Bellows repair

[tingfod]

I have recently purchased this Lachenal with the plan to restore it. It appears to be in very fine condition - except for the bellows. Whoever owned this forced the concertina into the case without lining up the thumb strap knobs. As a result, it was wedged pretty tightly in the case. I suspect that someone reached past the bellows to try to pull it out and pressed their finger through the bellows.

 

 

I am thinking that I can repair them. Am I kidding myself?

 

Kevin

Edited December 29, 2011 by tingfod

[Geoff Wooff]

I have recently purchased this Lachenal with the plan to restore it. It appears to be in very fine condition - except for the bellows. Whoever owned this forced the concertina into the case without lining up the thumb strap knobs. As a result, it was wedged pretty tightly in the case. I suspect that someone reached past the bellows to try to pull it out and pressed their finger through the bellows.

 

 

I am thinking that I can repair them. Am I kidding myself?

 

Kevin

 

 

Well.... I would certainly try to repair the bellows, if I were you, before buying, or making, a new one. You could look at the "fit it yourself" bellows kit from www.concertina-spares.com this being the cheapest option.

[david robertson]

I am thinking that I can repair them. Am I kidding myself?

Kevin

 

 

Well, there's no harm in trying, but I suspect that way madness lies... It would not have been too much of a problem if they had torn along the valleys, but in this case, two cards seem to have been detached along the ridges. Now then, along each ridge there is an internal linen hinge, an external linen top run, which binds all 6 ridges together, and then a leather top run over that. These last two components give the structure a degree of strength which will be sadly lacking if you replace just part of them. At the very least you will need to cut away the damaged gussets, then join the ridges back together with their internal and external hinges. Tricky. Then cut, skive and fit new gussets, and finally re-bind the run of 6 ridges with leather. I say finally, but of course, you will then need to fit new papers to cover the edges of your new gussets.

If you value your sanity, I would skip all of the above, and call Mark Adey, who has taken on Dave Leese's spares business. Here you can order a replacement bellows kit for just £130 - though I would urge you to spend the extra £30 and order a kit made with separate rather than folded cards. It's worth it for the extra flexibility. By taking this route, the difficult stuff is done for you, you learn a good deal about bellows construction and installation, and you end up with a set of bellows for around half the price you would pay to have the whole job done for you. Good luck!

David Robertson