Theo

Corrected

I knew that the Dippers sometimes used valve helper springs on larger reeds, and I've sometimes done the same myself. The concertina I'm posting about has them on every valve right up to the highest pitches, even the top few that probably don't need any valves. A quick experiment shows that if I lift a valve while the reed is sounding there is an obvious increase in volume.

I can understand sometimes the very low pitch reeds need special valve treatment, but this poor anglo has extra stiff valves even on the very highest reeds that would normally be better off without any valves at all. I think Nick is correct though I would describe it as a botched job. Budging is or was an honourable trade of making simple furniture from green wood.

That’s what is happening with this concertina, the valves are so stiff that they hardly lift at all. The result is a muted sound.

Its similar to an accordion valve, but home made. Accordion valves are rectangular, not tapered, and the helper springs are almost always steel, not plastic. These have a very "home made" look.

This Shakespeare anglo is in my workshop at the moment and I got quite a surprise when my initial inspection found this unconventional style of valves. Has anyone seen these before? There is no repairers signature inside. The helper springs fitted to the valves are made of a clear plastic film and the resulting valve assembly is far to stiff for all but the lowest reeds so the reeds are muffled and unable to speak freely. I'm planning to replace all with conventional valves, and that will entail a retune too. I think that this is the work of an inexperienced repairer without access to the right materials, but I'm interested to hear if there is a reason for this kind of valve.

Several top anglos for sale on The Box Place - full details including photos by following this link Crabb 31 key CG, Wheatstone Linota 32 key CG Carroll 30 key CG Lachenal 32 key CG Jeffries 26 key GD metal ends small format - a little gem. and in preparation I have a Shakespeare Bb/F There is also a Crabb English and a couple of duets.

I have a 27 key Jeffries GD that is close to the size you are looking for 5 7/16” across the flats. Mire details here https://theboxplace.co.uk/product/jeffries-26-gd/

Post it notes make good shim material. Use the gummed edge and the shim will stay in place, but is still easy to remove.

Having re-read your original post I’m not sure spray mount would be the best. If you want the paper and card to be fixed permanently then you may want something longer lasting. If a lack of staining is important that will depend very much on the quality of paper and the way the image is printed. A bookbinder friend recently suggested I use a 50/50 mix of bookbinders pva and starch paste as a general purpose adhesive fir card felt and leather. This will give a very secure tight bond between the paper and card. It wouldn’t stain, but the water in it might make your ink smudge. Test it first.

You need "spray mount" adhesive. Also know as template adhesive. It's designed to be temporary.

If the blackness is just a heavy tarnish, is smooth and not flaking then I would leave it. Almost any abrasive that will remove the tarnish will also alter the tuning. Of course if the reeds need tuning anyway then go ahead. The fibreglass pen that Alex suggests is my preferred tool for tuning brass reeds. It’s gentler and more controllable than a file, and leaves a nice smooth surface.

That's a big step up Mike. Should do wonders for the upper body strength too!

Melnet uses SMF, but the big hurdle for c.net would be migrating the existing forum across from Invision. It might be easy, but it might not! The functionality of SMF is different from Invision in some ways, but it does have add-ons available which add other features, but are of variable quality. Such is the nature of open source software. We pay for our own hosting and have now found a host who gives us a very high standard of support. My co-admin is an IT professional which is also a big help. Donations from members who use our Buy and Sell forum comfortably covers hosting costs, but there is a much larger market for buying and selling melodeons than for concertinas, so this would not necessarily work for c.net.

I sincerely hope you can make the adverts less intrusive. I’ve just been offered free browsing of pictures of an adult dating site. I would be very sorry if this became a regular feature of concertina.net. I’m an admin on melodeon.net and we’ve never needed to consider advertising. Members donations amply cover hosting costs, and we use a public domain forum script.