Fanie
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Posts posted by Fanie
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Or you can order new reeds from Harmonikas.cz in the Czech Republic.
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On 9/8/2023 at 9:01 AM, alex_holden said:
I quite like aluminium as an end material; I've used it on two instruments now. It's lightweight, easy to cut and polish, doesn't tarnish quickly, easy to obtain, and inexpensive.
Alex, what thickness aluminium plate are you using?
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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
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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.
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On 5/26/2019 at 6:32 AM, caj said:
Hi,
It might be easier to simply machine them from Delrin. I had to replace the buttons on my concertina (I bought it in a condition where many of the metal buttons were worn down significantly.) What I did was buy Delrin rods from McMaster-Carr, and mill them to shape with a Dremel tool.
To make the bottom peg of the button, I discovered a neat Dremel trick. I set a Dremel tool in that dinky Dremel drill press that they sell, with a fat cylindrical grinding bit close to the drill press platform (a little less than one rod diameter away). Then I'd take a few inches of Delrin rod, hold it firmly to the platform with both hands at the ends, and roll it firmly so that the middle of it rolls into/under the grinding bit. By rolling it in, this mills the middle to a skinnier diameter, and I then cut it in the middle to produce two button blanks.
It took surprisingly little time to make a full set of replacement buttons this way, machined with great uniformity despite my grad student budget and my cheapo tools.
Can you please show a picture or video how you do it?
Thanks
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The 40-key concertinas are very popular in South Africa. It is called a 3¾ concertina here.
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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.
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2 minutes ago, alex_holden said:
I don’t imagine a hair dryer would have much effect. I was thinking more along the lines of leaving it on a sunny windowsill for a week or two, turning it occasionally to even out the UV exposure.Yes, that is what I do, leaving it in the window in the sun. 😉
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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?
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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?
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On 7/22/2022 at 12:14 PM, alex_holden said:
I recommend not using any glue that has water in it for veneering the end boards. If you do there's a high risk of them warping when the glue dries. Polyurethane glue, contact adhesive, or epoxy resin are some examples of glue that don't contain water.
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:
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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
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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
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Thank you Alex. That is good advice. I appreciate it.
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Thank you Steve. I will do some practicing before I do it.
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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
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Thank you Theo, but I think I will rather try wood veneer. I think it will look better.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Beautiful instrument.
I am also busy with restoration of a bandoneon.
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Pictures please?
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Maybe is was to accomodate the amplifier and loudspeakers.
Tuning a bandoneon?
in Instrument Construction & Repair
Posted
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/