LolaBoots

I got this old German-made 5 fold impulsively and cheaply as my entry into concertinas. I want to have a go getting this more playable, changing as little as possible and preserving what I can. I have time, skills and tools but seem to be low on money as always. So far I gather it was made sometime between 1850 and 1940 which isn't greatly precise but enough for me to consider this as something from "the olden days". I don't want to unwittingly ruin anything historical and I plan to keep anything I remove or change because at the very least its interesting. And also write a note about what I do to leave in the case. It is what I would consider playable. Notes seem to be relatively in tune and most all working. Some notes don't sound as easily as others unless the air is pushed harder, I could describe as maybe a bit wheezy and breathy? I've been able to play some basic little tunes (and had a lot of fun so far ) and I'm planning to carefully clean the reeds with something akin to a Q-tip and isopropyl. The bellows seem okay but if you hold one end up and let the other drop without holding any buttons, It will slowly expand over about 16s. I plan to shine a bright light through from the inside of the bellows and patch any holes with a suitable glue and paper or very thin leather. Any recommended glues and kind of paper? (Is PVA wood glue okay?) - Some notes buzz in an old-timey alarm fashion, I figure the pin holding the reed to the plate is loose, do you think this is a nail/ screw/ rivet? - Does each reed need a leather flap? (brown reed flaps as pictured below) Is this potentially the cause of the harder to sound notes that are wheezy? I want to fix the box with new hinges and latches. I don't think I can get the lock working despite having an old key that I ground the tooth on so it fits well and turns but hits a dead end both ways at about 140 degrees. I think I'm best to add some new low profile latches on the outside. I will try make any new brass look old, I love the old look of the case. As I've been told in my previous post, I will store this on its side. I'm thinking some kind of matt Mod Podge or varnish to seal the outside of the case and protect the cool old label. Also may add some old wood splines to some of the loose corner joins. I think it would be cool to keep the splines visible, is this a crime? For the handles, will find some old aged leather that looks the part. I think the thumb button may need fixing too under the bone cap. I can figure these things out! Overall, I don't mind if its a little out of tune and scratchy, as long as its just playable enough. I think the roughness and patchy repairs is charming and suitable for this instrument. Maybe one day I can get (or make...) a better one Any advice is greatly appreciated, and thanks for taking the time to check out this post Even just pointing out any red flag in my approach would help! Happy to take more pics and do progress updates if people are interested. ❤️

^ Thanks for the tip! ^ Is this a severe enough offence to warrant a title edit..? ^ That is great to know, So pre-1940 (approx)? I do wonder as it seems this kind is made for export if the box label would've been there from the factory, printed in English in Germany or if it could've been added by the retailer after export. I would love to find another instance of the graphic with "P.B" to relate it to. On another note, am I correct that these cheaper exports largely went out of popularity after 1920/ 1930? Thanks for the replies, I am new and excited. This is my entry point to concertinas as janky as this one may be. I'm getting a lot of enjoyment out of it already! Any tips or clues about this concertina would be greatly greatly appreciated. So far I gather I could be from between 1850 - 1940, narrowing this down even if its just speculation would be awesome. I'm going to make a separate post to gather advice on restoration. I've seen people say here that these aren't worth it but to me its a project I will learn from (even if it doesn't much apply to better concertinas) and will get me started playing. There is just no way I can afford a better one but I have time and tools

I recently purchased an old 20 button anglo concertina from a seller in Auckland, NZ. I asked for background and they told me they brought it off and old guy who said it hasn't been played for 70 years. It seems very old! But it still works, and notes seem to not be horribly out of tune. I intend to do minimal restoration to try make it work a bit better, and preserve the case. It seems to be a German made export, imitating a Nickolds exterior. This page has the closest example to be found (thanks to my gf for finding): http://www.concertina.com/chambers/michaelstein/ The fretwork is the same as item [17] & [18], and seems closest to item [18], with rosewood(?) veneer, bone key caps over wood, 5 fold green leather bellows. I can see parts of wooden arms and I think it has the same mechanism as this post: There are no manufactured marks on the concertina. There is something written on the bellows in ink that I cant decipher. The case however has a partially intact label! It appears to have a serial number of 1729 written in ink along with the word Concertina in an old English style font. Below printed is "Keys" with 20 written in ink, the word Organ is printed with an ink line through it. On the left is the lower half of a crest featuring 2 brick battlement towers with domes atop, and an old looking sail ship seemingly emerging from one of the towers, green foliage in foreground. Below the crest is "P B" on a ribbon graphic. photos attached! I didn't see at first, but in the blank area on the lower left is some pencil writing that I can't quite make out. There may be pencil writing on the case just below the escutcheon and in the lid in ink is underlined 1101. It has what seems to be typical of a lower quality German export, one solid reed plate with 10 brass reeds. They all seem in decent order and I'm hoping a clean will help. Some of the notes are a bit wheezy and harder to get sound out of. I think the bellows are in decent condition? I will definitely be fixing the straps. I will keep the broken ones for archaeological sake in the case along with info and what I've done to it. The the case hinges are broken brass seemingly from corrosion, I will replace them and try get the lock working. I'm thinking of finding a suitable varnish or lacquer to preserve/ protect the case and label, I love how old it looks! This is my first 'tina ever and I was inspired by playing the game Sea of Thieves. I can see myself getting or making a 30-button one day! There is something about concertinas that I especially like and its fun trying to piece together the history with the available clues. So, please join me in the fun and hopefully we can paint a picture of its history P.S I will try edit the photos of the hard to read pencil marks to try reveal them, and happy to upload more pics at request. I will try get to the mechanisms soon