Fanie

I recently restored an old bandoneon which also had a broken reed. I sent pictures and measurements of the broken reed to Harry Geuns in Belgium and he sent me correct reed tongue. Contact him https://bandoneon-maker.com/

Or you can order new reeds from Harmonikas.cz in the Czech Republic.

Alex, what thickness aluminium plate are you using?

David, I am not sure, but to me it looks like a bandoneon. I recently restored a bandoneon and got a lot of help from Harry Geuns in Belgium. Try him at https://bandoneon-maker.com/ Good luck

Ok, I finally fixed the old 55 button bandoneon and it is playing again. I replaced a few gussets and patched some leaks in the bellows. I made 16 buttons (thanks to instructions from Harry Geuns in Belgium) I replaced one broken reed tongue (Harry sent me a new one.) Then I replaced the leather pads on the left side (but it is still leaking some air on the left). What an interesting instrument: It is basically an Anglo with rows of chords in G, A and E, and then a lot of other accidentals.

Can you please show a picture or video how you do it? Thanks

The 40-key concertinas are very popular in South Africa. It is called a 3¾ concertina here.

If it is a wood screw you can cut a piece of wooden tooth pick and put it in the hole, and then put the screw back and tighten it.

Yes, that is what I do, leaving it in the window in the sun. 😉

Thanks Alex, yes I prefer the raw wood finish more than a varnish finish. If I blow the oil with my wife's hair dryer, would there be a danger of warping the wood veneer?

So, I have been thinking what finish to put on the veneer when I am done. I have done a few wallnut gun stocks with a "London oil finish", using boiled linseed oil. It takes a long time to do- each very thin layer of oil must get dry before it is rubbed and a new layer applied. The old recipe went: once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month...... What do you guys think?

Unfortunately I could not find Polyurethane glue, contact adhesive, or epoxy resin in my small town, so my only option was to use PVA wood glue. I apply the glue and then clamp it for 24 hours to try and avoid warping. So far it went well. I also don't have brad point bit drills, so I made a chisel with a round side out of a 8mm steel bolt to cut the holes in the veneer and then finished the holes off with a dremel. Some pictures of my progress:

Thank you Alex

Thank you Alex. Should I first glue on these strips and finish it off and then glue on the big ends, or should I first glue on the big ends and then the small sides? Thanks

Another queston please: when I glue the veneer to the six edges of the hexagon, should I cut six pieces and glue them seperately, or cut one long strip and bend it over the corners? Thank you

Thank you Alex. That is good advice. I appreciate it.

Thank you Steve. I will do some practicing before I do it.

Thank you Simon, I have found veneer. The company gives away free A4 size samples and they sent me enough to do ten concertinas. Now, I have never worked with veneer. Can anybody please give some instructions how to do it the correct way? How do I get the holes for the buttons and sound holes? Should I first mark the holes with a pencil and then punch it out, and then glue the sheet to the ends, and when it is dry, finish it off with a dremel? Will PVA glue be ok? Thank you for your help

Thank you Theo, but I think I will rather try wood veneer. I think it will look better.

Thank you for your help, I appreciate it. Theo, I have contacted that supplier, I hope they can help. On Aliexpress they also advertise veneer, but international shipping from them to me is a nightmare. It takes over two months and you are lucky to get it. Our postal services is a real nightmare.

Thank you Steve, it is a good idea. I was thinking on putting veneer on it, but in my neck of the woods (South Africa) it is impossible to find.

I just received a very old, pre Chinese, Hohner International (Bastari) D20/40/8. It plays very nice and the sound is very good. It has a red Mother of toilet seat finish, which is pealing off. Some places the pearloid cover is very buckled and I do not think it can be glued back. Can anybody please advise how I can repair it? Should I rather remove all the pearloid plastic and clean and sand the wood and then stain and varnish the wood? Any help will be appreciated. Thank you.

Beautiful instrument. I am also busy with restoration of a bandoneon.

Pictures please?

Maybe is was to accomodate the amplifier and loudspeakers.