cleaning fretwork

[Cogsey]

Hi there

 

I'm looking for a bit of cleaning advice. Given the imminent arrival of 2 beautiful new Dipper concertinas in early January, I don't want my old 28 key jeffries to feel inferior. It has served me well. And as it's Christmas, I thought I might clean up the fretwork which is very grimy.

 

Several years ago, I used some silver polish but I found it left pink marks behind in the acute angles of the fretwork. Any advice on what to use and how to go about it would be very welcome.

 

Many Thanks

 

Ciarán

[Chris Drinkwater]

Hi there

 

I'm looking for a bit of cleaning advice. Given the imminent arrival of 2 beautiful new Dipper concertinas in early January, I don't want my old 28 key jeffries to feel inferior. It has served me well. And as it's Christmas, I thought I might clean up the fretwork which is very grimy.

 

Several years ago, I used some silver polish but I found it left pink marks behind in the acute angles of the fretwork. Any advice on what to use and how to go about it would be very welcome.

 

Many Thanks

 

Ciarán

 

Well, if you are in touch with Colin, why don't you ask his advice? He's extremely knowledgeable about the right ways to look after and preserve concertinas.

 

Chris

[PeterT]

 

I thought I might clean up the fretwork which is very grimy.

 

 

Many years ago, I dropped in on Colin and Rosalie Dipper. Colin came down from his workshop; wearing a nice cotton overall, on which he was polishing a fretted metal end, by hand, using a circular motion. This process continued while we talked, and Colin said that this was his normal polishing process.

[JimLucas]

I'm looking for a bit of cleaning advice. Given the imminent arrival of 2 beautiful new Dipper concertinas in early January, I don't want my old 28 key jeffries to feel inferior. It has served me well. And as it's Christmas, I thought I might clean up the fretwork which is very grimy.

Are you sure your Jeffries won't be just a wee bit insulted by your attempt to pretty it up, just for the arrival of the Dippers? If it was good enough for you without a polish before their arrival, then why not just as good and desirable after they arrive?

 

For that matter, I've known several Dippers, and I don't think any of them would think less of your Jeffries just because it wasn't shiny.

 

On the other hand, if you intend that "Jeff" lead Santa's sleigh through the night, a good shine might well be in order, especially given the current weather. Give °Rudolph a holiday, and all can share a bit of punch when the night is over.

[Cogsey]

Cheers Peter. I did as you suggested. Its much improved. Not quite shining but much less grubby. If I carried on for a few more hours I might have rubbed away the fretwork entirely.

[Cogsey]

Jim,

 

Thanks also. I think the Jeffries has regained it's dignity. I'm a firm believer that these instruments are much more than the sums of their parts - more than just machines - and that like the rest of us they have good days and bad. If I don't play mine for a few days, I sense it's not quite happy about being ignored and doesn't quite play as well (or is it me?!). Having said that - it's never let me down.

 

I'm hoping the Dippers will be as modest and unpretentious as their makers and not rub the Jeffries bellows in it (so to speak). I have seen the work in progress and if I were a Jeffries, I'd be shaking in my straps! Obviously, I'm barely able to contain the excitement at this stage given the wait.

 

Ciaran