Bellows repair

[malcolmbebb]

Looking for thoughts on how best to repair a bellows leaking on an internal corner. It's an elderly German box, and I don;t want to spend much money on it.

There are several leaks similar to photo.

 

 

 

Also the bellows leather seems very dry and hard in the corners.

[Paul Read]

You can make the leather more flexible and less likely to crack by working in shoe cream into the leather (not wax-based shoe polish). If there are several leaks, the bellows are probably too far gone but you could patch it up by gluing zephyr or very thin leather on the inside using a flexible leather glue.

Good luck

[malcolmbebb]

I have some "Lord Sheraton Leather Balsam" - wonder if that's the same stuff? Before anyone wonders, it's for a leather hat.

After a PM chat with HallelujahAl I'll be having a crack at repairing the worst ones then see about softening the others.

Unless anyone's got a Klingenthal bellows lying around spare? I imagine they're all the same size.

[Kautilya]

I have some "Lord Sheraton Leather Balsam" - wonder if that's the same stuff? Before anyone wonders, it's for a leather hat.

After a PM chat with HallelujahAl I'll be having a crack at repairing the worst ones then see about softening the others.

Unless anyone's got a Klingenthal bellows lying around spare? I imagine they're all the same size.

Pieces of lady's thin leather gloves (plenty lying around in snow where folk have dropped odd ones) cut to size and stuck with PVA on inside of hole).

Our cat's doing a lot of xmas postal overtime at the moment delivering dead mink (caught by the cold)and she seems to like a Klingonthal variant solution in case you also have leaks on the bellows end. (It's not an accordion - honest - u can tell by the square button locations).

Half way down the list.

http://www.wnyaccordions.org/accordion_trivia

Edited December 19, 2010 by Kautilya

[malcolmbebb]

 

Our cat's doing a lot of xmas postal overtime at the moment delivering dead mink (caught by the cold)and she seems to like a Klingonthal variant solution in case you also have leaks on the bellows end. (It's not an accordion - honest - u can tell by the square button locations).

Half way down the list.

http://www.wnyaccordions.org/accordion_trivia

Excellent! Best laugh I've had for ages.

 

Not so sure about the gloves - things might be different round your way. I still have to live down hunting around the charity shops to find a leather skirt (for my bell pads ), if I'm found hunting around in the snow for discarded ladies' gloves I could be in big trouble...

[Theo]

You can buy glove leather by the skin from Pittards, £10 a skin if you go for grade C. One skin will give you enough for many gussets, and a couple of pairs of gloves!

Edited December 19, 2010 by Theo

[malcolmbebb]

You can buy glove leather by the skin from Pittards, £10 a skin if you go for grade C. One skin will give you enough for many gussets, and a couple of pairs of gloves!

Thanks Theo - no disrespect to Charlie Marshall or Dave Leese, but this looks much more fun. I never dreamed, when I bought my Rochelle, that I'd end up seriously contemplating the purchase of a fuschia sheepskin. Well, maybe not fuchsia, but so much choice... and free postage, too. It's amazing where learning an instrument can take you LOL. And to think I thought skiving was what I did at work...

Anyway, I've ordered a black one.

[Kautilya]

 

Our cat's doing a lot of xmas postal overtime at the moment delivering dead mink (caught by the cold)and she seems to like a Klingonthal variant solution in case you also have leaks on the bellows end. (It's not an accordion - honest - u can tell by the square button locations).

Half way down the list.

http://www.wnyaccordions.org/accordion_trivia

Excellent! Best laugh I've had for ages.

if I'm found hunting around in the snow for discarded ladies' gloves I could be in big trouble...

That's why my sister gave me her old leather trousers.. without gussets

[malcolmbebb]

Anyway, I've ordered a black one.

My leather arrived yesterday, good service and it looks good. There's a few imperfections (Grade C) but I'm pleased with it.

I also requested (on the local Freecycle) any leather or gloves and I hope to collect an odd glove tonight.

[Kautilya]

Anyway, I've ordered a black one.

My leather arrived yesterday, good service and it looks good. There's a few imperfections (Grade C) but I'm pleased with it.

I also requested (on the local Freecycle) any leather or gloves and I hope to collect an odd glove tonight.

if the bellows' splits are on the right hand end and there is only one odd glove on freecycle, make sure you don't end up with a left one. :rolleyes:

[malcolmbebb]

Well it's a left hand glove - actually, it's a very nice glove - but it's quite small. For the bass end a bigger glove might have been better.

Edited December 24, 2010 by malcolmbee

[JimLucas]

For the bass end a bigger glove might have been better.

For the bass end, shouldn't you be using duck leather?

[Kautilya]

For the bass end a bigger glove might have been better.

For the bass end, shouldn't you be using duck leather?

Spot on - the Tony Curtis DA hairstyle appears to be back in fashion; with the falling trousers.////////

Edited December 25, 2010 by Kautilya

[malcolmbebb]

OK, time to bring this thread back on the relatively straight and fairly narrow...

 

I have spent this evening cutting out bits of leather from a sheepskin, cutting them into lozenge shapes, skiving them (and my fingers) and gluing them (and my fingers) to the extended bellows of a German concertina.

Messy job if if ever there was one, thought I'd got all the bits until I looked at the floor... Guess what I'm doing tomorrow morning.

 

Cutting out the old gussets was very untidy, I decided to leave them in situ as they're not bulky, (especially the ones with holes ). Couldn't get a clean cut.

 

I got there, but any resemblance of my patches to Mr Leese's is strictly coincidental (as, indeed, is any resemblance of any of mine to each other!) The patches are external, the bellows don't warrant the extra work of internal repairs and anyway most of the problems already had failed external repairs. I did make up a couple of internal fillets to reinforce some particularly weak joints.

 

Still have a few more left to do - then get some valves and fit them - then see if it still works!

 

LOL Typo originally put "failed eternal repairs" - trouble is, they weren't!

Edited December 27, 2010 by malcolmbee

[malcolmbebb]

Following the above, some questions for the experts, especially Al if he drops by:

 

1) How to get a consistent shape? Is a template worth making?

 

2) Looking at Dave Leese's offerings, how does one get such a neat skived edge? Is there a particular way to hold the knife?

[Theo]

With soft leather the knife must be razor sharp, as in really as sharp as a real razor.

[Greg Jowaisas]

Malcolm,

Here is a link to a bookbinding supplier. I use a Sharf-Fix to skive for bellows pieces. I've watched bookbinders get a good skive with a paring knife.

 

http://apps.webcreate.com/ecom/catalog/product_specific.cfm?ClientID=15&ProductID=17482

 

I'm fairly certain David Leese has a skiving machine. It is the most practical way to produce yards and yards of skived leather. The local bookbinder has one. It looks like a sewing machine but with a spinning cylinder which continuously skives the leather you pass over it.

 

No matter what tool you use your results and technique improve with lots and lots of practice!

 

Greg

[malcolmbebb]

That Sharf-Fix is a neat product - but I think I'm going to have to practice a bit more with the knife!