d.elliott

have you released the middle screw of the finger slide? under the leather facing. why do you feel the need to adjust a spring?

E Flat Major, often used in church music or ballads reasons: 1. there are several enharmonic notes Eb-D#; Ab- G# 2. super to sing to 3. Strident Anglos cannot get started and spoil things 4. Noisy melodeons cannot over play you 5. it is satisfying to have to work the keyboard more 6. four or more flats keys mean you have to learn to substitute C# for Db, I find that a bit tricky, but I can do it, if I must. I don't mind four sharps either

Bill, smarty pants!

Taking reeds out is a common solution, but for closing you only need to take out 1 reed. I use the fist full of keys technique, and often get asked to provide replacement for reeds lost in the mists of time. Over the decades there must have been thousands of matchboxes each with two small mystery objects that were thrown away during house clearances, or found at the back of grandad's sock draw where they were kept safe....

I punch the hole for the lever arm then centre the bead outer diameter punch around that. You still end up with a number of discards, but I manage OK.

well done, R. where the light ingress is on the flank of a pad gently bend the arm but only between the pivot and the pad. if the light shows at the 'top' or the 'bottom' of the pad then remember that the leather bead is on a sort of screw thread, rotate the pad to move it up or down the arm. If the pad comes off, no matter. Just clear the old glue off the top of the pad's hole relocate the pad so that the pad hole is covered and apply glue, I use PVA or Elmer's White in the US. if you are able to screw the whole pad into position, the settle the pad flat to the pad board, with key vertical, and apply a spot of glue to anchor it in position. Next step, a bright LED light in the bellows paying special attention to the corners of the bellows folds and around the gussets. I use a very small square of masking tape to cover each hole as I go, otherwise you will lose their locations. The tape to be removed at the time of each fix.

my device has a pad with a hole through it and a bit of plastic pipe to blow through, but Chamois leather glued onto a flange will work just as well

Chris is exactly right, a slack pan to bellows frame gasket will not affect overall airtightness. His advice about the potential leakage between the action box and the bellows frame is pertinent and he describes a useful way of determining if that is the source of your problem, however experience would dictate that the issue is more likely to be a pad or pad board issue, a slightly misaligned pad, weak spring or two, even a screw hole around those long thumb strap or finger slide structural screws that are not sealing the air path, or screws that are too short, or just missing. Whatever don't over tighten the end bolts or your next query will be about broken bolts! Also check for shrinkage gapping around the padboard and the action box outer frame. Personally I would take the top off the action box, without moving the keys or doing anything to disturb where the pads are. I would check the pads to see if any look as if the pad sandwich has 'slipped' (it will make sense when/ if you see it). Edeophones are often subject to abnormal wear in the pivots of some of the action arms that have been bent or cranked to navigate round other key positions, this can cause pad problems. Having given the action a visual inspection without disturbing the pads, then hold it up to a bright light shining from the key side of the action plate. Looking from the pad hole or underside of the action through the pad holes carefully inspect for any glimmer of light. sometimes you only see a hint of light, the sign of a pad not sealing properly, sometimes the problem is more obvious. Hope this helps

I agree with Mike, the other caused can be if an arm is cranked or bent to pass around other keys etc . this can cause the arm/ pivot post 'window' to wear which allows the the arm to twist and operate on an angle.

this type of test is not much good as a bellows test, as it tests all the pads and end gaskets as well. However your test does show a problem with the instrument. I agree with Geoff, talk to the manufacturer. One would have hoped that the concertina had been checked over before they sold it to you. If not it says a lot about the manufacturer's customer care attitude.

This can be either a valve which is stiff and holding off from the reed vent. Air flow closes the valve, then it springs open again, or the reed plate is loose. Either way I don't like working on waxed reeds. I have learned that re-using existing wax is not a good idea, I get pre-mixed wax which is beeswax and rosin, I proprietary blend

I had dealings with Mark only a week ago. I tend to phone him more often than not. Dave

I always thought that an expressive Anglo rendition was a bit of an oxymoron, you have proved me so very wrong. Sensitive playing with a harmonisation that accentuates rather than dominates, well done indeed.

I call you Stephen, with a 72K English bass, the action is Chidley, with the split reversed hook pivot post and a wire cross pin acting as trunnions on the 'fish bellied' arm. the serial is 4976 the thumbs straps and the finger slides were over 3 inches wide. I ended up doing a full restoration back in 2014. However the actual manufacturer??

I bought a miniscule weight of the wire, or so I thought, and ended up with enough to circumnavigate the globe! I shall be leaving some to my daughters in my will. What they will do with it, I just don't know. I little does go a long way

I am surprised that p-bronze should break as Don suggests, perhaps his stock was in a fully hardened state, I don't think I have ever had one break. I don't think that p-bronze gives too much resistance by making a too stronger spring, I am using 0.63mm (0.025") dia wire at half hard starting condition.

Theo, if the reed tongues only have the coppery hue, then it is probably the reed tongue alloy, if the reed frames are also a bit pink then it is mist likely a chemical cleaning process.

try using wood not epoxy. It is far more recoverable in the future.

often originally a green paper that has been washed with leather dye. The dye does not take over the gold pattern, hence you have the vegetable bit and the gold lozenges and dots showing through and where the gold is worn the dye has speckled the pattern.

Of course the Baritone English goes down to the G below your C. The Bass English goes down an octave lower still. Rumour has it that when the concertina band at the fishing town of Whitby play those low Gs then they open the swing bridge over the river. Just commenting ....

not all accordion reeds have the plastic or wire helpers, although I did assume you were talking a traditionally built instrument. If anyone is reading this who is unsure or knows that they have a traditionally built concertina, then please store it or keep it axis horizontal.

Simon, does your rather fine looking box hold the concertina with it's axis horizontal or is the instrument sat on it's end? I refer you to David Barnett's statements about valves. The old hexagonal boxes had one major flaw, and a more minor flaw. The major flaw ( happens to all instruments in the box style) was that they sat the instrument on it's end, axis vertical this seriously damages, even destroys valve operation, it can reduce the life of a set of valves by several years. The minor flaw ( happens to some) was that in some instances the instrument is not so easy to get in and out of the box resulting in bellows damage and occasional thumbs strap anchorage damage on English system instruments.

You can get special screw extraction pliers, I find that they help. Oil is not a good idea for the reason stated above, but a shot of heat can help free things. Personally I think that you can do more harm by pussyfooting about. If the pliers and/ heat don't work then plan the surgery and cut out the minimum necessary to release the plate nut. Replace wood with wood, fillers and epoxies are OK, until another bolt shears off. it is worth checking to see if the bolt was bottoming in it's blind hole before, or just as it started to clamp onto the action box. Certainly check after the repairs are completed.

so it is a 20 key Anglo, circa 1874, based on data from the same source. Wes was right, not a 48 key instrument.

David, assuming a 48k treble instrument, and based upon the information from Downright et al, a fair estimate for # 28989 would be 1888/ 89