Alex West

Fair comment Alex West

Even half-hard brass? I've seen Wheatstones & Jeffries from over 100 years ago still with the original and perfectly functional brass springs... Alex West

They do exist! I have one ... Alex West

Two of the benefits of fish glue and rabbit skin glue are that they dry brittle, and that they're reversible. Drying brittle means that when the bellows are expanded and compressed, the glue forms micro-cracks which are air-tight but retain flexibility so the bellows are fluid in operation. Reversible means that you can heat or wet the glued joint to release the glued items either to strip it apart, reglue to correct a mistake or WHY. If reversibility isn't a concern, the Titebond original dries brittle. I've used it for a set of bellows and one of the renowned makers also has/does. PVA (used neat or diluted) is a well used bookbinding glue, but is neither reversible, nor does it dry brittle and worse, it stiffens in colder weather so the bellows will be sluggish to operate if you use PVA for the joints that flex. PVA is fine for joints that aren't required to bend and straighten multiple times. It's a huge hassle to individually think for each component, "What is the purpose of this joint and which glue should I use?" So most folk stick with the glue that they understand best Alex West

Johanna As with most things in concertina repair, patience is the key. Try breaking the pad off the lever using a scalpel or sharp craft knife rather than using brute force and that should make it possible to clean up the old dried glue without damaging the pad, even if it's old. Once you've got it cleaned up, position the pad by looking underneath the action pan so that you can see when the raised part of the pad leather is seated neatly in the hole. It's possible that the lever isn't centred over the middle of the pad. You can centre it by jiggling the lever gently or in a more extreme case, bending the lever sideways, again gently. Then apply the glue of your choice. You don't need loads, a dot is usually sufficient. If you reuse existing ads, then the height of the buttons will remain consistent and you don't need to go through the process of adjusting button heights to get uniformity. If you do need new pads, springs, valves, etc., as long as you're not thinking to replace all of them, then one of the repairers here (and maybe even the new makers) might be able to let you have a small number. It's always worth a question, even if the answer is "No." Alex West

For what it's worth, I think my fellow Alex's suggestion of one or more of the pads not seating properly is the most obvious cause of the issues. However much you don't want to re-do it, that's to me the first place to start Alex West

Not all music is for dancing, but a lot of the traditional forms - jig, reel, polka, hornpipe - have their origins in a dance and if you're playing for dancing, it's worthwhile getting the tempo and pulse right so the dancers are assisted in doing the dance in some sort of proper rhythm. Think of the subtle but obvious difference between a Viennese waltz and a traditional waltz if you want that example. I can't speak for Irish dance but certainly in Scotland, there's a larger distinction of tunes with a purpose; as well as the above usual suspects, strathspey, schottishe, barn dance, two step, 3-step, 2/4 pipe march, 6/8 pipe march. Get the rhythm wrong and you're in trouble. Allow the dancers to dictate the pace and you'll be fine. As Scan Tester said - watch for the best dancer in the room and play for them. As long as you're not playing the music for a purpose other than your own amusement or for people to listen to and tap their feet, you can play at any speed you like. It's still worth playing at a speed where your own technique allows the value and weight of each note to be appreciated. I'm probably misquoting him, but Mohsen Amini - who has a phenomenal technique - said in an interview I heard that if he had a choice between technique (or musical purity - I forget the actual comparator) and excitement or energy, he chose excitement every time. And his audiences certainly seem to appreciate his choice. (Although he did say in the same interview that "We're just musical clowns really"). Alex West

It's almost the opposite in English dances and in a lot of Scottish dances. If you play the tunes too fast, it's impossible to dance and get all the steps in so it becomes a fast walk or run. In the dances we played for in the 1970s and '80s, there was a move away from faster paced playing which had become common, towards much slower tempos where dancers could show off their stepping. I found the same when I moved to Scotland. The older musicians particularly (conditioned to a certain extent by the strict instructions as to tempo of the RSCDS) played at a very steady pace and decried some of the younger musicians whose habit was to play fast in order to show off their pyrotechnics. Many of the musicians who came from dancing to the concert stage found that they played fast in order to bring a degree of excitement to a listening rather than a dancing audience. Younger musicians coming from the university music courses have copied this before their skills are fully developed so that the tune and its relevance gets lost in a rush of notes. All above in my opinion - others will have different views Alex West

Likewise, I never met David but always appreciated his posts and his fine workmanship. Sad to hear Alex West

Leathercloth is what you're describing. I got a roll to cover a case I made and also to use to see if it would produce valves for a "vegan" concertina; partially successful Even skived leather may need some further thinning. Professional (and serious amateur) bookbinders would use a litho stone but I use a bathroom tile and a skiving knife I made from a hacksaw blade (similar to those available from bookbinders suppliers. The knife needs to be ultra sharp Alex West

If you look carefully, you'll see that there are some subtle differences between the papers on your friend's instrument and the ones on Theo's site. Off topic slightly but I love the spelling corrected text which Theo uses to describe how wonderful his concertina is:- "Any angle paler would be delighted with this instrument." Alex West

Donvon Yes, the papers are indicative of a Crabb. I haven't done the detailed comparison myself. A Crabb would normally have a number written or impressed into it in one or more of a number of places, unless it was an instrument made by Crabb for one of the other maker/re-sellers, so look on the inside of the bellows frames, the underside of the action boxes and the reed pans for a number. I have to say that neither the fretwork nor the action looks like a Crabb to me. That's why I suggested Shakespeare or Jones. But others with more experience may care to chip in Alex West

Full details of the above event are lower down on the site postings, but for those who are interested, I'll be running a workshop on concertina repair and maintenance at the event on Sunday 16th at 11.15. I'll be concentrating on the vintage style instruments rather than accordion reeded hybrids (although some elements are common) and attempting to cover just a few simple things which should be within the grasp of all concertina owners and players, such as bellows maintenance, valve, spring and pad replacement as well as a bit of problem diagnosis. I won't be going into the more extreme aspects of full instrument restoration - there's only so much I can cover in 80 minutes! If anyone's coming who has an instrument with "issues" that I can use as a demonstration piece, I'd be interested to hear from you! Alex West

Thanks Donvon. These aren't Jeffries papers Alex West

Malcolm I just did a quick mental sum and I made a mistake. So yes, you're correct. However, if the instrument is in old pitch, A=455Hz, then Bb might well sound as A on a tuner calibrated to A =440Hz pitch? (or close to it). I didn't clock the SA case so missed that possible connection but ravages of time, one swallow etc. Who knows? I have come across an instrument recently where the entire bottom row was shifted one button along so the reed that you might expect was a B, was in fact a G ... Alex West

Donvon There's a few features that suggest that it might not be a Jeffries. The stamp looks genuine at first glance, but the fretwork pattern doesn't look like a Jeffries 30 key pattern to me, including but not limited to the scroll-work and the third screw into the bushing board. The piercing to the side frames isn't completely unusual for a Jeffries (or similar Victorian) but it's by no means common. But the action; Apart from the one obvious Lachenal lever and post, the rest of the action looks to be either Jones or Shakespeare - probably Shakespeare and definitely not Jeffries. I couldn't make out the bellows gilding to confirm Alex H's comments, but do you have a clear picture of the papers? And what about the reeds - what do they look like? Your single note identification could indicate that it's a Bb/F instrument (or B/F# in old pitch). but that's a guess without seeing and hearing the other reeds None of the above means it's a bad instrument and won't play well once renovated, just that it isn't worth what a 30 key C/G Jeffries would be, restored or in existing condition. Alex West

The full programme is now available - see attached. Should be a great weekend! Button Boxes programme leaflet 2025.pdf

That was Ben Otto - he died 2 or 3 years ago as I recall Alex

Just one observation, looking at the original video. The "normal" connection of pad to lever arm is via the grommet on the end of the arm and a small disc of leather (samper) on top of the pad, all glued with a small amount of the glue of your choice. This gives some flexibility for the pad to flex laterally and take up small misalignments to seal fully. With the amount of glue joining the grommet to the pad and no evidence of a samper, it's practically a solid connection with no chance of flexing. Alex West

Good effort! There's no need to buy a whole new concertina though. If you go to Alex Holden's website (https://www.holdenconcertinas.com/) and search through his concertina build stories, you'll see how he makes his bellows. Every maker has their own methods (adapted to their tools, experience and ability) and every one can have an opinion as to what is and what makes the best bellows, but following Alex's stories and looking at the improvements he's made along the way will give you a good start. Alex West

This is similar to a design that Wim Wakker used for a time, except that the "rivet" was a simple steel pin acting as a trunnion (axle). I had a bunch of these from a project which was gifted to me and used it quite successfully on a complete rebuild project, the big advantage being that I could use a simple flat sheet of brass as the lever rather than beating a flat into a round bar. Alex West

PMs sent Alex West

Nikita You'll see your instrument here http://www.horniman.info/DKNSARC/SD01/PAGES/D1P0760S.HTM, dated September 7th 1915. And you'll see from this reference that 72 keys was a 'standard' size.http://www.concertina.com/pricelists/wheatstone-duet/Wh-Pricelist-Duet-c1915.pdf. There are more references to the Maccann duets here http://www.concertina.com/maccann-duet/index.htm I've no idea how many were made and the relationship with the other sizes - you could spend many a happy hour looking through the Wheatstone ledgers unless someone's al;ready done that! Alex West

Alan If you look at the way Simon Thoumire plays the English, he hardly uses the pinky rest at all and twists the thumbstrap round so that (at least on the Right hand keyboard), he's playing it practically horizontally Alex West

John Kirkpatrick gives lessons via Zoom or Skype in the "English" style of playing https://www.johnkirkpatrick.co.uk/lessons.asp Alex West