Vegetarian concertina

[Larry Stout]

All concertinas are vegetarian - to my knowledge no concertina has taken animal products as food.

 

Ah, but I'd guess that many have swallowed small insects and gotten them stuck in their reeds.

[SteveS]

Ah, but I'd guess that many have swallowed small insects and gotten them stuck in their reeds.

Seen it - boxes infested with the concertina worm.

[JimLucas]

Ah, but I'd guess that many have swallowed small insects and gotten them stuck in their reeds.

Seen it - boxes infested with the concertina worm.

Insidious little beasts. They can squeeze into the tiniest spaces, or extend themselves to great length. And those shrill little noises they make.... !

[Theo]

Ah, but I'd guess that many have swallowed small insects and gotten them stuck in their reeds.

Seen it - boxes infested with the concertina worm.

 

Ah but they re not being eaten by the concertina, rather the insects are eating the wool and leather of the concertina! Some insects will eat the wood too.

[JimLucas]

Ah, but I'd guess that many have swallowed small insects and gotten them stuck in their reeds.

Seen it - boxes infested with the concertina worm.

Ah but they re not being eaten by the concertina, rather the insects are eating the wool and leather of the concertina! Some insects will eat the wood too.

So they are

concertarians

?

[vgStef]

I have been vegetarian for over 30 years, and vegan for few years of that time, and have never really been able to balance playing 'tina with being vegetarian.

 

Has anyone tried any alternatives? Is the vegetarian concertina even possible? Are there any materials that are equivalents to those derived from animals? If alternatives have been tried, what is the impact on performance and longevity of the instruments?

 

I'm also vegan and I was feeling the same toward my accordions. So after a lot of research and work, I finally built myself a vegan accordion (probably the world first). If you're curious, here's a

with it in action.

 

So I don't see why a vegan concertina couldn't be possible. In fact, building a vegan concertina is one of my future projects...

[Marien]

I suppose you will not eat your concertina.

 

Interesting idea to make a vegetarian concertina but one question comes up: whether metal parts are vegetarian enough for your ideal concertina. In my view I would "go for" a "bio" instrument - also minimizing metal parts.

 

Plastics are mostly derivations from oil - containing fossile animals - so I suppose that a veganist will not consider the use of any plastic part.

 

I would be puzzled to find a decent biological material for reeds. It is obvious where the word `reed´ refers to real reeds, the same material as for bag pipe reeds. It will sound quite different and use lots of air - but it is the real ECO material.

 

The joint between the bellows and one end could be made like for one single reed in the reed pan. With such a (wooden) joint, the bellows frame can be connected to an end - similar like pushing a reed in its slot) - hence, no glue and no end bolts are needed.

 

Wooden buttons can be used with a hard wood cap.

 

Many cheap bellows were made out of card board, paper and linen in stead of leather, and some of them are not bad at all. It should be possible to find a vegetarian glue (i.e. arabic gum). Bellows linen for organs can be used. No real leather is needed in the bellows. To avoid stiff corners - maybe goretex or other textiles made air tight with a special products (such as HG) could be a solution. For valves, pads and sampers you could use the same (goretex or textiles made air tight).

 

If I would start a project to make a "bio concertina" that could survive myself. I would stick to some metal parts - at least for the reeds. Wooden levers (proper wood type) could be made of decent quality (castagniari does it). Springs and rivet pins would be metal. For the rest I think it is really possible to use non animal materials. I think it is possible to create a decent concertina - with a good action. It could even be very light weighted.

 

These are just some thoughts - which I think could be worth experimenting with...

 

Best of luck,

Marien

[Anglo-Irishman]

I would be puzzled to find a decent biological material for reeds. It is obvious where the word `reed´ refers to real reeds, the same material as for bag pipe reeds. It will sound quite different and use lots of air - but it is the real ECO material.

 

The joint between the bellows and one end could be made like for one single reed in the reed pan. With such a (wooden) joint, the bellows frame can be connected to an end - similar like pushing a reed in its slot) - hence, no glue and no end bolts are needed.

 

Wooden buttons can be used with a hard wood cap.

 

Many cheap bellows were made out of card board, paper and linen in stead of leather,

 

Marien,

I'm not sure I like the slant this is taking!

 

You seem to be obsessed with replacing animal metarials with vegetable materials. I ask, what's the difference? Plants are living things too.

 

Admittedly, the plants that we make reedpans and bagpipe reeds from are no longer living, so that's OK.

But the animals that leather and glue come from are dead, too, so again, what's the difference?

 

What about dead people? Just the same! I've always liked that couplet from Shakespeare's "Hamlet":

 

"Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay,

May stop a hole to keep the wind away."

 

When I'm dead, I'd rather be a concertina bellows or a banjo head than a repair to a wattle-and-daub wall!

 

Cheers,

John