Marcus

Looks very much the same as mine! I used Danish Oil. Installed the chamois gaskets and reed pans. Riveted the levers to the posts and am about to start assembling the action. I think my rivets may be a little too tight, so adjustment may be necessary. Laying out the levers on the action board is proving to be quite the puzzle! I am in awe of the craftsmen who turn out the beautiful instruments we play! I'm sure mine won't be quite the same quality!

I agree - Mick Bramich's book and cd are great. I also found Frank Edgely's book to be a really good introduction. John William's DVD was really good also.

More recently I've been listening to a lot of Boer concertina. There's some great stuff on YouTube and some wonderful recordings by Danie Grey on iTunes.

I love Mary Macnamara for her gentle flowing style and recently Jack Talty and Cormac Begley's duet album. I listen to William Kimber for his crisp rhythm. I really enjoy Michael O'Raghallaigh's heavily chorded Irish style - the best use of chords in Irish Trad! Recently iVe been listening to a lot of old time fiddle and banjo, probably due to Jody's influence. Spires and Boden have some great tunes with real bounce.

I listen to Jody Kruskal of course!

Yeah - sorry! For download!

Does anyone know if this recording is available digitally?

One more question! How much ink did you end up using?

"Yoda-like wisdom"! LOL That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for! It's tempting because the kit is expensive to over think each step of the process and the light hearted way you've approached it is really eye opening! I will endevour to lighten up! I'd love to see a photo of the color you achieved with the ink.

Did you use water proof india ink? Which brand was it? I'm going to have to order some so I might as well go with tried an tested! Were you worried about warping of the wood due to the water content of the ink? Did you stain the ends before assembling the instrument? Sorry for all the questions - just new to finishing wood and I REALLY don't want to screw it up!

Any concertina related visitors are welcome in Bermuda! I'm sure I could find somewhere to put you up!

How about a picture? How did you apply the india ink? Are you going to wax it to finish it off?

Very nice David! Two very talented players!

Don't forget your dues for International Concertina Association membership. If you're not a member you should consider it. Well worth the nominal fee to support a group which actively promotes concertina playing in all forms. http://www.concertina.org/ica/

So I began assembling my Clover kit last night. No it wasn't a drunken idea after an evening of revelry! I've been taking pictures at every step and will post these once I've formatted them for the web. It certainly makes you appreciate the skill of the craftsmen who build our wonderful instruments from scratch. Gluing preformed pieces is proving to be enough of a challenge for me with my limited DIY skills! I can't imagine forming all the pieces and designing the instrument itself! It's a great New Year project and hopefully the end result will be musical! Happy New Year to you all!

I hope we all have a healthy and prosperous New Year. Let's hope we all get a little better and if not we enjoy the noise we make all the more!

Merry Christmas to all the squeezers! All the best for the new year!

I'll be contacting you regarding staining the ends of my Clover kit! It's maple/sycamore and I'm no carpenter!

The reeds are Italian "a mano" accordion reeds. Can't wait to get started!

Very nice. Thanks and have a Merry Christmas!

The kit arrived yesterday and we picked it up from the post office today. I can't wait to start assembling it, but have to get Christmas and New Year out of the way first. I'm thinking of keeping a photo journal to document the process of building the kit and will surely post when complete (if I manage it!). I can't recommend Concertina Connection enough. Karen and Wim Wakker had this delivered to me with custom bellows in less than half the time originally indicated. I hope I can do them justice by building the instrument!

Beautiful! It must be amazing to receive that call after 48 months!

That would be fantastic George - How about Concertina Library - www.concertina.com? It seems to be the repositry for all things concertina!