.jpg.5e609d0e11cfd5f2bfb39a293e868466.jpg)
SteveS
-
Posts
1,670 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by SteveS
-
-
Hey Steve, I bet your glad they didn't both come up at the same time?
I've a real soft spot for my Baritone, but 28005 is a real beauty too, as is your own Baritone, so I'm very glad I didn't have to choose between them!
Cheers
Dick
Dick
I've actually got an Aeola TT being restored right now - it's been there some time so not clear yet when it'll be ready.
This box was a wreak, with smashed-in ends, but will be a beauty once restored - ebony ends, brass reeds, 56 keys - looking forward to getting it back - main use is for song accompaniment.
The danger is I'll enjoy the baritone too much...
And yes, the choice would have been difficult, but I'd have chosen the baritone, with which i chuffed to bits.
Steve
-
I dont have details of the exact condition - I only ever saw photos of it sent to me via email.
But from the photos it looked to be in pretty good condition.
I guess the minimum of all usual repairs would need to be done to bring it up playing standard.
Buyer's premium was 15% plus VAT I believe.
Hmmm My maths isn't great, but would the 15% + VAT come to about £300?
Then, would you possibly be talking about £200 for restoration work?
This would give the buyer a fine instrument for around £2,700, which seems pretty reasonable to me.
N.B. I paid £2,600 for mine, 9 months ago.
Cheers
Dick
Dick
A retune alone would more likely be around £400 and then with repadding and revalving my guess would be closer to £600.
I fancied this box myself, but having just recently acquired a really nice baritone (My latest squeeze) I couldn't really justify another 'tina so soon
Steve
-
I dont have details of the exact condition - I only ever saw photos of it sent to me via email.
But from the photos it looked to be in pretty good condition.
I guess the minimum of all usual repairs would need to be done to bring it up playing standard.
Buyer's premium was 15% plus VAT I believe.
-
I see that Wheatstone Aeola tenor-treble serial number 28005 sold at auction the other day for £2200 (plus buyers premium).
Anyone on this forum win it?
Looked to be in really nice condition.
Steve
-
It truly is a great box, and I'm very pleased with it.
I'm looking forward to getting it playing again, but I'm frustrated right now by the demands of work
so can't spend any time on it, or even much playing right now Yes Dick, it's great to think that such gems can still be found out there. One never knows just what will turn up.
Steve
-
I may be visiting Houston TX for a few days within the next 2 weeks or so (plans are a little sketchy right now - waiting for confirmation of dates).
Is there anything happening there that's related to:
concertinas
scandinavian traditional music
english/scottish traditional music & song
morris dance
Thanks
Steve
Just found out that my dates are around 12th September.
Steve
Bump
I'll be staying in The Woodlands TX (near Houston) on 11th - 13th September.
Would be nice to hear of anything happening in the area.
Steve
-
I am curios about your baritone's compass, Steve. What is the lowest note and what is the highest note? Does it run from G, lowest note, to A, highest note, i.e. 4 and a bit octaves? 60 key baritones are not very common, I would guess.
Chris
Chris
That's right - lowest is G on right and highest is A on left (lower middle row).
Also forgot to mention, 7 fold bellows.
I've seen only a few similar 60 key baritones in the ledgers.
Steve
-
As I promised Dick (Ptarmigan) the other day, I'm posting some pics of my latest concertina acquisition.
This is Wheatstone Aeola Baritone, 60 keys, serial number 25873 from January 1913.
It's pretty much in original condition - no wear at all to the plating, no damage to woodwork around the bold heads, no burring to the bolt heads from a poorly fitting screwdriver, no wear to buttons, and minimal wear to the thumbstraps. Bellows are in excellent condition, the 'tina is very air tight, and still has the original valves and pads.
It is tuned in philharmonic pitch typical of the age, although some of the lower pitched reeds do suffer from some surface rust causing them to warble or not sound at all when played. I have not started the restoration of this box, and from what I can tell from its present state, the action is very fast and smooth, and the reeds speak very fast.
It comes in its original case, which still has a working lock, and hand strap and buckle.
The pictures of the box as it is today and without any restoration work on it whatsoever. The metal ends are dirty, probably dried on skin oil, dirt and some oxidisation. The hand straps are dry, and could benefit from some leather treatment. Thumbstraps are also in good condition, and from them it seems that the action boxes have never been opened.
There is a little provenance with this instrument. There is a name and address written in pencil inside:
James Hadwen
43 ...... Road (illegible road name)
Barnsley
and a previous address in Sheffield. Would be nice to identify who this individual was, and possibly when he owned this 'tina.
My plan is initially do the minimal restoration work on this box and to get it playing again - clean and polish the ends and buttons, treat the hand straps, replace tired valves as necessary, clean up the rusty reeds and tune as necessary, leave the original pads (they seem in great condition and no obvious sign of having been eaten by the concertina bug). Initially I plan to leave it in philharmonic pitch (depending on the results of removing rust from the low pitch reeds), and then decide about a full retune later. Once playing again, I plan to use this as my main box for song accompaniment.
Steve
-
Looked like a melodeon to me.
-
Dick
My baritone Aeola is number 25873.
I'll start a new thread and post some pics if I get time this weekend.
Steve
-
Congratulations on acquiring such a fine instrument.
The baritone Aeola I recently acquired is similar to the description of your TT.
It's amazing to think that 'tinas in this condition after around 100 years are still out there.
-
Steve, when the owner was asked on the show, she said she thought it might be worth about £50!
I thought about bidding for this box, but I think a 64 key extended TT woud be a little too heavy for the dance music I play, so I decided not to bid.
Having seen the bit of the program with the expert opinion and later sale, it seems to have been a very clean box with little required in the line of work (except the usual fettling of old boxes that have sat unused and unloved for decades).
Anyone on this forum win this box?
Mind you I have since aquired a lovely original condition baritone Aeola.
Steve
-
Did you see the Wheatstone on Flog It today?
Metal Ended. Wrist Straps. Looked like an extended or a TT perhaps?
Serial No. 26546 ... does that make it 1914/15?
It was bought by a phone bidder ...... anyone here buy it?
The owner got it from an old lady 30 years ago & it has been in her garage ever since.
It looked pretty clean.
Sold for £2,200
Cheers
Dick
From the ledgers:
Nov 19th (1914), No19A, Octo Nickel 64 keys SV
Model 19A is an extended tenor-treble (and cost around £27 in 1914)
Steve
-
I may be visiting Houston TX for a few days within the next 2 weeks or so (plans are a little sketchy right now - waiting for confirmation of dates).
Is there anything happening there that's related to:
concertinas
scandinavian traditional music
english/scottish traditional music & song
morris dance
Thanks
Steve
Just found out that my dates are around 12th September.
Steve
-
I may be visiting Houston TX for a few days within the next 2 weeks or so (plans are a little sketchy right now - waiting for confirmation of dates).
Is there anything happening there that's related to:
concertinas
scandinavian traditional music
english/scottish traditional music & song
morris dance
Thanks
Steve
-
I have 2x full season tickets for Towersey festival (27-31 Aug) with site 2 camping.
Will sell separately, or as a pair.
Face value £116 each.
Will accept £105 each.
These are available as e-tickets and will be forwarded.
Steve
These are still available.
I will accept £95 each or £185 the pair.
Please PM me with a phone number if you're interested.
Steve
-
I have 2x full season tickets for Towersey festival (27-31 Aug) with site 2 camping.
Will sell separately, or as a pair.
Face value £116 each.
Will accept £105 each.
These are available as e-tickets and will be forwarded.
Steve
bump
Anyone going?
I'm open to sensible offers on these tickets so as not to waste them.
-
I have 2x full season tickets for Towersey festival (27-31 Aug) with site 2 camping.
Will sell separately, or as a pair.
Face value £116 each.
Will accept £105 each.
These are available as e-tickets and will be forwarded.
Steve
bump
-
I have 2x full season tickets for Towersey festival (27-31 Aug) with site 2 camping.
Will sell separately, or as a pair.
Face value £116 each.
Will accept £105 each.
These are available as e-tickets and will be forwarded.
Steve
-
Steve
you have not commented on the state of the bellows, bellows are a consummable- replaceable item. You would find it easier to sacrifice the bellows, and work from inside the instrument. If necessary you can always remove the bellows core by splitting off the end binding, and re-fitting them afterwords. It is better than scrapping off the entire instument by messing up the reedpans.
Dave
Dave
Thanks for the good suggestion.
The bellows are in reasonable condition, so I'd lile to preserve them. The leather runs around the bellows frames on each end are however, a little shabby in places. It is a good option to remove these end runs and then replace.
Steve
-
Is there a pinned list of stolen instruments with serial numbers on this forum?
Steve
-
This is what we do when splitting apart various components of player pianos and crank organs (monkey organs).
Be thankful that the otherwise unspeakable "repairer" left the chamois layer in place, as that will make splitting it with a putty knife much easier.
Don't use too sharp a blad on the putty knife -- too sharp will dig into the wood on one side or the other and mess it up, while a duller blade will skip over the wood surfaces and remain between them in the chamois, giving a neat separation. The putty knife as it comes from the store is about right.
Do pray that he used bone or hide glue, and not modern stuff like Elmer's or PVC. Bone/hide glue can be softened with water or heat, and is easy to sand off afterwards. Modern glues are a curse for re-rebuilding a box of any kind.
Good luck -- Mike K.
Mike
Thanks for the suggestion.
The original chamois is still in place - this should have been fixed to the bellows frame with bone/hide glue.
The glue holding in the reedpans is between the outer/fluffy face of the chamois and the wood of the reedpans. It appears to be modern glue - my hunch is waterproof PVA.
I can use the idea of cutting away the edge of the chamois around the edge of the bellows frame, and then wedge in a blade (like your idea of a putty knife or broad blade) between the chamois and the wood of the bellows frame. The original bone/hide glue may be brittle, given that most of the other glue on this box I've seen appears to be crystaline, then the chamois should come away relatively easily.
Steve
-
I'll also try (very sparingly!) various solvents - such as methylated spirits, white spirit, naptha, lighter fuel - to see if the glue will loosen.
Would help if I knew what type of glue had been used.
It's clear and hard (my first thought was waterproof PVA).
-
Just when you think you've seen it all.....
I've recently acquired an EC for restoration - appears as though the previous owner may have (in an attempt to seal the box presumably) glued in the reedpans.
Try as I might, I cant get the reed pans out.
Looks to me like glue (and it appears as though it's not water soluble) has been smeared around the chamois and then the reedpans refitted.
Any ideas on how I might get the reedpans out?
I've thought about running a sharp thin blade around the chamois between the bellows frames and each reedpan, and separating the chamois from the wood of the bellows frames. This may work provided that the reedpans arent also glued to the support blocks - but then the old bone glue is very brittle and crystalised so may not offer too much resistance when it comes to pulling out the reedpans. I may then be able to pull out the reedpans complete with the old chamois (which would have been replaced anyway as part of the restoration work).
Any other suggestions?
Steve
Wheatstone Aeola TT at auction
in General Concertina Discussion
Posted
Dick
Marketed as non-corrosive reeds, brass reeds were offered as an option by Wheatstone on instruments that were going into damp or tropical climates.
These reeds were of top quality on a par with steel reeds, as one would have expected if paying £26 for a box in 1918, and play as well as steel reeds.
Steve