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I had to open up my Wheatstone anglo to deal with a reed/button issue and encountered a problem. I needed to remove two tiny screws that help align the outside of the end to a guide for the buttons. (I have no idea what the proper name of that part is.) The first photo shows where these screws are, with one screw missing. It's the screw that belongs in that empty hole that's the problem. If you look at the second photo, you'll see two screws, both 7/32 in. long. The top screw is the one I took out of the hole after great effort. (It had a Philips head that a previous owner had stripped.) It's a little machine screw totally unlike any other tiny screw on the concertina. The bottom screw is the one that's in the first photo -- a tiny wood screw. Every other external screw that holds buttons or button guides in place looks like this second screw. So I need to know what the proper name is for that 'correct' screw, and where I can get some of them. I'm not about to put that evil machine screw back onto my concertina. So does anyone have answers for me? Pretty please?

Hi there. I'm posting here as a newbie, not only to this forum, but to the concertina. My observation of other forums is that newbies can sometimes talk too much and tell you his or her life story, so I'll cut to the chase: I do not know how to access the action on my concertina. It is an English concertina, bought from Craigslist, unmarked, maker unknown (to me, anyway). I've never had a concertina before and, within the hour of taking it out of the box, I did a stupid thing: I removed the pinkie rests. (I won't bore you with why, unless you ask.) Bear in mind: everything was fine until I did that. Immediately after, I noticed a small rattle in the action and realized that there must have been tiny washers and even nuts holding the very small screws in place that held the rests and they have now fallen into the action. (Washers/nuts seem to be the case, because the screws can now be simply pushed back into their holes and don't need to be screwed in at all, and no longer tightly secure the rests in place.) I've read that you should remove the larger screw in the thumb strap and middle screw in the rests in order to get to the action in some English concertinas, but mine will not be accessed in that manner. There is no larger middle screw in the thumb strap, only three tiny screws, similar to those on the rests. I'm afraid if I remove those strap screws, I'll have even more small washers and/nuts floating around in the action. I had someone hold the concertina parts while I took photos with my phone, so I apologize for the poor quality. (The first pic is from the seller's Craigslist ad.) The last photo is just to indicate that there are smaller screws visible under the lining, but I haven't touched them. If anyone knows the maker of this concertina, I'd be interested in knowing that, as well, but the question of the day is, "How do I access the action?" Thank you for your patience and for any assistance.

As arepairer/restorer I frequently need to replace the screws that go through thumb straps and finger rests. These are not something you can buy at B & Q. Does anybody know where I ger a few dozen to keep me going?