band?

You seem now to have grasped the principle of the double-acting bellows. Yes, valves and a L-R air duct transfer air from the LHS of the cylinder to the 'wind chest' & pallets when the piston is pulled to the left.

I guess that on a full-sized organ, where large bellows probably supply twice as much air as the pipes could ever use, that a relatively small spillage of air from the 'action' in the wind-chest is a mere drop in the ocean.

Yes, the sealing round the buttons to prevent serious air spillage is a problem that has to be admitted, but I can think of one or more ways round it. It  is thinking round such problems that make the project interesting is it not?

Best wishes,    Dave

[A Strange Hybrid Instrument]

Hello Folks and thanks for your interest and enthusiasm!

The very essence of this piston-bellows, Tom, is that it delivers air to the pipes in both travels of the piston. Find a video of a traditional Japanese swordsmith at work, if you want to know where the idea came from: I expect there are a few of these on you-tube!

The gap around the buttons is only sealed by a gasket of shammy-leather pierced with close-fitting button-sized holes - it does need improvement!

Regarding 'sound files', I'm sorry but I wouldn't know where to start and anyhow, I lost the facility to finger a McCann keyboard years ago!

This is the third or fourth prototype of this kind of instrument that I've made and it really does need another person to develop to full potential. I've retired as an amateur instrument maker and would willingly pass this project to someone else freely, but this individual would need to call on me sometime in person to discuss over a glass of wine or a coffee!

Best wishes,    Dave

 

[A Strange Hybrid Instrument]

Some years ago, I constructed a rather unusual instrument combining some features familiar to concertina players, but using small organ pipes rather than free-reeds as sound generators. I suppose you could call this a portative organ. It suffers from the limitations of such, in that one hand must be occupied in pumping bellows, allowing one hand only to pick out the melody and/or chords on the keyboard.

Possibly, a unique feature of this instrument is that the 'bellows' is an air-pump, devised on the same principle as a Japanese smith's type bellows, that using flap-valves, produces a useful draught of air in both travel directions of the piston.

The 24 pipes are all of the stopped sort; made from copper and brass tubing (4.5 - 21mm i.d. approx.). The stoppers (tompions) are turned from hardwood to just slide snugly into the pipes using melted beeswax to seal them and fix them in place once tuned. A ratio of about 8:1 stopped pipe length/width seems to give the optimum sound quality, though ratios somewhat higher or lower were found acceptable. This enables a compass of about 2 octaves up from the 'D' above 'middle C'. This pipe has a stopped-length of about 260mm (10")  (- a stopped pipe sounds an octave below an open one of the same length).

The keys are like concertina buttons and arranged in a pattern based on that of the McCann duet concertina. The action inside is made exactly like that of a concertina too, with brass rivetted levers and circular pallets covering the pipe ports. The big difference is that the 'tray' carrying the action has got to be airtight!

The pump-bellows cylinder is made from standard builder's 6" PVC drainage pipe.

I hope that the attached photos do all the explaining you might need! I used  the McCann layout because I could limp-along in that system at one time (I can't now!).

The system needs more development work, especially wrt bellows efficiency and air-leaks, in order to make playing easier.

Devise a treadle bellows or mechanical blower and control more pipes with both hands and it's an instrument with different potential. Now I'm being silly.

Its sitting on my shelf waiting for some enthusiastic caller to take -up the challenge!

Dave.

['DITTY BOX']

Hello Saguaro-Squeezer and thanks for your message.

The answer is 'Yes', but I haven't investigated means of doing this. I'm a bit old-fashioned when it comes to computer banking and divulging account details etc. etc.

I'm not at all versed in such things as small international payments and I'm looking for someone - (perhaps like you!) to advise me. The production costs of this small-edition publication means that I will do little better than breaking-even on sales, though I think that I could probably include international postage at £6- inclusive.

['DITTY BOX']

Hello Folks!

'Ditty Box', a little booklet of humourous songs and poems, was put together by me over a long period with a local flavour (Cornwall, England) in mind. Up-to-now offered for sale only locally, several purchasers have suggested that its contents merit a wider audience. I have reached that persuasion myself, believing that there's 'something for everyone' within it. I'm really pleased with the series of amusing drawings made by local artist Andre Ellis to illustrate it.

The cover price is £4.95 and I will include postage (to UK addresses only) for an extra 5p! i.e. a total of  £5.00 per copy. I would send to most addresses worldwide at a post-inclusive price of £7.00 per copy.

 Copies are available direct from me:

 Address:       D. Leggett, 'Ashanti', Cadgwith, Helston, Cornwall TR12 7JZ.    email:    ajenda@btinternet.com   Please email me for my IBAN code, (or further details if required), giving your postal address.

'Hours of amusement for the price of a pint!'

A small 'flier' for the booklet is attached'.

Cheers!    Dave

[CASTING REED FRAMES]

Thanks for your comments, folks.

TOM. I've never found it necessary to incorporate anything more complicated than a single sprue to admit the molten metal at the top of the mould. If you look at the hand-written notes at the end of my 'crude diagrams' it does say that an air vent is incorporated: it was omitted from the original photograph of the mould in order not to complicate the image. As for the rest -  well, I am allowed to retain a little mystique, surely?

Cheers,  Dave

 

[CASTING REED FRAMES]

re. CASTING REED FRAMES

Thanks for your interest, particularly Alex, Chris and Tom!

I'm not familiar with the innards of Base English instruments, Alex.

I have heard it said that some of them used Harmonium reeds, but this was probably 'mis-information'.

 

Chris - Thanks for your experience of reeding frames cast in phosphor-bronze. I suspect that the silicone moulds that you speak of were used to cast wax models of the frame pattern which were then invested with a refractory medium for casting by the lost wax process. Silicone moulds would not withstand the searing temperatures needed to cast phosphor-bronze direct. Nice application for the technique but definitely 'industrial' and not suited to the amateur!

 

Tom - I have drawn some crude diagrams,explanatory diagrams, which are appended.

Its very necessary to rake-out the compacted clay that's penetrated the 'flared' area of the slot from the front of the pattern in the drag. Without doing this, the pattern will tear the moulded clay in the drag when its shaken out, because that portion of it would be under-cut. The gap left in the united mould is made-good from the cope when the parts of the casting-flask are united and the cope re-compacted.

In answer to your query, the casting process using Delft Clay produces very smooth surfaces, but like all castings, will need some fettling or file-work refinement, particularly within the slot.

(By the way, Tom, I guarantee that no virgins were hurt during the making of these reed-frames!!)

Cheers,  Dave

 

[CASTING REED FRAMES]

CASTING REED FRAMES

In constructing a few instruments of my own, I had always used reclaimed Lachenal reed-frames, suitably cleaned and refined. I had been given a large quantity of these by a friend years ago and acquired more since. Many that contained damaged, missing or brass tongues could be bought very cheaply. Modern wood-saw blades have been a source for my reed-steel.

I intended to make a Baritone Anglo. As this was to be pitched a whole octave below a standard C/G and reed frames of a suitable size for the lower notes are not easily obtainable, I had to reconcile myself to making them. I reckoned on having to make 1x reed frame for 50mm tongue-length, 2 for 45mm and 6 for 40mm. I was quite happy to fret-out the 3x larger sized ones from 2mm brass sheet but the 6 at 40mm were enough in number to justify making a casting-pattern in brass and using this to 'sand-cast' them. I would be casting in a bronze alloy using Delft Clay as the casting medium. As a working jeweller, I was already set-up to produce small castings in sterling silver using this technique. I experimented with alloys and found that 75% Cu: 15% Ag: 10% Sn gives a brassy-looking alloy that melts in an achievable range, (about the same as sterling silver: ca. 850-900C) and works amenably. The castings would have to be fettled, of course but if done thoughtfully, both the dovetail bevel and the slight flaring of the slot from front to back,  included in the pattern, may be achieved as integral with the casting process.

The idea of casting reed frames may seem a bit 'academic or old-fashioned', particularly in a role where CNC machines have taken over the territory traditionally occupied by precision press-tools.

I hope that the appended images will give any explanation you might want, that I haven't included in the above text.

KEY TO IMAGES

1) Lower half of casting flask (the drag)

2) Upper half                              (the cope).

Both contain the compacted and levelled 'Delft Clay' and show the impression left by pressing the pattern - flat, top down, (with a board) into the drag. Clay has been removed to a depth of 1.5mm from the drag reed-slot using the 'hag's tooth' tool (7, below) before the cope is applied and re-compacted. Release material is talc.

3) Low 'C' reed': 50mm in length, in frame fretted from brass sheet.

4) Low 'E' reed: 45mm in length , in frame fretted from brass sheet.

5) Casting pattern for 40mm reed frame and clamp plate.

6) Low 'G' reed in bronze frame: cast using (5) as pattern.

7) The 'Hag's Tooth' tool, with tooth 2mm x 1.5mm: simply made from sheet brass.

The final images show the finished 'Baritone' with normal sized Anglo for comparison.

 

[The Gurnard Waltz]

I composed this simple, quirky little waltz a long time ago, when I was trying to learn to play an Edeophone McCann Duet concertina that I'd just acquired. Sadly, I didn't persevere enough with the McCann, but the tune remains!

The 'dots' are appended.

[BELLOWS CARDS (Is there an elephant in the room?)]

As said previously, I raised this topic afresh only because of the seemingly ignorant and offhand attitude displayed on the subject of chamfered bellows cards by one restorer that I made enquiries to. Its good to see that some people are 'aware' and making sensible responses.

Although its some time since my last concertina construction, for the record, I did have to glue 2 cards together to get the thickness I wanted and I did use a belt-sander to do the chamfering!

[BELLOWS CARDS (Is there an elephant in the room?)]

I was introduced to the rudiments of bellows-making some years ago by a well-established maker of 'the old school', who followed tradition, using bellows-shaped 'collapsible'  jigs. He used a thinnish, dense card stiffener of about 0.8mm thickness and emphasised the importance of skiving (or chamfering) the cards along their parallel edges, in order that the visible outer-hinges on the finished bellows (i.e. the top bindings), do not look thick and clumsy. Such would be prone to showing a crease along the apex when the bellows are extended. Those creases would be stress-concentrators and fatigue along them will ultimately lead to cracking, air leaks and failure. Admittedly, this might take a few years to happen!

I believe that 'old school' concertina makers all used thinnish cards: this would in itself reduce the potential difficulty to some degree. Whether they further chamfered the card edges probably depended on the quality and price of the instrument they were making. The supposed differences in construction required (it is asserted by some!) for 'Anglo' and 'English' bellows is probably mythological - - ( English concertinas inherently being more expensive than Anglos, were more likely to have had higher-quality bellows made) .

In looking at some 'vintage' instruments, even after 100 years or more of use, the original bellows of some (notably Wheatstones, (but even quite an ordinary, venerable Lachenal 'English' that my partner plays and has had much usage), may show very little degradation on the apexes of the top-bindings, which still look compact and neat.

Having made a few different sized bellows myself, I can see the attraction to the maker or restorer of using recent, rather ingenious methods of bellows construction that obviate the making of complicated jigs before you even start! One that I'm thinking about in particular uses what seems to be rather thick (well over 1mm) card which is cut-out in part sing a band-saw. This whole bellows-making procedure is described admirably in a video freely available on 'the net'. Whilst celebrating the simplicity and versatility of this invention, one can't help noticing the 'clunky' top bindings that can result. These have maybe a squarish look, a tendency to show a crease when the bellows are extended and perhaps a reluctance to close properly. One wonders how many of these will still be functioning in 100 years' time? Could not one parallel edge of the cards be skived (chamfered) on opposing faces? Surely a simple-enough operation that needn't add significantly to the cost, one might have thought. To be fair, some modern bellows-makers, who don't do this as 'standard', may offer it in a moderately-priced upgrade, but they will need asking!

I'd imagined that this topic would have been well-aired in these forums already. Having trawled through this forum's history, I found a brief discussion on back-page 80 of Oct 2006.

I only felt motivated to raise the subject again, having a few months back asked a restorer to quote for replacement bellows on an old Lachenal 'Anglo' of mine. Having mentioned what seemed to be quite an extravagant price, this restorer then astounded me by his apparent ignorance  -  or dismissiveness?  -  of such refinements

[TITANIUM REEDS (a cautionary tale?)]

Hello TTONON, and thanks for showing an interest in my 'Titanium Reeds' topic'. You are right in suggesting that Ti reeds sound more like steel than brass.

Although I have not the will to carry on further researches into titanium alloys as reed material ( there's a reason why reeds were made traditionally from steel or brass), I'm sure that someone with an academic bent and many hours of time on their hands to pursue further study might find this to be an absorbing academic enquiry. Over to you, Someone!

One thing that my 'Sage no. 2' did say, rather cryptically, was that 'the material has some interesting and unusual properties'. Make of that what you will!!

  This reply went inadvertently into a 'private reply' to TTONON. At his suggestion, I'm sharing it! 

I still have a few leftovers of the material in question, so if anyone happens to have an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer handy, I'd willingly provide some samples!

To add visual interest, I've also added a photo of Ti'm the concertina. He has an ebony body, stainless steel frets and carbon fibre buttons to go with his titanium alloy reeds!

 

[TITANIUM REEDS (a cautionary tale?)]

About 15years ago, I used to play a rather good Jones metal-ended C/G Anglo. I had often hankered after the lower and richer tone of a G/D instrument. I found one which I liked but foolishly sold the Jones in order to finance the G/D. I almost immediately regretted parting with the C/G but realised that the only way I could afford to replace it was to try and make one!

I had the totally decrepit remains of a 39 button Lachenal McCann duet concertina (which I had bought, along with 3-tea-chests-full of other diverse decrepit musical instruments and parts, for £50 at a sale). The steel reeds were all rusted out.

Being a designer/jeweller with a penchant for experiment and having by me a small quantity of thin titanium alloy sheet  ( grade of alloy unknown: in 3 different thicknesses (0.3, 0.6, and 0.9mm), which an aero-modelling friend had obtained for me, I thought that this might be fun to experiment with as reed-making material re-using the old McCann reed frames (suitably cleaned-up and refined). It certainly seemed 'springy' enough!

I sought the opinion of two eminent concertina makers. The first one said, 'out of hand' that titanium reeds was a bad idea without offering any cogent reason. The second was kind enough to take some samples and make a couple of experimental reeds. He also said that Ti was a bad idea because (a) the relatively low density(s.g.4.5) of Ti would give problems in getting sufficient mass distribution within the vibrating reed to give the necessary range of notes in a limited range of frame sizes. (b)You can't weight a Ti reed-tip with solder (it won't stick!) and (c) It's a really tough metal which is hard to work and blunts files.

Not being then the sort of person who is easily discouraged, even by Sage advice, I did persevere with the project in a spirit of curiosity (or obstinacy) and eventually, after much aggravation, made myself a playable instrument. I think the project was probably spread over a year or more.

BUT!! - 1) I had to increase the range of reed-frame slot-lengths by silver-soldering little brass blocks inside the narrow ends of some of them, (2) Some of the longer reeds are perhaps too thin at the belly, giving them a bit of a 'mushy' tone. Some of the small reeds are maybe too thin at the tips. (3) The damned stuff is a real pain to file!

Surprise, surprise: Sage no. 2 was right!!!

The overall result is that I may have a concertina (I've named him Ti'm) which is perhaps(?)  unique but which doesn't sound that wonderful (though better, I'm sure than the old Lachenal reeds that I replaced).

In pursuing this frivolity, I learned a lot of hard lessons and gained more knowledge, practical skills and confidence about reeds and other aspects of concertina-making than I probably would ever have had should I have kept 'the Jones'.

Was it worth it? In the following years I've had endless enjoyment in making a few more more-conventional instruments, so the answer is 'Yes' and I still take Ti'm out sometimes to Pub music sessions.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tapered Reed Pans]

I think that the reason that some reed pans were 'tapered' was just in order to get as near to an optimum capacity in all of the chambers as possible. The chambers act as small cavity resonators, and though designing them to have the optimum capacity is a 'dark art', (I would suggest that this is an art, guided by experience rather than by science: the science is just too complicated!), making them big enough or particularly, small enough, may be a problem if the reed pan is of uniform depth.

Some high pitched reed pairs (or combination pairs in anglos) require a very small chamber volume (say less than 2cc), whereas lower notes in the same pan, a larger volume (say 5cc or more). It  would, perhaps be difficult to achieve this for higher-pitched reeds in a 'parallel' pan without making the chamber so narrow laterally that there would not be room for the smaller reed-pairs to fit into it side-by-side!

Why some historical instruments have this feature and some not is a matter that can't be resolved by speaking to the makers. The added cost of the feature seems to be a dubious suggestion as the feature is to be seen in some relatively inexpensive makes and models and vice-versa.

 

[Anglo Concertina Building Project]

Five years ago, I was part-way through building my 7th Anglo Concertina 'from scratch' when a major health problem occurred and I have not worked on it since. As I think that I'm unlikely to want to complete the project personally, but would not like to see what work I have done go to waste, I would like to hand it over to a suitable person who has the enthusiasm and necessary skills to complete the job. This was to be a 5" dia. 26 key Anglo with walnut ends. All the necessary materials and components come with the offer. I'm prepared to give advice on the work needed!

I would certainly only be  prepared to pass the project over to someone who is within striking distance of me in Cornwall, England, and who can satisfy me that they have 'what it takes'! I would think it sensible (in order to eliminate casual time-wasters) to ask a nominal sum in money for the above, how much that should be depends on who, if anyone comes forward!  

Update as of1430, Sun 23rd Dec.   I'm fairly sure that this PROJECT has found the right person, so in fairness to anyone else, I must consider the offer WITHDRAWN.