rob_mcsweeney

Wouldn't have one for a Geo. Case, by any chance ? regards, rob

Hi Rob, you can't leave it at that you know! Where did you get the bits, how much did they cost, how long did it take and was it all worth it? Pete Hi Pete having finally managed to get my pads made ( couldn't do it on a weekday evening as the hammering woke the kids!) I can now answer your question.... Leather - £ 3.50 Felt - £ 0.50 Card - £ 1.00 (a guess, as I liberated this from SWMBO) Set of punches - £ 6.88 (eBay, inc. post) Chopping board - £ 0.99 Spray adhesive - £ 4.65 TOTAL £17.52, or 35p each for the 50 pads (plus a few 'wasters') I have made so far. There is easily enough 'sandwich' left to do one more treble English. plus I now have a set of punches and a chopping board in my toolkit. Rob

Hi Pete, very generous of you, I'd be very happy to donate to C.net, and of course pay your postage. so happy hunting on ebay! Agree with you as regards using a simple plywood top etc, think I'd add a few small holes as file holders. I would do a complete rebind etc, just for practice. regards, rob

if you do, would you consider selling me one of your donor bellows? Rob

went to £620 and didn't make reserve.

The guv'nor has spoken! PVA it is then. Thanks for the tip Theo, bought myself said chopping board this afternoon. Rob.

with respect, shellac is widely used in the musical instrument trade, amongst other things, woodwind instrument pads are secured into their cups by melting a single flake in the cup over a bunsen flame and then pressing the pad home.

regarding Naval songs, the late Cyril Tawney produced a book and 2 cassettes which would be a good starting point. I think the book was 'Grey Funnel Lines', the second recording was 'Round the bouy' - websearch/ Amazon/eBay should reveal more. Regards, rob.

' what did I do this evening............I made myself a sandwich' ...... leather I already had, board 'borrowed' from SWMBO, felt from a local craft supplier and spray Evostick from Wilkinsons. Off to the local toolshop tomorrow to see if I can get a punch (or set therof) for less than the combined cost of item & postage on eBay, then I'll just have to be patient and allow the recommended week to pass by before cutting out the pads. Can't wait to do the job though - 5 second drop time and ends hissing like snakes! Going slightly O/T - am I right in thinking that the original pad/arm joint would have been done using shellac? - I've got a stick somewhere, which would make the job go a bit quicker than waiting for pva to dry. Regards, Rob.

Thanks for this, guess what I did this evening

Take look at - Item number: 260199821672 (UK ebay) I wish him well with his venture.

Thanks Pete, I would prefer holes anyway. the thumbstraps do have different drillings in the L-shaped plates (experts please feel free to teach me the correct name!) neither are original, one being black and the other a different green/type of leather to the bellows. The old girl has been 'got at' quite a lot over the last 150ish years -there is an old dealers label on one end of the bellows and I suspect he was responsible for 'tarting her up' probably about 100 years ago - she has garish gold and green bellows papers over the original Case gold and white together with a biggish (but well done) repair at the L H end of the belows by a repairer with a penchant for royal blue leather - he replaced about a dozen pads using the same leather. One thumbstrap screw appears to have been engraved originally, subsequently obliterated with a 'snailing' crudely done with a dental burr or similar. 'if only they could talk' - well she may never tell me her life story but I'll sure get her singing again! - lovely set of reeds in her. I was planning on making my own thumbstraps following David Elliott book, I have some nice green leather on the way to me and will be using it to make baffles as well. Regards, Rob.

I am getting to know my new friend, and will be ordering new pads and various other bits and pieces from David Leese come next payday. Q1 I was very surpised to discover that she has a hook type action ( I thought they all had rivetted on fancy shaped pillars) - could this be a result of Case outsourcing some of his parts, possibly from Lachenal, or could she be a Boosey production, after G. Case sold out to them ? Q 2. at present she has a Wheatstone thumbstrap one end and a Lachenal the other - both obviously later replacements, I will be making her a new pair, so could the experts please tell me if a Case should have Wheatstone style holes or Lachenal style slots in the straps? many thanks, NEW YEARS GREETINGS TO ALL Rob.

Still in the post, but the presumed Case EC off ebay last week should be with me Thursday or Friday. Rob JESUS is the reason for the season!