DDF

How about making them from dowel as a lot of them seem to have originally been. Like one of the old styles Ive seen you could "top" them with caps made form plastic.Perhaps circles cut from ping pong balls.The larger surface area should then allow a reasonable bond between the plastic and wood. I think the wood dowel to wood lever glued with something like Titebond will probably be more durable than animal glue.David.

This was my first attempt at a Jeffries style case ,plenty of room for improvement.I like that type of case and they seem to seem to last better than most designs and protect the contents pretty well.As Chris mentions one problem with them is they do shrink so with that in mind I used a extra thick lining so it could be replaced with the normal thin velvet at a later date should this be a problem.Many years ago I made a similar shape case and behind the lining I put two layers of corrugated cardboard .That seems to have stood the test of time well as that concertina has been in and out of its case almost daily since 1980.Jeffries cases store on their sides well .I usually store mine with the handle facing one direction then after a few months I face it in the other direction.I guess its like turning a fine wine. David.

Looks like a concertina, but doesn’t sound like one. Yes the credits say "accordion player". That particular instrument has even more bellows folds than an accordion.

Here is another. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KR8Y6P_quM

Yes.David. http://www.concertina.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=18855&hl=

Yes that will be across the corners.That will make it 6 1/4" across the flats which is normal and will not affect the value the most important thing is whether anyone has mucked about with the reeds.David.

I have no intention of buying this instrument, but as I'm now living only a few miles away, I will probably stagger along on the viewing day (19 Sept) - just to have a look, and to see if it's playable. How do I tell if it is a Linota? What should I look for? Thank you. Roger Those look like the original hand rests so they may have Linota stamped on them.if the reeds are in good shape it could be a really good concertina.David.

Lachenal in every detail apart from the fake stamp.David.

good question. My reasoning was that for the cosmetic bellows paper (as you say not part of any of the hinges) a water-fast leather effect paper would be a cheaper and quicker alternative for bellows decorating as you would not have to bother with skiving the edges of lots of leather patches (unless you brought it very thin). I have a frank edgley concertina which has this stuff on it where it seems a pretty appropriate solution. I could always ask him what he used I guess A few years ago Andrew Norman made me a new set of bellows for a linota which has this type of textured leather paper so I guess he must know a supplier. I found him always to be very helpful so it would be worth approaching him to see if he might give you a lead.David.

I have one also still in the original tuning.David.

Don, if you do not have any luck nearer I think this company will probably send to Canada .David. https://eileensemporium.com/index.php?option=com_hikashop&ctrl=category&task=listing&cid=1036&name=hand-drills-pin-vices-1&Itemid=189

Thanks,That is exactly what I was imagining it would look like a tapered dovetail.David.

My guess would be if we could see the back view the other end of that centre joint/dovetail it would be a different size so when the bellows are fully compressed they can be slid apart .I think the idea of making a ten fold bellows out of two fives makes sense but I don't think that type of joint would be used.David.

And yet another unusual concertina one to share maybe?Maybe a falling apart novelty instrument? David. http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/adampartridge/catalogue-id-adam-p10092/lot-489f1d74-1489-453b-861a-a62c00f75d61

Here is a nice 1930 Linota .Anyone know why it is 7" across? http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/huntlyauctions/catalogue-id-huntly10002/lot-ae64d09e-db9e-494a-bfbe-a5a600bd6730

Nice looking concertina with good receipt http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/bromptons/catalogue-id-brompt10000/lot-c3b8137c-db76-4cd1-b5b3-a62100bc8b1d

Patrick,That broken end is solid wood most boxes concertina or otherwise will be veneer.It also appears to be Brazilian rosewood so a lot more difficult to match successfully it will play fine with the end as is so I shouldn't be in a hurry to repair with anything inappropriate,all the best David.

Hello Patrick,The grooves are for lining the pads up when building the concertina or replacing the pads.Without it is very difficult to place the pads evenly over the holes.If you have not worked in rosewood before there are a couple of things to be aware of it is hard and oily so glueing and polishing is more of an issue than something like mahoany.It smells beautiful when worked(a bit like roses) but is bad for your lungs so mask and ventilation are agood idea.If you use old wood maybe salvaged from furniture sand the surface before starting as the wood tends to go a lot darker, same with the existing concertina end,expect that to darken when you prepare for refinishing.It is best to try and get replacement wood as near to matching the original as possible as stain doesn't really work that well on rosewood. As others have said here it is a rare instrument and could be easily devalued not just from a finacial point of view .Good luck whatever you decide to do,David.

Savills do a few sizes.David. http://hesavill.co.uk/epages/8bb127b2-081b-4bc3-9e31-4040ca85194b.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/8bb127b2-081b-4bc3-9e31-4040ca85194b/Products/L.245

My dog happily lays around tolerating Irish music but anything with a hint of English seems to upset her. https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=!AN4p3CU9Fe_h3ls&cid=A9CC7475AF810A94&id=a9cc7475af810a94!132&parId=A9CC7475AF810A94!130&o=OneUp

https://www.pittards.com/about/contact-us/

I have no particular connection with Pittards but the prices seem to me very reasonable if you want to practice making bellows.They do a lot of glove leather so if you take along a vernier gauge there is a pretty good chance of finding what you need.I think I paid £19 per skin for B grade.One skin will provide plenty of material for a set of seven fold anglo bellows.As Steve say you'll have to do your own skiving/paring.David.

Hi Matt,Probably not to far for you to pop down to Yeovil where Pittards are based.they have a large factory shop with hundreds of skins all graded so you can buy ones with scars or offcuts very reasonably.I was there last week and bought a half calf hide for cases but in the past I have bought quite a few nice goat skins and and they do nice £4 hide offcuts(or maybe they are samples) which are big enough for several sets of hand straps.Hope that is some help,David. https://www.pittards.com/shop-leather/

If you down load the image onto a memory card /stick,cd or such like and take it to a print shop/ photo shop/library or any one with a reasonable laser printer I think you'll find the results can be pretty good and can be sealed for even more durability.But it does need to be a laser printer not inkjet.With ordinary paper inkjet printing tends to dye the paper whereas laser lays the printing medium on top of the paper more like a proper print.Not great for photos but not bad for labels etc. I drew some bellows papers last year and laser printed them in an office laser printer and was very pleased with the results.David.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Concertina-Letter-/172100414203?hash=item2811fbeafb:g:lz4AAOSwDuJWvys3