SteveS

Playing for dancing is good discipline - coordination with dancers, playing at the right rhythm and speed, and with the correct swing.

I have found that glue alone does not adequately fill these kinds of cracks. In the past I've used thin slivers of veneer to fill the gaps - glued into place using hide glue. For rosewood I've used rosewood veneer, and for ebonised ends I've used pear veneer which I've then stained black. I also consider refinishing the ends to make the repair nice and neat. Sometimes, depending on the width of the crack, I've used a scalpel to open up the gaps so as to clean them and to make wide enough (approx. 0.6mm for modern veneers) for the sliver of veneer to fit in the gap. Sometimes it's necessary to support the back of the repair with veneer, with the grain running at right angles to the grain of the end.

Many thanks. I play almost exclusively Nordic music on concertina - especially for dance. I'm hoping to play for dance at a festival in Sweden in a few weeks time.

It's been a long time since my last posting. I played for dancing the other week, together with Gill Redmond on cello. This track also features my new Shruti box. Mockfjärdspolskan I used a Roland R-07 recorder on stage - ideally I'd like to have taken the feed from the mixer desk so as to get the Shruti box nicely in the mix.

glad it worked out

There are several options here: 1 - cut out the offending bad wood and put new piece of wood in - something like sycamore - this will be at least as secure as the previous fittings - use wood screws 2 - use a bolt with a modern thread, make a retaining hole for the nut in the bellows frame, and securely glue in place the nut - the bolt may not match the remaining wood screws 3 - fashion a rectangular retaining plate, drill and tap it with a modern thread, cut a slot for it in the bellows frame and secure the retaining plate with small wood screws. Personally though, I tend to shy away from using modern threaded bolts unless I'm replacing all bolts and retaining plates - which I've done on a few concertinas.

Yes - that cover is chamois leather - remove the reed pan - the chamois can be lifted from inside the bellows. The chamois should be glued back when you complete the job. You can try concertina-spares.com for an end bolt (and maybe its respective retainer plate). The Concertina Maintenance Manual by Dave Elliot may help you (I don't have my copy to hand so can't check if this issue is covered).

The end bolt is retained by a brass retainer plate which is usually screwed into the bellows frame. To get at this retainer, lift the chamois at the broken bolt piece, then unscrew the 2 small screws securing the retaining plate. Recommend that you try and source a replacement end bolt - threads may not have been standardised depending on when your 'tina was made, so you'll have to be careful getting a replacement end bolt with suitable matching thread - failure to do this might result in cross-threading and eventual possible failure of the retaining plate thread. I once had a similar problem on a 'tina I restored, where 3-4 bolts had snapped off - I replaced all retaining plates and bolts with modern threaded equivalents.

The Leader features an article about forthcoming concerts with Otto Smith - one of a handful of players of classical music on EC. Here's a link to the article.

Always the smooth side

Is the issue with all pads or just one or two. Try isolating the offending pads/holes by sticking Scotch tape over each hole and removing one pad/hole at a time. I've had issues with a small nicks in the pad holes, or even splits, that have caused air leakage around the pads (not on a miniature however).

Hi Wolf - nice baritone - I have one very similar to yours - mine is a 56 key. I'm a big fan of New Model concertinas, and these baritones are great. Mine also has a rivetted action.

I too have my suspicions - I recall seeing it sell back in 2015 - and the pictures appear to be identical to back then. I've written 3 times with no reply. It's probably a scam.

Interesting - I took delivery of a new Shruti box 2 weeks ago. It's a 2 octave instrument in key of C - and fully chromatic. I decided on a Shruti box to add another dimension to the Nordic music I play on concertina and for the various Scandinavian whistles I play. Here's a link to the chap, Stefan Cartwright, who made mine. And a link to a similar one being played. I also use a foot pedal to operate my Shruti box. So far I'm playing the Shruti box along with a few Swedish bagpipe tunes to great effect.

The reason you can't watch the program in a geographic location outside of the UK is that the iPlayer recognises your IP as not being assigned to the UK. Here's the way round this issue: - install a VPN to your computer (I use NordVPN) - once installed, start the VPN client and select a VPN server in UK (this will cause your IP to look like it's in UK) - start the iPlayer and watch the program However, the BBC may request that you confirm you have a TV license. Hope this works.