Clive Thorne

Yes, that could also work.

I got the impression from the OP that the lady in question wanted to play out with people but lacked the confidence, i.e. there was no external pressure. I wasn't proposing a couple of drinks as a long term solution, just for the first couple of times, until she gets used to the idea. Yes it is a crutch, but one that might help her "Get on her feet", after which it can be discarded.

I had similar problems "Coming out" as a melodeon player. Your suggestions of sitting at the back is a good one. If she's a drinker than a couple of drinks might help with the nerves, as long as it doesn't affect the playing. A few pints certainly helped me when I first sang in public.

Many years ago(approx 40) I had a dream where I had "Invented" and built a "Dobro" concertina. Basically I think it was like normal except that it had thin metal baffles, attached in one palce,centrally, so they would resonate with the reeds. Probably a good job I woke up.

Is it just me, but the prices seem significantly lower than over here, given that 1 AUD is about 54p?

I would have thought (but don't know) that the pressure from letting one hang would be far less than the pressure & vacuum created during playing, even if you had a button pressed during playing.

Contrary to Simon's view, I think that the simple tunes that you already know (i.e. you can hum or whistle them) can be a very good starting point (especially if you don't read the dots), be it hot cross buns or whatever. Shepherds Hey is very useful because you only need 4 buttons to play it in it's basic form, and all on the right hand (Anglo) (ignoring the octave drop if in C). Even if you only play it in the first week or so it is a good starting point for a complete beginner. I am a bit beyond complete beginner but chose Shepherds Hey as my first foray into playing in D (G/C anglo) and then into F, and playing in G on the C row. I'd have thought an absolute beginner would be more likely to be put off by tackling a more complicated tune and struggling rather than playing a "boring" tune reasonably well. Why would you want to make life difficult for yourself/them? And, as for Hot Cross Buns. Double buttered for me. First coat to melt and soak in, then more cold butter to sit on the surface. Same as crumpet really. What do you mean, heart attack?

Thread revival after 18 years! Is this a record?

I guess that if the weight was a problem you stick the end on a milling machine and machine over half of the metal away, with no degredation in performance.

Winding springs is easy. First get your self some mirrors, then a source of smoke - a cigarette of cigar might suffice, but a full blown smoke machine would be better. If you also have some "snake oil" then better still. To quote Spinal Tap "I'm joking, of course".

I've just listened to this. Maybe I am "cloth eared", but to me the biggest difference was the base tone of the instruments The metal ended ET instrument having more "attack" and edge than the wooden ended MT one. I prefered the tone of the metal ended ET one, and to be honest, did not notice much difference that I would attribute to the tuning. As I say maybe I am cloth eared, or maybe I am just used to playing equal temperament (Metal ended). Lovely playing by the way, irrespective of temperament!

Genuine question: Is there a problem playing non equal temperament instruments alongside equal temperament instruments, or indeed with instruments of a different non-equal temperament? If not then great. If so, then unless you're a purist or a strictly solo player then I'd suggest sticking with equal temperament as I suspect that the vast majority of instruments are (please correct me if I am wrong).

Mmm....... Pickled Cucumbers.

Those are some lovely bits of work Alex. To me the button heads look fine, but then they against a shiny (stainless steel?) background. They might not look so good against the dark wood background, where the brass would seem to be more subtle, irrespective of the head form. Can stainless be chemically blackened?

A button head Allen screw might look better than the convention head, but whetehr you can get them in M2.5/M3 at a suitable length I don't know. Addendum: someone in China claims to supply M2.5 button head up to 40mm: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323005841871