Bill Crossland

Straight buttton rows and odd button layout..... Does it play as a conventional anglo?

I've been making and fitting new wood and metal ends to concertinas for the last ten years, and have drawings for lots of different ends. This is part of my repairing business, so while I'm happy to undertake work, I'd be reluctant, for obvious reasons, to give away drawings/expertise......

Now sold

This is a set of solid metal buttons (48 buttons weigh 132g) that appear to have been turned on a lathe from a solid bar, possibly stainless steel. They are very well made and polished, and the cross button bushing holes have been properly flared to ease the fitting of the bushing and allow the button to move properly on the lever arm. They are all bushed and have the felt washer on the bottom and have not been used - they have come from a partially repaired Wheatstone instrument which I acquired, and I replaced these new buttons with some genuine Wheatstone wooden centred metal buttons, Exact dimensions are shown on the pdf, but they are approximately 5mm diameter with a 2mm diameter guide pin on the bottom. They are 24mm total length, of which the pin length is 5.5mm. The lever hole is 2.85mm diameter. They have a slight dome on the top and would make an excellent replacement set for an English concertina or an upgrade for a bone buttoned instrument. I will include some extra felt washers and bushing felt for the cross bushings. Price £48 plus postage depending on where you are! Concertina button.pdf

Geoff Crabb very kindly posted his records of dating of Crabb concertinas from the serial numbers - attached. Yours appears to date from 1964 Crabb Dating Document.docx

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=183241492928795&ref=notif&notif_id=1590168328159908&notif_t=live_video

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=183241492928795&ref=notif&notif_id=1590168328159908&notif_t=live_video

And I've just started work on an Aeola with brass pins. Maybe the brain fades in and out as required......

Thanks both.Sorry Alex, you are right, steel rather than brass on old instruments, brain fade on my part. I usually have lots of bits of brass wire left over from spring making which fit the bill - I cut them on an acute angle to get a sharper point, rather than grinding them, but do sometimes struggle to get them in without a curse or two.....

Like Alex, I put the pins in afterwards, but use brass wire (for no other reason that it was dood enough for the old makers. But, a supplementary question - what wood to use as the chamber separators? I've used 1.6 or 2mm aircratft ply for the treble and the baritone anglos I've made, and it has been suggested by various people who have seen/played them that the ply may have a sound deadening effect. I'm in the process of remaking the treble and am intending to try a solid wood partition. Should it be a tonewood, or does it matter? The old makers appear to have used sycamore or something similar....

A picture or two would help

I have used this process on both old and new nickel silver ends with success. Baritone Anglo with newly plated ends pictured below. Not sure there would be equal success with chromed or silver plated ends......

The treble side if the Anglo I made was preety good, but the bigger reeds on the left hand were reluctant to speak quickly. Having said that, putting traditional Lachenal concertina reeds in didn't massively improve the left hand, so that may be a problem with my construction, rather than the reeds themselves. More professional makers get a far better result - Ralf Schlimm's Seven Mount boxes are pretty good.

Dix supplied the attached drawings of the various reed sizes when I bought some from them about 18 months ago, and were very helpful with any queries. This was when the reeds were single rivetted, rather than clamped, so it may not be the definitive version. Contact them through their website for more information. DIX CONCERTINA Reed sizes.pdf

The seller would have received around £2400 after the auction took their bite, it would be far better to sell on Cnet!