Seth

Makes sense. I’ve recently been told by makers that even CNC cut reeds , waterjet, mill, etc need filing and fitting work which make sense. ive been told that the angle traditionally is 4 degrees but I’m reading more like 5 degrees on my jig I got from the late Anglo maker Herrington. A Lachenal reed does fit nicely in the slots I’ve cut so I figured maybe I should cut them at 5 degrees and I can hand file a hair to fit them if needed. Can’t add material so might be best to go a degree wider on the first batch and change it on the next if needed. seth

I spent several days last week measuring two different 20 button Lachenal’s and as expected the reeds in them were of the same design but oddly they both being 20 button layouts didn’t have the exact note layout. Anyways that’s for another topic. I noticed pretty quick that there was a set number of identical reed sizes that were used over and over for few notes and then the size would change for the next few. I came up with 17 frame sizes, slot lengths matching as well, with 80 reeds from the two sets. I took the average as they would be a few thousands off from each other and noted the size in the attached chart. I haven’t gotten around to measuring the tongues but that’s next once I can find my micrometer with the tiny narrow pin to get into the slot. One observation was that regardless of the length of the reed from the shortest to the longest the distance from the Heel to the start of the slot was almost identical in all reeds and the same for the end of the slot to the tip of the reed so I logged them all being the same for CAD drawing purposes. the thing that threw me off a little was the width of the slot, the slot being where the reed tongue swings. The width of the reeds from around 1 1/4” long or less were from .075 to .085. There was some variation here but it was small which led me to guess that the original intent for these reeds slot was 2mm to 2.2mm wide. Now, on to the longer reeds on the Bass side. These reeds were from .098 to .102 which translates to roughly 2.5mm wide. This is what I’m wondering what others with reedmaking experience think about as I’m planning to have a set cut on a laser or waterjet. On to the reed body/shoes overall taper. I measured the milling jig with the stuff I have that I inherited from Harold Herrington’s workshop and the taper appears to be 5.5 or slightly higher but not over 6. The Lachenal’s reeds fit perfectly into the slots made on the Herrington jig so hopefully my angle finder read accurately. I don’t know all the terminology yet so please excuse any mistakes in my chart. Once I get my hands on a set of 30 button reeds or a 30 button set I will be able to update and add more data to the list. I figured I would add this as I couldn’t find any information like this when I started looking for reed specs.

There is also Joseph Riley,

Im restoring this Concertina here

Bellows finished

Thanks David, that does help. The router jig I got from Harold Herrington works great but I just need the proper bit now. I could probably try the Dremel one and make a collet for the router that came with the Herrington jig which takes 1/4” bits. I’m also building a Dremel pantograph which might work for reed pans as well but it was intended for ends. I’m mostly a Bagpipe maker but I’m interested in making mini and semi mini concertinas. Started on a smaller square 30 button set.

That’s possible. I have angle finders but not that small. What I’ve decided to do is draw several tiny thin cardboard templates in different angles and see which one matches best. It almost seems like this is a trade secret. I guess if onenis makkng their own reeds it doesn’t matter if your not exact as you can adjust to fit. I cut a parallel slot today in a piece of scrap wood with no dovetail and a Lachenal reed fit really snug and tight so I’m guessing any bit of dovetail as close as possible will be fine. Seth

It seems the more I read the more confused I get about what the ideal angle in degrees the old style Lachenal and Wheatstone reed pan dovetails were cut as well as the reeds themselves. I have read to match the angles and also to make them a few degrees different so the reed fits tighter, I believe, or maybe it was so that it didn’t seat the edges all the way into the far edges of the dovetail slot in the pan? I was measuring my Lachenal last night the best I could with an angle measuring device that’s way too big for the tiny dovetail but I did the best I could. I kept getting around 10-13 degrees on the angle of the dovetail reedpan slot using my not so accurate measuring device. I also read on a Makers blog that they made their dovetail cutter with a 60 degree angle so I’m missing something here. I think I’m going to take some firm clear plastic and draw the outline of the dovetail in various places and extend the lines with a ruler so I can blow it up and get a better measurement. It seems that this information would be pretty well known and I’ve been looking. Seth

I forgot to post a picture. I haven’t done anything else since the top runs. Seth

Bellows top runs were finished tonight using hide glue. They are in the hydraulic press and will add photos in the morning. Now just need to do the side ends that cover the end card and the bellow frame. I’ve managed to get sucked into another restoration so I may post that in a different thread as not to confuse the two.

Ever get a chance to photo the cracks? Seth

Messing with printing replacement labels. Tried some on a paper from an old aged washing machine manual and it looks decent.

Thats reasonable for sure. I’m interested in hot stamps. I make Bagpipes for a living and use a lot of leather and could find a use for such things, especially since I’m making and repairing concertinas now. Very much in the early learning stages. Ok, back to my restoration...

I wouldn’t print them on a home printer. I went to a professional printing company and picked through a catalog of paper and picked the best one. They came out just as good as cards I’ve bought from others. There is a guy in Ireland that’s a concertina maker who sells them on eBay or the guy mentioned above too.

That’s nice, do you make reproductions or do you have originals. Cost$$$

Sorry, I’ll start adding descriptions and photos. Your right, it is the one on eBay that I got for $200. Needs work I’m guessing as most do.

Picked up another Lachenal. 197,411

Thanks, I have seen those files. I actually had the print shop do some cards for me this past weekend.

Photo of finished gussets.

Can I get a copy of the makers mark print file? Cheers, Seth

Back to the Lachenal 79001. Gussets all finished and moving on to the top runs. I also printed some decorative Lachenal bellow card labels from a file posted here on this forum.

The MacCann wrist wrap is not long for this world. Where the leather bends it’s looking badly worn. It is going to have to be replaced. One of my four Lachenals has a good Makers mark and another has a crusty looking one. Photos of the MacCann with the crustiest Makers label around.

Getting the bellows slowly together. Bottom runs are finished and I’m now doing the gussets.

It’s a 20 button Anglo. I have 3 20 button anglos and 1 MacCann Duet. I appreciate the offer. I do need to find replacement makers mark badges as the paper ones are missing. I could scan one of my others and print a copy. Here is a simple jig I made to make the bellows.

I’m looking at a McCann marked 1655. Any idea on the date? Cheers, Seth